'Oh my God' - Federer shock at Williams retirementpublished at 20:22 British Summer Time 29 June 2021
Katie Falkingham
BBC Sport at Wimbledon
Roger Federer has just been told about Serena Williams' retirement through injury in his news conference, having watched his opponent Adrian Mannarino do the same after also slipping.
"As I was walking out, the referee asked me how I was feeling about the court. I said, 'I think the court plays normally as we know it'," said Federer.
"I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof. I don't know if it's just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down.
"I feel for a lot of players, it's super key to get through those first two rounds because the grass is more slippery, it is more soft. As the tournament progresses, usually it gets harder and easier to move on.
"This is obviously terrible that it's back-to-back matches and it hits Serena as well. Oh my God, I can't believe it."