It is not all easy ~ Wimbledon, the only tournament played on grass takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Final, scheduled always for the second Saturday and Sunday respectively. Wimbledon traditions include a strict dress code for competitors, the eating of strawberries and cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage. The tournament is also notable for the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain.
Wimbledon.com
(photo credit & news credit too) reveals that it takes around 15 months to
prepare a Championships’ standard court
before it can be played on. The grass
seeded in April is cut once the new
grass reaches 15mm, and then cut three times a week in May to keep at 15mm. During The Championships the height of grass
will be 8mm, it will be cut every day. The
grass plant itself has to survive in dry soil. Expert research has shown that a cut height of 8mm (since 1995) is
the optimum for present day play and survival. Courts are sown with 100 per
cent Perennial Ryegrass (since 2001) to improve durability and strengthen the
sward to withstand better the increasing wear of the modern game.
Perceived
speed of a court is affected by a number of factors such as the general
compacting of the soil over time, as well as the weather before and during the
event. The ball will seem heavier and slower on a cold damp day and conversely
lighter and faster on a warm dry day. Contrary to popular belief, the amount a ball bounces is largely determined by
the soil, not the grass. The soil must be hard and dry to allow 13 days of play
without damage to the court sub-surface.
Technically, the Singles Court length is 23.77m (78’) x width 8.23m (27’); while that
of the Doubles is length 23.77m (78’) x
width 10.97m (36’).
Of
the many news, Roger Federer admits that he is “intrigued” by the back story of
Britain’s Marcus Willis, his second-round opponent and the new darling of
Wimbledon. After making hard work of disposing of Guido Pella 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 on
Centre Court, Federer will face Willis in perhaps one of the biggest mismatches
in recent Wimbledon history. Their backgrounds could not be more diverse with
Willis pocketing £258 prize money this season compared to Federer’s $98,148,225
career earnings. Federer has 88 titles in his locker compared to Willis’
solitary Great Britain F14 Futures triumph in 2013. But in Tennis, like many other Sports, it is
not the reputation or seeding that always matter ~ it is the player who plays
better on that day !
In
every tournaments players including top seeds do tumble – as there would be
winners and losers. Some reports suggests that Katie Swan's Nike dress was to blame for her Wimbledon
defeat as the Player, aged 17, admits she had to tuck revealing 'nightie'
Serena Williams refused to wear into her shorts. Katie, 17, was beaten 6-2 6-3 by Hungary's
Timea Babo and reports suggest that she was visibly struggling with her £75 Nike
dress. A controversial tennis dress
that is so flimsy it's been dubbed the Nike 'nightie' caused a stir in the
opening matches at Wimbledon after players wearing it were left revealing a
little too much flesh ~ then there are
suggestions that the £75 tennis dress is to blame for Brit star Katie Swan
losing her match on Tuesday.
Katie, was visibly struggling with her dress and was forced to
tuck the white garment into the bottom of her shorts at one point. Katie, who
lost her match at Wimbledon, was wearing the floating Nike dress that has been
slammed on social media for being too revealing and impractical. The dress has made headlines this week after
it was slammed for being too revealing. The strict SW19 dress code for players
states that 'common standards of decency are required at all times' but it
appears the sports kit giant is pushing the boundaries with the 'Premier Slam'
dress for female competitors. Katie is
not alone as Czech star Lucie Safarova's midriff was also constantly on display
during her first round victory against Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Germany's Sabine Lisicki said she refused to wear the skimpy
dress because it was so flimsy. She instead wore a skirt and vest top as she
cruised to victory in her first round match. Although sponsored by Nike, defending champion
Serena Williams didn't wear the dress on Centre Court. She's been weating a
version especially designed for her called the 'Nike Women's Premier Wimbledon
Serena SW19 Dress'.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
29th
June 2016.
