Tennis stars complain about Wimbledon grass

Seven tennis players were forced to abandon the Wimbledon tennis tournament in one day this week after injuring themselves.

This is a record for a single day at the London competition. Several of the players blamed the grass courts at Wimbledon for making them slip over. The women's number two player, Victoria Azarenka, asked the organisers to investigate the courts after a fall meant she had to leave the tournament. Maria Sharapova, the women's number three players, fell over three times before losing her match. She told the umpire "This court is dangerous".

However, UK player Andy Murray said the surface felt the same as usual to him.
Wimbledon organisers say the grass has been prepared in the same way as before. Some gardeners have suggested that the cold spring in the UK, which has delayed plant growth, might mean there is more sugar in the grass than usual.

Funny parents create funny children

Children are only as funny as their parents, according to new research. Researchers at Cardiff University say that babies begin to develop a sense of humour from about 18 months. However, this basic humour is copied from their mother and father, so how funny they are depends on their parents.
Parents can help their children develop a sense of humour by speaking in a different voice when they are doing something funny. This makes it clear they are joking.

Queen's horse wins big race

The Queen's horse Estimate won the Ascot Gold Cup race last week, the biggest win by one of her horses since 1977. It is the first time this race has ever been won by the horse of a British king or queen.

The Queen had been due to present the cup to the owner of the winning horse, so her son Prince Andrew had to do it instead. A royal spokesman said: "Royal Ascot is the highlight of her calendar and to win this race is the cherry on the cake." The Gold Cup is the biggest race of the Ascot race meeting, and the prize money was given to people who prepared the horse. The Queen did not bet on the race.

UK's biggest music festival under way

Glastonbury, which takes place on a farm in the West of England, is the UK's biggest and most famous music festival. There was lots of excitement about this year's festival, because organisers decided not to hold one last year because of the Olympics.

Performers include the Rolling Stones, the Vaccines, Rita Ora, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Alabama Shakes, Bobby Womack and Chic. The organisers have also made sure the thousands of festival-goers can use their smartphones. They have converted one of the farm's tractors into a 4G wifi hotspot which can provide high-speed internet access to anyone within 100 metres. The tractor will be driven around the farm.