Wimbledon fans short-changed as retirements plague men's draw

Centre Court ticketholders at Wimbledon only saw one full match on Day 2, due to two retirements.

Author:
Jon Wertheim
Publish date:
Jul 4, 2017

You know who had a rough day? Centre Court ticketholders. Only one of the first three matches played to completion. (Caroline Wozniacki vs. TimeaBabos was thrown in at the last minute.) As of Tuesday, there were seven retirements in the men's draw (and one in the women's). You can hardly blame the physically compromised players for remaining in the draw. The first round money—roughly $50,000—is nothing to sneeze at.

But let’s hope that the ATP’s idea sticks: Eligible players get first round money no matter what. Lucky losers get the spot in the draw; only if they win, do they get the money and points. The injured players get their full wage scale. The lucky losers have a chance at a big payday. The fans get healthy players. Tournaments don’t have to pay a dime more.

• With Serena Williams absent, which woman would christen Centre Court at 1 p.m., as is tradition? Angelique Kerber, last year’s runner-up. Kerber is also the top seed and while she’s no one’s favorite, she played a fine match on Tuesday, beating American qualifier Irina Falconi. The player who is the favorite, Karolina Pliskova, won as well, taking out Evgeniya Rodina in straight sets.