Wipeout at Wimbledon! Sharapova blasts 'dangerous' courts as she crashes out in shock defeat and Tsonga becomes the SEVENTH casualty in record day of injuries
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered knee injury ending his Wimbledon dream
- Record for withdrawals at Wimbledon was broken standing previously at five
- Maria Sharapova described the court as 'dangerous'
- Victoria Azarenka twisted her knee badly during her first round match
- Steve Darcis, Rafael Nadal's conqueror, suffered a shoulder injury during their first round match
- Marin Cilic, due to play Andy Murray in the quarter-finals, suffered knee issue
- John Isner, Radek Stepanek and Yaroslava Shvedova have also pulled out
By NEIL MOXLEY and TARA BRADY
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Former Wimbledon champion and third seed Maria Sharapova slid to a shock second-round exit today after suffering a number of falls on the court which she described as 'dangerous'.
The Russian, who won the grasscourt grand slam in 2004 as a 17-year-old, slipped over a number of times during the match and received lengthy treatment after a nasty fall in the seventh game of the second set.
She was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.
Agony: Maria Sharapova slips during the match at Wimbledon against Michelle Larcher De Brito
Even before the tumble, which was very similar to the one that forced second seed Victoria Azarenka to withdraw with a knee injury, Sharapova was outplayed by the world number 131 who sealed victory on her fifth match point when her opponent netted a forehand.
Sharapova's exit came hours after the withdrawal of second seed Azarenka, who called for Wimbledon officials to investigate why the courts were so slippery after several players suffered falls.
After claiming victory the 20-year-old de Brito clearly had some sympathy for her opponent.
Pain: The Russian was heard describing the court as 'dangerous' during today's match
Sharapova's exit came hours after the withdrawal of second seed Azarenka who called for Wimbledon officials to investigate why the courts were so slippery
Injured: Russia's Maria Sharapova is treated for an injury after falling over during today's match at Wimbledon
'There's lot of grass that's been cut and not been swept up so there's a lot of dead grass so it's not been easy,' she told the BBC. 'It's a tough court to play on.'
Former world number one Sharapova looked unhappy on Court Two against her opponent, who shares the same noisy style of play as the four-times grand slam champion and hails from the same Florida tennis academy.
While being treated in the second set after the fall that left her clutching her hip, Sharapova appeared to complain to the umpire that the surface was 'dangerous'.
She went off court to continue treatment and resumed after a near 10-minute stoppage but the Russian, who seemed to struggle with her serve in an all-round error-ridden performance, could not avoid one of her worst results at the All England Club.
Maria Sharapova speaks to an umpire (left) during her second round singles match which she lost
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered a knee injury ending his tournament resulting in the record being broken for the number of withdrawals in a single day at Wimbledon.
Caroline Wozniacki said: 'It's not really fun to be out there when you can push off on your foot.'
With Marin Cilic, Steve Darcis, John Isner, Radek Stepanek and Yaroslava Shvedova also out, the total number of withdrawals from the singles tournament stands at 10.
Unlucky number seven: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has become the latest casualty at Wimbledon
Despair: The talented Tsonga is among the world's most talented players
Dream over: Some of the world's leading players have described the Wimbledon courts as 'dangerous'
Seven and counting: There are fears Tsonga's injury won't be the last
Tsonga became the latest player to suffer an injury nightmare when he had to quit his second-round match with Ernests Gulbis.
The popular Frenchman looked as comfortable as he was expected to as he took the opening set 6-3 on Centre Court.
He suffered a knee injury in the second set, though, and, after losing it 6-3 to the often-unpredictable Latvian, he called for medical assistance.
He headed into the third set regardless but endured further woe as he accidentally hit his own wrist with his racket and, after limping his way to another 6-3 loss, shook hands with his opponent and the umpire.
Complaint: Sharapova made the umpire aware of her feelings about the court
Painful: Victoria Azarenka slipped over on the baseline against Maria Joao Koehler
Bad fall: Azarenka looked to be in agony at the back of the court
Tsonga, who was beaten by Andy Murray in the last four a year ago, had been a possible last-eight opponent for the British number one this time around.
Second seed Azarenka, meanwhile, slipped during the second set of her victory over Maria Joao Koehler, damaging her right knee.
Although she completed the match, the powerful right-hander follows Darcis into pulling out of the tournament, and the number of injuries taking place have not gone unnoticed.
'Tsonga the latest to withdraw...that's 7 today. If it continues at this rate Andy Murray could be Wimbledon champion on Tuesday,' tweeted Gary Lineker.
Victoria Azarenka screams in agony after falling to the ground during her game
Assistance: Azarenka receives treatment on the ground
American Isner, known for playing the longest match in tennis history with Nicolas Mahut, stopped after just two games against Adrian Mannarino after a left knee problem reared its ugly head, while Stepanek lasted two sets before succumbing to a thigh injury.
Tenth seed Cilic was due to play Frenchman Kenny de Schepper in the second round, but withdrew before playing. It will make Andy Murray's path even easier as they were going to meet in the quarter-final.
Azarenka did not point the finger of blame directly at organisers, she said that her fall asked questions of the court's condition.
Wimbledon officials have confirmed they have done nothing different to prepare the courts from previous years.
The Belarusian attempted a fitness test on the practice courts but had to admit defeat, Italian Flavia Pannetta awarded passage to the third round.
Bang: Belgian Steve Darcis falling on his shoulder in his match against Rafael Nadal
End of the line: Darcis walks disappointingly through SW19 after pulling out
Gone: Darcis was forced out of his second round clash with a shoulder problem
Going home: Unfortunately for Darcis he will not get to go on a dream run
Azarenka said: 'It was slippery out there on Monday - and obviously I slipped.
'I think that (the condition of the courts) is something that could be looked into.
'I don't think it was in a good condition. I fell badly, my opponent fell twice.
'It would be great if someone who was responsible for these things looked at it because there's nothing that I did wrong to cause me to slip.'
Another: Marin Cilic, the Queen's Club runner up, has also pulled out from a knee injury
Trouble: John Isner needed to received prolonged treatment on a left knee problem
Fifth seed Sara Errani said she was afraid to run on the courts for fear of injuring herself on Monday after her defeat to Monica Puig.
Darcis picked up a shoulder injury during his tussle with the Spaniard and was given no option but to pull out of his second round tie with Lukasz Kubot.
He took to Twitter moments after the official announcement to explain his decision: 'Have to throw the sponge without a fight after beating rafa? THE + the painful decision of my career!!
Unable to continue: Isner decided there was no way of carrying on and called off the match
Hurting: Radek Stepanek receiving treatment in his match with the giant Pole Jerzy Janowicz
'Had to Effective withdrawn a win like this? THE MOST difficulty thing i had to do! @triedeverythingtoplaybutdidntwork !!'
The 6ft 9in Isner took a 10-minute break for treatment before attempting to carry on against Frenchman Mannarino, but his movement was clearly restricted.
He eventually went to umpire Enric Molina at the end of the second game to confirm he could not go on, before shaking hands with his opponent.
Crooked: France's Julien Benneteau went down after twisting his knee
Depressed: Benneteau needed lengthy treatemtn to continue against Fernando Verdasco
Taking a tumble: Caroline Wozniacki falls over in the fourth game of her second round match against Petra Cetkovska
Explaining how his injury occurred, Isner said: 'It was the third point of the match. I didn't do anything different. I went to serve, and I think it was as I landed.
'I always serve and land on my left leg, like I have done 20 million times playing this game, and this is the first time I just felt this sharp pain.
'It wasn't like a pop. There wasn't anything. It just grabbed really badly, and I knew I was in serious trouble then. I knew at that point it was not likely I was going to be able to play.'
He self-diagnosed the problem as a tendon issue but does not expect to require surgery.
Shock: She had boyfriend Rory McIlroy worried though when she was down
Worrying: Spain's David Ferrer also slipped on Centre Court
Tumble: Even world No 1 Novak Djokovic struggled to keep his footing
He said: 'I just can't bend my knee. I can walk as long as I keep it straight.'
The injury woes did not end there. Wozniacki looked to be in some difficulty out on Court No 2 after falling very awkwardly during the fourth game of her match against Petra Cetkovska.
Wozniacki called for the trainer after appearing to twist her right ankle. She received treatment but was then broken in her subsequent service game. The world No 9 looked close to tears at 4-1 down.
Splits: Serbia's Jelena Jankovic ended up in a position very similar to Azarenka
Not impressed: Jankovic was clearly worried after her fall
Cilic was also vocal about the players' problems: 'I would say very black day. I mean, the other days, other weeks, there were no pull outs. I mean, just happened today everything.
'So difficult to say what's the explanation. But, I mean, everything is related to individual. Difficult to say what the real issue is.
'It's more because of obviously much lower bounces, putting more pressure on my body and my knees, as I'm pretty tall. It also has a difficulty on movement. It's a bit tougher to move on grass than other surfaces.
Down: Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych slips in his match against Slovakia's Martin Klizan
'I felt just that it's a bit quicker conditions this year than the last year. That's basically it.'
After her second round victory, Eugenie Bouchard said she thought the playing surface was 'slippery', while Ana Ivanovic described it as 'faster' than she was used to in previous years.
'I felt the court was definitely faster than the one I played the other day,' Ivanovic added. 'I played on few courts obviously around the grounds, but this one felt quite fast.'
Crash landing: Canada's Eugenie Bouchard found it hard to stay on her feet
Despite Azarenka's protestations, Wimbledon legends Boris Becker and Tim Henman dismissed fears that the courts were to blame for the raft of injuries.
Becker, three-time champion at SW19, said: 'The grass is always going to be slippery in the first couple of matches, that has been the case for the past 100+ years.'
Former British No 1 and four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman added: 'The courts are no different to last year. When they are green they are a bit lush and they do take time to bed in.
'I wouldn't say the courts have much to do with the injuries we have seen. I'm not sure I'll be blaming the courts just yet. These things are issues you will always have to deal with. You can never take anything for granted at Wimbledon.'
Full transcript of Victoria Azarenka interview
Q. Since the injury, can you just describe what happened the past couple of days? What's going on?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I mean, it was pretty obvious it was a very bad fall. I tried to stay optimistic as possible. Went to get an MRI, and I thought there was hope for some good news because MRI didn't show something really torn, something extreme. So that was a small positive note on that.
But in the other way, didn't show very promising near future for me. So we tried to do everything as possible, but it was just very significant fall. To recover in two days after that seems impossible with the compensation on the entire body by finishing that match.
The injury maybe takes 48 hours gap, and 48 hours just made it worse.
Q. It's torn? It's a strain? Do you know exactly what it is?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I forget the medical term. It's something with a bone bruise. It's kind of a bone bruise.
I'm sorry, I'm just not sure of the medical term. The tendon and the ligament was not hurt, which as I said was a positive news.
But the rest, no.
Q. How long will you be out now?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I'm going to do more examination right now. It was very difficult to kind of accept that. Just a bad luck. Really bad luck.
Q. When did you decide to give up? When did you know that you were not going to play today?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, before I tried to practice today a little bit to see if it's going to warmup or with the treatment get better.
It just didn't; just got worse. So today, I mean.
Q. We keep seeing pictures of people falling. Is there anything different with the courts this year?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: You know, I'm wondering the same question, because the court was not in a very good condition that day. I mean, my opponent fell twice; I fell badly; there were some other people who fell after.
So I don't know if it's the court or the weather. I can't figure it out it. Would be great if the club or somebody who takes care of the court just would examine or try to find an issue so that wouldn't happen.
Because on something like this, there is nothing I could have done, you know, to make that better. There is nothing I've done wrong that cost me to just withdraw from Wimbledon.
Q. Did the ball bounce any differently?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't think so. Not really sure.
Q. What was bad about the condition of the court?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Slippery. It was slippery. Obviously I slipped.
Q. The foot injury earlier this season, now this. Mentally I guess it's frustrating and tough at the moment.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Very tough. I mean, I couldn't be any more disappointed. Wimbledon is just a tournament I was looking so forward to. I love playing here.
To not be able to kind of play just because of something with such a bad luck is very, very frustrating. I couldn't be more disappointed.
Q. Did you feel in shape to be winning the tournament as well?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think so. I was playing well. I started my first match well. I mean, the game, I wasn't so worried about that. I think I did very good preparation. I was in shape and everything.
But as I said, I couldn't prevent something that happened.
But as I said, I couldn't prevent something that happened.
Q. Now where are you going? Are you staying here?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: As I said, I need to do furthermore examination, because my body had to compensate a whole lot after that fall.
From there I will see where is the best place for me to recover. That's going to be the main priority right now.
Q. You said you were frustrated with the condition of the court. Did you speak to the club and let your concerns be known?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I mean, I didn't say that, frustrated with the court. I think there might be a cause as I said, there's something that could be looked into.
I cannot take out my frustration on the court or something because it's out of my hands. It's something that maybe can be looked in the future.
Q. How do you get past this mentally? How do you get over the disappointment? How do you regroup and come back from this?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: You know, right now I don't see anything positive as of today because I'm disappointed extremely.
But there is positive news. I'm pretty lucky that what happened to me is not critical. Could be, because after the fall the doctors saw and they are surprised that I'm even able to get up.
So I guess that's one of the positive things that I can look up to.
Q. Did they tell you how long before you could be back out?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: No. I don't know yet.
Q. Grass court is your biggest fear now?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: My biggest fear is heights, not grass court or anything else. And spiders. So...
Q. Your hip too, or just the knee? I heard your hip was maybe injured at the same time.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: As I said, there has been compensation, because when I fell I had tremendous pain in my knee, and from stopping and loading I had to use my hip and my back.
So with that it's just the whole body has been compensating.
Q. Have you seen the video yourself?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I have. Couldn't miss that. It was on TV about hundred times.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2349020/Wimbledon-2013-Sharapova-blasts-dangerous-courts-record-day-injuries.html#ixzz2XMNQSZdK
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