Wimbledon without grass?

A suggestion surely as preposturous as, well, strawberries without cream.

David Lloyd, the outspoken former Davis Cup captain, has launched a stinging attack on the surface so revered in SW19.

The 53-year-old ex-player says men's games at Wimbledon are now virtually "unwatchable".

He says improvements to racquets and player power have produced 15 years of boring tennis.

According to Lloyd, the time has now come for the All England Club to rip up the hallowed turf and move with the times.

Wimbledon is now the only major tournament in the world played on grass.

Lloyd's suggestion may seem laughable given the prestige of an event worth $60m a year, not to mention the millions in tourism and associated income.

Or the fact it is the tournament players such as Venus Williams and Pete Sampras most want to win.

Not surprisingly, Wimbledon declined to comment on Lloyd's comments.

And the Lawn Tennis Association was also unwilling to talk about the future of grass.

Greg Rusedski for one.

The British number two, who breezed into the third round on Wednesday, is one of Wimbledon's biggest fans.

But he recognises that when it comes to developing the game, grass may not be best suited.

"In France they have Roland Garros as the French Open. A lot of players grow up playing on clay and they can come to their championship and play on clay as well.

"In Britain it is nice for players to have grass but clay is probably a better surface to learn on.

"But I would never want to see grass got rid of. It's certainly done me pretty good over the years!"

Weather permitting

John Inverdale, who is anchoring the BBC's Wimbledon coverage, has even stronger views.

"The vast majority of tennis clubs in this country that have grass courts are wasting their time.

"Grass takes a lot of upkeep and most clubs cannot afford the groundsmen needed to maintain it.

"And if they are not in good condition then they are not the best surface on which to teach youngsters how to improve their game.

"It is absolutely useless; if you are spending half your time worrying about the bounce, then that is not going to help bring on young players."