Warm weather makes Wimbledon grass even more challenging

Reporting from London —  It has been an unseasonably warm and dry summer here, and the grass courts at Wimbledon have come under particular scrutiny. A number of players have been critical of their condition, among them Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Richard Lewis, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said Monday that he checked out the Centre Court grass a day earlier, and it was as good as he’d ever seen it.

“We are very happy with the courts, 100% confident in them,” Lewis said. “All the metrics, all the measurements that are taken show that the courts are as good as ever.”

Djokovic said last week that the surface seemed softer than usual, a feeling he doesn’t like.

“The more you play on it, the worse it is, obviously,” he said. “You don’t have as much grass already now at the end of the first week.

“But I’m sure that the groundsmen will try to do everything possible to make it playable for the athletes as much as they can in the second week. Obviously now there is not much you can do. I’m sure they know what they’re doing. They know their job the best in the world.

“But you can see that there is a slight difference in the quality of the grass.”

Murray, the defending champion, echoed those comments.

“There’s quite a few spots on the court, like just behind the baseline and just in front of the baseline, where there’s quite big lumps of grass, sort of almost like little divots there, which I don’t remember really being the case,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s anything to do with the weather that they’ve had over the last few weeks and months.

“It’s been pretty hot, pretty extreme conditions. Not much rain. So I don’t know if that’s affected it.”

The playing surface was under the most intense scrutiny after Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the world’s No. 1 doubles player, suffered a grotesque knee injury during a second-round singles match.

Her right knee buckled as she rushed the net and she suffered a dislocated kneecap and ruptured patellar tendon.

Baby love

Monday marked the end of the tournament for Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who made it to the fourth round even though she had a baby only six months ago. She lost to Romania’s Simona Halep, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

But Azarenka said going home to her infant son, Leo, changes her outlook.

“I don’t go to an empty house after my loss and just cry there,” she said. “I go home and spend time with my son. Regardless if I won or lose, he’s still going to smile when he sees me.”

Dog gone

Venus Williams typically brings along her dog, a 7-year-old Havanese named Harold. He isn’t with her on this trip, though.

“I travel with my dog, but never here,” Williams said. “Actually, have a yard here, so he would have loved that. We’ll be reunited hopefully. Not too soon, but soon.”

Williams would like to take her time. She has a sixth Wimbledon title in her sights. And with the women’s draw so wide open, that’s entirely possible.

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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