Former American tennis player John Isner has criticised the quality of the court’s condition during the Queen’s tennis championship. The competition is underway, and numerous top players are participating to not only win the title but also prepare for the upcoming third Grand Slam of the year—Wimbledon.
That court’s condition came under scanner after America’s Frances Tiafoe suffered an injury during his first-round clash against Australia’s Rinky Hijikata on Monday. The 26-year-old slipped during the second game of the third set and eventually decided to withdraw from the competition. The game was nicely poised at the time when Tiafoe decided to retire with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 1-0.
Isner, in a post on his official account on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — criticised the court’s quality. The 39-year-old stated that court is ‘diabolically slippery’ and also wished the American tennis star recovery ahead of the important part of the season.
"Queens is undoubtedly one of the best events of year, but the courts are diabolically slippery, especially on Monday and Tuesday. Just ask DelPo. Sucks for Frances, hope he can recover for SW19," he wrote.
Isner, who retired from the sport in 2023, had an impressive record while playing on the grass surface. His only Grand Slam semifinal appearance came while playing at Wimbledon in 2018 where he ended up on the losing side to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson with a score of 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24.
On the other hand, the result will not go down well for Tiafoe as not only it casts doubt about his participating in Wimbledon 2024 but it will also go down as a missed opportunity to produce a good result.
The Maryland-born star has already struggled with form in the ongoing campaign. Tiafoe’s best appearance this season came in an ATP event in Houston, where he finished as the runner-up after losing to fellow American Ben Shelton in the final with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Queens is undoubtedly one of the best events of year, but the courts are diabolically slippery, especially on Monday and Tuesday. Just ask DelPo. Sucks for Frances, hope he can recover for SW19.
Get well soon, @FTiafoe 🙌 After a nasty fall, Tiafoe is forced to retire sending Hijikata through to R16 at Queens #CinchChampionships
