Advertisement

Wimbledon fans left horrified by frightening ball kid incident

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor
·3-min read
The ball kid, pictured here being taken from the court on a stretcher.
The ball kid had to be taken from the court on a stretcher. Image: Channel Nine

Fans at Wimbledon were left horrified over the weekend when a young ball kid became the latest victim of the slippery Wimbledon grass.

The youngster was in action during a mixed doubles match pitting Sam Murray Sharan and Divij Sharan against Ariel Behar and Galina Voskobeova.

'LITTLE SCARY': Roger Federer 'rattled' by strange crowd support

'HEARTBREAKING': Kyrgios buries feud with rival after shock moment

It's believed the ball kid slipped on the grass while retrieving a ball and was left screaming in agony.

They were immediately assisted by the players and officials on court before receiving medical treatment.

The ball kid was then taken off the court on a stretcher.

The ball kid, pictured here after slipping and falling on the Wimbledon grass.
The ball kid slipped and fell on the Wimbledon grass. Image: Channel Nine

The slippery nature of the Wimbledon courts was at the centre of controversy throughout the first week of the grass-court grand slam.

Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino were forced to retire hurt in back-to-back matches on Centre Court after both slipped and injured themselves.

Nick Kyrgios also took a nasty tumble a day later but was able to recover and win his match.

Williams said she was "heartbroken" over the manner in which she was forced to exit Wimbledon.

"I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg," she said in a statement posted on her Instagram account.

Outrage over slippery nature of Wimbledon courts

The 39-year-old was leading 3-1 in the first set of her first-round clash with Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus when she slipped and had to have her right leg examined.

She returned from receiving medical attention but called it quits at 3-3 and walked off Centre Court in tears.

Williams did not reveal the seriousness of the injury which cost her another chance to equal Margaret Court's all-time grand slam singles titles haul of 24.

Instead she addressed the spectators - she had saluted all four sides of Centre Court - and her broader fan base on social media.

"My love and gratitude are with the fans and the team who make being on centre court so meaningful," she said in her statement.

"Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on — and off — the court meant the world to me."

Mannarino, who was playing Roger Federer in the match before Williams, lost his footing in the main stadium too.

The Frenchman's 33rd birthday ended with a twisted knee and a loss because he was too hurt to keep playing.

Organisers later said the wettest two opening days of Wimbledon "in almost a decade" indirectly led to "additional moisture" on the grass at Centre Court while the retractable roof has been closed for long periods.

Fans were left fuming over the ugly farce, with many taking aim at Wimbledon officials.

with agencies

Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.