Kudla falls to Dodig in second round at Wimbledon

Denis Kudla, limited by a lower back injury, fell to Ivan Dodig in the second round at Wimbledon yesterday.

Denis Kudla caught the Wimbledon injury bug.

During a changeover in the third set against No. 49 in the world Ivan Dodig, the cameras zoomed in on Kudla as he was noticeably wincing in pain.  A couple of brief stretches did not provide the remedy so a trainer was summoned for a medical timeout.  The trainer worked intensely on Kudla’s lower back for five minutes before play resumed.

Kudla was not the same afterwards.  He could not stand upright.  He could not bend his knees.  His weapon, a stout two-handed backhand, was transformed into a one-handed slice.

Notwithstanding these limitations, Kudla managed to win two more games and knotted the score at five apiece before Dodig cinched the match (6-1, 7-6(7-4), 7-5).

An outbreak of maladies over the past three days have forced a litany of top-ranked players to withdraw.  An unprecedented seven, including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Victoria Azarenka, retired on Wednesday alone.  There have been some rumblings that the court surface is not up to Grand Slam standards.

“The court was not in a very good condition that day,” said Azarenka. “My opponent fell twice and I fell badly.  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.”

All England Club officials refuted the claims.

“The factual evidence, which is independently checked, is that the courts are almost identical to last year, as dry and firm as they should be, and we expect them to continue to play to their usual high quality,” said Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis.

For the first time since 1912, no American men advanced to the third round at Wimbledon.  What happened in 1912?  No American traveled to to play in the tournament.

“It’s a tough stat to hear,” said Kudla.  “But I still believe, right now, where US tennis is, not too many guys are in their prime…maybe next year, or the year after that, things could change. You have to go through a little bit of a struggle to get some success.”

Match Stats