Wimbledon 2026 live updates: Day 4 latest as Amanda Anisimova, Alexander Zverev play after Swiatek progresses

“You’ve just got to fall well, because you’re going to fall at some point on the grass.”

That was Tommy Paul, the American world No. 25, describing one of the most rarefied tennis paradoxes in a news conference at Queen’s, the prestigious grass-court event in southwest London.

No tennis player wants to fall. But if it’s going to be inevitable, then like a forehand, a backhand or a serve, it’s something that can be practiced — or at least studied.

Paul’s words have proven prescient during the first few days of Wimbledon, where players losing their footing and either hurting themselves or not is as perennial as the strawberries and cream.

Grass is already tennis’ slipperiest surface; in the first few days of the tournament, when it is as lush as it gets, it presents maximum risk to an onrushing player clad in white.

Falling over on grass is an occupational hazard, and whether a player gets injured most often comes down to pure luck.

But having an awareness of how to mitigate the impact of falls, and developing the mentality not to be scared of falling, can be crucial to making a deep run at the slipperiest Slam. See more below.