IMAGE: France’s Ugo Humbert turned up at Number Two Court missing a vital piece of equipment – a tennis racket. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
Ugo Humbert had 90 minutes to fill before his delayed Wimbledon match against Casper Ruud on Wednesday but it still wasn’t enough to pack properly as he turned up at Number Two Court missing a vital piece of equipment – a tennis racket.
The Frenchman had been forced to wait to face the third seed due to rain but as the umpire called the players to begin their knock-up, despite coming on court carrying a massive red bag, the 24-year-old sheepishly admitted: “I don’t have any rackets – sorry for that.”
Humbert’s embarrassment did not last long as somebody appeared within a couple of minutes clutching three rackets.
Perhaps the confusion impacted his concentration as he lost the first set before coming back strongly to win the second-round match 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.
Doubles disharmony as Tan pulls out after Williams win
IMAGE: France’s Harmony Tan’s withdrawal ended German Tamara Korpatsch’s hopes of playing her first Grand Slam doubles match. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Hours after knocking Serena Williams out of Wimbledon in a late-night Centre Court epic, France’s Harmony Tan pulled out of the women’s doubles due to a thigh injury — and her partner was not impressed.
Tan’s withdrawal ended German Tamara Korpatsch’s hopes of playing her first Grand Slam doubles match.
“Unfortunately my doubles partner H. Tan retired from our doubles today. She just texted me this morning. Let me wait here one hour before the match start,” the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram.
“I’m very sad, disappointed and also very angry that I can’t play my 1st Doubles Grand Slam. And It’s really not fair for me… I didn’t deserve that.”
Tan needed three hours and 11 minutes to beat Williams, a seven-times Wimbledon singles champion, under the lights in the first round on Tuesday and there was no indication that she will not continue her singles campaign.
Each doubles pair will receive 12,500 pounds ($15,000) for a first-round appearance at the tournament.
“She asked me before the tournament if we wanna play doubles and I said yes, I didn’t ask her, she asked me!,” said Korpatsch, who lost her first-round singles match to Britain’s Heather Watson.
“If you’re broken after a three-hour match the day before, you can’t play professional,” Korpatsch added. “That’s my opinion.”
Venus to team up with Jamie Murray on Wimbledon return
IMAGE: Venus Williams, 42, has not played on the Tour since a first-round defeat at the Chicago Open last year due to a niggling leg injury. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Five-times Wimbledon singles champion Venus Williams will return to action for the first time in almost a year after the American and Briton Jamie Murray were on Wednesday granted a wildcard for the mixed doubles at the All England Club.
The 42-year-old has not played on the Tour since a first-round defeat at the Chicago Open last year due to a niggling leg injury.
Murray is a twice mixed doubles winner at Wimbledon – partnering Jelena Jankovic in 2007 and Martina Hingis in 2017 – while Williams reached the final with Bob Bryan in 2006.
The pair will take on Alicja Rosolska and Michael Venus in the first round.
This is not the first time the two tennis families have come together, with Serena Williams and Andy Murray combining in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2019 and reaching the third round.
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