Wimbledon diary: Mpetshi Perricard runs out of aces as injuries mount up

Mpetshi Perricard stops short of record

John Isner’s record for the most number of aces in a single Wimbledon – 214 during 2018 – is safe for another year. The 6ft 8in Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, looked a prime candidate to beat it after cranking down 51 aces in his opening match against Sebastian Korda. And he was still on track when he flew past the 100 mark in round three. But the 21-year-old looked notably more tired in his last-16 match against Lorenzo Musetti, and could only manage another 10 in his four-set defeat. Still the Frenchman ends the tournament with an impressive 115 aces – 45 clear of Quentin Halys, who currently sits in second.

Political no -go

Speaking of Mpetshi Perricard, he gave a frosty reaction when asked whether he had voted in the French parliamentary elections on Sunday. “I’m here to play, so I’m not really interested about the election,” he said. “It’s not part of my job to talk about it, so I cannot do. I cannot talk about it.”

Serving up numbers

The Wimbledon compendium, which is on sale for £20 from the museum, is a treasure trove of facts and memories. Did you know that 63,000 tennis balls are ordered each year? Or that in 2023, 102,000 scones were sold? Last year there were also a record number of servings of strawberries and cream sold – 253,000 to be precise. But that number dwarfs in comparison to the 341,000 glasses of Pimm’s that were sold in total to the 532,000 visitors last year.

Many out for the count

The unusually high number of player withdrawals continued on Monday when the Russian Anna Kalinskaya pulled out with wrist injury when 6-3, 3-0 down against the 2022 champion Elena Rybakina. It came just a day after Grigor Dimitrov, with a knee issue, and Madison Keys, who tweaked a hamstring, also had to withdraw mid-match.

How bad has it been? We have my intrepid colleague, Simon Cambers, to thank for crunching the numbers. In the first eight days of the tournament, 22 players or double partnerships have withdrawn before a match – including Aryna Sabalenka , the pre-tournament women’s favourite, and Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka – while another eight have pulled out while on court. So that’s 30 … and counting.

Wimbledon links with beautiful game

One of the guests in the Royal Box on Tuesday will be Ivor Heller, one of the co-founders of AFC Wimbledon – who played a key role in the club’s climb back to the football league. His appearance illustrates the growing links between the All England Club and the football club. In April, AFC Wimbledon’s players came to the indoor courts at the AELTC, where they were given a tennis lesson by Annabel Croft. The AFC Wimbledon and Wimbledon staff now also play tennis and football matches against each other. No prizes for guessing who wins.