All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis tonight stood by the quality of the Wimbledon grass on a day when seven singles players withdrew from the championships due to a range of injuries.

All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis tonight stood by the quality of the Wimbledon grass on a day when seven singles players withdrew from the championships due to a range of injuries.

From the moment Steve Darcis withdrew prior to his second-round clash because of a shoulder problem, the talk around Wimbledon was about the condition of the courts and whether they were dangerous.

That seemed to be the view of Maria Sharapova as she fell to a surprise defeat against Michelle Larcher de Brito, with lip readers picking up her saying "This court is dangerous", a quote she did not later deny.

Former professionals including Boris Becker and Tim Henman had their say in response, claiming the courts were fine, and Lewis did the same.

In a statement released by the club, Lewis said: "There has been a high number of withdrawals at the championships today and we sympathise with all the players affected.

"The withdrawals have occurred for a variety of reasons, but there have been some suggestion that the court surface is to blame. We have no reason to think this is the case."

The All England Club has a new head groundsman for this tournament, with Neil Stubley, who has spent many years on the staff, having succeeded Eddie Seaward.

There is no suggestion that the quality of surface has dropped, though, according to Lewis.

He added: "Many players have complimented us on the very good condition of the courts.

"The court preparation has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years and it is well known that grass surfaces tend to be more lush at the start of an event.

"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."