Wimbledon Lawns Threatened?

 

Tennis championships have been held at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club since the 19th century. Replacing the grass with concrete would be heresy, most fans believe.

Wimbledon?EUR??,,????'???s beautifully manicured grass courts are a quintessential element of the historic tennis tournament. But their days are numbered, according to two well-known names quoted in London?EUR??,,????'???s Times newspaper.

David Lloyd, the former captain of the British Davis Cup team, said that the All England Club should rip up the turf and replace lawns with concrete. His comments struck a chord with Sue Barker, the BBC Wimbledon presenter, who said: ?EUR??,,????'??The grass will eventually go.?EUR??,,????'??

Eddie Seaward is head groundskeeper at Wimbledon, where ryegrass turf is mowed daily at 8 mm through the summer tournament.

Some highly ranked players are vocal about their hatred of the surface and have threatened to boycott Wimbledon. Maintaining the lawns at their perfect 8mm height is a year-round job requiring a ton of seed, six million pints of water and 14 groundsmen, who would be made redundant if the grass were dug up.

Eddie Seaward, chief groundsman at Wimbledon for 15 years, said: ?EUR??,,????'??There would be an outrage from the general public, grass is what makes Wimbledon unique. It is more a part of Wimbledon than strawberries and cream.?EUR??,,????'??