France’s Michael Llodra pulled out of the Wimbledon singles on Thursday citing a hamstring injury — then played in the men’s doubles, sparking questions as to whether he was trying hard enough.
Playing on Court 14, Llodra lost the first set of his second-round singles match 7-5 to Italian 23rd seed Andreas Seppi, then pulled out due to what he said was a hamstring tear.
So, many people were surprised when three hours later he turned up on Court 6 for a match with his doubles partner Nicolas Mahut.
To add a further twist, their opponents Jan Hajek and Jaroslav Levinsky of the Czech Republic pulled out at 5-4 down in the first set.
Llodra has a record of pulling out during singles matches, having previously done it on 31 occasions. By comparison, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has never done so.
Llodra could not see what all the fuss was about.
“In singles it’s too difficult and dangerous for my hamstrings. I prefer not to take any risks. Doubles is easier. You play half court.
“When I’m in an overstretch, it’s painful. Sometimes it’s a little bit like pinches.”
Asked if he wanted to apologise to spectators on the 312-capacity Court 14 who might have wanted to see him play a full singles match, he said: “I want to apologise for me. It’s my body.
“I can understand it’s difficult for the fans to realise or to understand my situation.”
Llodra has now retired hurt during singles matches 32 times in his career, including in qualifiers, while there have been two walkovers where he has not even started the match.
Under the Grand Slam rules, a person can play doubles later in the day after approval from tournament medical staff.