WTM

A DAY OFF FROM TENNIS

June 28, 2010 by WTM

I had a wonderful middle Sunday! So nice in fact that I’m thinking about taking another morning of afternoon off and going into London again.

I had planned to go to Leeds Castle, but when I arrived at Victoria Station, and saw a huge line snaking back and forth reminding me of going through airport security, I gave up on it, refusing to do anything even slightly difficult or stressful on my day off.

Instead, I decided to check out the Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace, as it is just a short walk from the station. When I saw what the current exhibit was, I knew I had made the right decision. Victoria and Albert, Art and Love. Fabulous. This is the perfect venue for this type of show. The space is beautiful, actually part of the palace, and is small and intimate.

Victoria and Albert were prolific and excited collectors and patrons of the arts. Including, painting, dance, opera, theatre, and music. They both played the piano well, and Albert also was known to be quite a good composer. One of the pianos from their palace was in the exhibit. A very, grand one, covered in gold leaf. They were also among the first of their generation to become patrons of the new art of photography and commissioned hundreds of photographs of family and friends. There was also one of Victoria’s dresses.. I was surprised to see how small she was, and some of her jewelry that had been gifts from her husband. Everything in the show was from their personal household, art that had never been exhibited before so it was a wonderful opportunity to experience this exhibit.

The gallery was un crowded, cool and quiet. A perfect way to start my special day.

Next lunch at one of my favorite spots on Southbank, Wagamama. It’s sort of a contemporary noodle house with lots of choices. The seating is at communal wood tables, and I always meet interesting people there. This time I was seated across from two young guys visiting from Scotland. Very nice, but their accent was quite thick and difficult to understand, however we did manage to communicate, and it was a very enjoyable lunch.

From Wagamama, I walked along the river to the Tate Modern. Yes, I was bent on getting my art museum fix. The show I wanted to see there couldn’t have been more different from Victoria and Albert. Voyeurism Surveillance and the Camera. Very interesting, spanning images from the late nineteenth century until today, and focusing on the cult of celebrity, paparazzi and some recent works with the growing phenomenon of surveillance. Very interesting a somewhat disturbing.

Making my way to Leicester Square to meet a friend for food and drinks, I saw a sign pointing to the London Wall. Well, being Miss Curiosity, I couldn’t resist exploring. After asking a LOT of people I finally found it.

Built by the Romans in the late second or early third centuries, it was the defensive wall built around their fortress on the Themes called Londinuim.

I love the way the English preserve respect their heritage and antiquities. If this relic was in the US, I’m sure it would have long ago been covered by a high rise.

So once I satisfied my curiosity, I was back on the trail to meet my friend. Leicester Square was rocking, with large groups of Argentine foot ball fans parading and celebrating their win. We were at a place that has a terrace on the second floor with a terrific view of the activities below. Great fun.

Actually, maybe a little too much fun because I missed the last Underground train, which stops at midnight and had to take the night bus home. Commonly called the “N” bus, this runs all night and is packed with others who were out beyond the witching hour.

Riding this bus is an experience in its self. The red double deckers leave from Trafalgar Square for dozen’s of location. The only problem was, Trafalgar Square is huge and I couldn’t remember which corner the bus to Wimbledon left from. After asking several drunks, I finally found the right one, and was on my way. The guy sitting across the aisle from me was openly drinking a can of Stella, and the couple on front seriously needed to get a room. At one point a group of wild football fans go on singing and waving banners, but I think they found the company too dull and got off after a few blocks.

I eventually made it back to Southfields around 2AM and so ended my middle Sunday.

I know I should talk a bit about tennis, but once again it’s after midnight. McCoy Tyner’s Soliloquy playing on my iPod is helping to keep me awake, but I think I’ll be signing off for today. We’ll talk tennis tomorrow.

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Cynthia

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: A SUMMARY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF WIMBLEDON

June 28, 2010 by WTM

STARS

(Wimbledon – First Week)

John Isner won the longest-known match in tennis history, outlasting Nicolas Mahut 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7) 7-6 (3) 70-68

Vera Dushevina beat fifth-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-7 (0) 7-5 6-1

Kaia Kanepi beat sixth-seeded Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-4

Daniel Brands beat seventh-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 1-6, 7-6 (5) 7-6 (8) 6-1

Fabio Fognini beat eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (9) 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-4

Klara Zakopalova beat 10^th-seeded Flavia Pennetta 6-2 6-3

Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot beat top-seeded and defending doubles champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic 7-5 5-7 7-6 (4) 6-7 (3) 8-6

SAYINGS

“You can’t even dream of something like this.” – John Isner, after winning the longest match in tennis history.

“I want to play, but I can’t see.” – Nicolas Mahut, when play was halted for the night because of darkness with the fifth set tied 59-59.

“We want more! We want more!” – Court 18 fans when play was halted at 59-59.

“Nothing like this will ever happen again. Ever.” – John Isner.
“[John is] a champion. He served unbelievable. Every time I was that close to breaking him he just served aces, aces, bombs. I could not do anything. I tried very hard, but he was just too good.” – Nicolas Mahut, after losing to John Isner.

“I walked on court at about 11-all in the fifth and now I’m off and they’re still going. This is absolutely amazing. In a way, I wish I was them, in some ways I wish I wasn’t them. This is a very special match. I hope somehow this is going to end.” – Roger Federer, talking about the middle day of the three-day match between Isner and Mahut.

“She said, `Oh, you’ve been coming here a long time.’ And I said, `Yes, 49 years in a row,’ and she goes, `Oh, that’s wonderful.’ … It was really an honor and a big thrill for me, because it is on my bucket list.” – Billie Jean King, relating her conversation with Queen Elizabeth.

“I live another day. This one is one I should have lost. That’s sometimes how grass-court tennis works.” – Roger Federer, after overcoming a two-set deficit on opening day to beat Alejandro Falla 5-7 4-6 6-4 7-6 (1) 6-0.

“I think about the lost opportunity. On the other hand, I played a great match. I had Federer against the ropes.” – Alejandro Falla.

“I played very well. Well, maybe not that well. “ – Michelle Larcher de Brito, after losing to Serena Williams 6-0 6-4

“It’s almost embarrassing to go out and play a Grand Slam match like that.: — James Blake, following his straight-set, first-round defeat.

SHELL-SHOCKED

It wasn’t a match for the record book – it WAS the record book. It took three days for John Isner to win his first-round match against Nicolas Mahut, and the only thing that stopped them was darkness. The match lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes, with the final set alone taking 8 hours, 11 minutes to play. Isner finally won 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7) 7-6 (3) 70-68. With thanks to the record-keepers at Wimbledon, the International Tennis Federation and the ATP Tour, the match made the following changes to the record book:

It was the longest-known match in tennis by a long shot. The second longest was 6 hours, 33 minutes when Fabrice Santoro beat Arnaud Clement in a first-round match at Roland Garros in 2004.

The 183 games obliterated the old singles match mark of 112 games when Pancho Gonzales defeated Charlie Pasarell in a first-round match at Wimbledon in 1969. The longest doubles match was 122 games in a 1973 Davis Cup tie between the United States and Chile.

In comparison, the fewest games played in seven matches to win a Grand Slam men’s singles title in the Open Era is 147, by Guillermo Vilas at the 1977 US Open.

The previous longest fifth set in a Grand Slam men’s singles match was 21-19 when Andy Roddick beat Younes El Aynoui in a 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal. The previous longest set in Grand Slam men’s singles was 25-23 when John Newcombe beat Marty Reissen in the 1969 US Open round of 16.

Mahut served 103 aces in the match – 10 fewer than Isner and the second-most in a match since the ATP began keeping records in 1991. The record prior to the Isner-Mahut match was 78 by Ivo Karlovic in a 2009 Davis Cup tie against the Czech Republic. Karlovic lost that match to Radek Stepanek.

That makes the record for combined aces in a match 216. The old mark was 96 set by Karlovic and Stepanek.

There were 168 consecutive service holds, and until the final game the last break of serve had been in the second game of the second set.

In a game between two big servers that had so many aces, it was remarkable that the last two points of the match came on winners – a forehand passing shot and a backhand down the line.

At the All England Club, the courtside electronic scoreboard got stuck at 47-47 when the score really was 48-48, then went dark entirely. When the two got to 50-50, the Wimbledon website’s live scoring feature began over at 0-0 with the notation to add 50 to each score. When Isner and Mahut returned to play on the third day, both the courtside scoreboard and the website’s live scoreboard had been re-programmed to display the correct score.

SITE SEEN

Queen Elizabeth II attended her first Wimbledon match in 33 years, applauding Briton Andy Murray’s victory on Centre Court and shaking hands with former and current champions. Among those who greeted the Queen were Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Serena and Venus Williams, Murray and Roger Federer. The last time the Queen had been at Wimbledon, she handed the women’s championship trophy to Great Britain’s own Virginia Wade. Murray is the only British player still left in the singles draws. Her visit was upstaged by John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, who were playing their fifth set the entire day without losing serve.

SHORT DAY

After playing and winning the longest match in tennis history, John Isner returned the next day for his second-round match as was eliminated in the shortest men’s match of this year’s tournament. Isner lost 6-0 6-3 6-2 to Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands in 74 minutes. “Right now, I just can’t wait to sit down on a couch for a prolonged period of time,” Isner said. “I spent a lot of hours on my feet the last three, four days. I just need to sit back and rest and let my body recoup.”

SHOCKED

Two-time defending champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic failed to make it past the second round in men’s doubles this year. The top-seeded pair lost to Great Britain’s Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot 7-5 5-7 7-6 (4) 6-7 (3) 8-6. Canada’s Nestor and Serbia’s Zimonjic had won 13 straight matches at the All England club, winning the title in both 2008 and 2009.

SKIPPING THROUGH

Frenchman Gilles Simon didn’t have to hit a single ball to gain a third-round berth. That’s because his opponent, Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko, withdrew from the tournament with a right rotator cuff injury. Marchenko had a truncated first-round win when his opponent, Michael Berrer, quit after two sets.

SHIAVONE SHUFFLED OFF

The sun shines only briefly on tennis players. Italy’s Francesca Schiavone discovered that truth quickly. Fifteen days after she won her first Grand Slam tournament title at Roland Garros, she suffered a first-round loss on the grass at Wimbledon. A year ago, Schiavone was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. This time, she was ushered out of the tournament by Russia’s Vera Dushevina. “Different surface, a different feeling,” Schiavone said. “I did not take my chances. It’s not easy on grass if you do not serve so good.” Dushevina wasn’t surprised that she won. “I had a plan,” she said. “Francesca is the French Open champion but I have been junior champion here and I know how to play on grass.”

SPITTING FINE

Victor Hanescu apologized for spitting at hecklers in his third-round match, but still is USD $15,000 poorer. The Romanian was fined USD $7,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct after swearing and splitting in the direction of hecklers in the crowd on Court 18. He was fined another USD $7,500 for not using “best efforts” at the conclusion of his match against Germany’s Daniel Brands. Hanescu foot-faulted and served a series of double faults in the final game of his match before retiring while trailing 0-3 in the fifth set. He had been issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct earlier in the set. “I lost my control briefly in the fifth set after another insult from someone in the crowd,” Hanescu said. “I should have never done that, but I am human and I made a mistake.”

SOLID CASE

A challenge from the German Tennis Federation has been rejected by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The three-judge panel of the 3^rd US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 2008 federal jury verdict in Delaware rejecting the federation’s antitrust claims against the ATP for restructuring the tour’s schedule and demoting the clay court tournament in Hamburg, Germany, to second-tier status. The move eliminated Hamburg as a key warm-up for the French Open. The German federation and the Qatar Tennis Federation – which owns a stake in the Hamburg tournament – have not decided yet whether to try to take the case to the United States Supreme Court.

STAGE FRIGHT

Lindsay Davenport has won three Grand Slam singles titles and two doubles crowns, including Wimbledon in 1999. Yet she says returning to Wimbledon has given her a slight case of stage fright. “I’m a little nervous and stressed out,” Davenport admitted after her first mixed doubles match, which she and Bob Bryan won. “I was getting sick to my stomach before we went out there, like, ‘What are we doing?’ But I miss having a purpose at home on some days, so it was fun getting up to practice for this.” The tournament is Davenport’s first since the 2008 US Open. The 34-year-old mother of two is going to play only doubles at Wimbledon and two other tournaments in California. She said she will definitely not play the US Open, but has left open any other plans to play in other events.

SLAMMIN’ SISTERS

Serena and Venus Williams are seeking their fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament women’s doubles championship and 13^th overall. The two are seeded number one in doubles, while also seeded numbers one and two in the singles. Last year they met for the Wimbledon singles title, Serena wining the crown, then teamed up to win the doubles.

SWITCHING COACHES

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka has ended his relationship with his coach, Dimitri Zavalioff, after working together since the start of Wawrinka’s career. “Thanks to him I have won the Roland Garros junior title, two ATP World Tour events and reached number nine in the ATP Rankings in 2008,” Wawrinka said. “He played a major role in my career and I am extremely grateful.” Wawrinka, who suffered at first-round loss at Wimbledon this year, has not named a new coach.

STEPPING UP

Yen-Hsun Lu is breaking new ground. He became the first Taiwanese man to reach the second week of a Grand Slam tournament when he bested Florian Mayer of Germany in a third-round match. Lu was leading 6-4 6-4 2-1 when Mayer retired injured. Lu had reached the third round of the 2009 Australian Open. Hsieh Su-Wei became the first Taiwanese woman to reach the fourth round of a major, that coming at the Australian Open in 2008.

STEPANEK HURT

The Czech Republic won’t have Radek Stepanek when it meets Chile in a Davis Cup World Group quarterfinal next month. The right-hander has been sidelined with a left knee injury. Czech Davis Cup captain Jaroslav Navratil picked Jan Hajek to join Tomas Berdych in the singles for the July 9-10 competition in Coquimbo, Chile. Completing the Czech team will be doubles specialists Lukas Dlouhy and Frantisek Cermak.

SEEKING TO BE BRITISH

Dustin Brown may have become the first Jamaican to play at Wimbledon in 40 years, but he wants to play Davis Cup for Great Britain. Brown, who has climbed more than 350 places in the rankings to 105, lost his first-round match to 16^th-seeded Jurgen Melzer 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-3. He says he has fallen out with the Jamaican Tennis Federation and hopes to play for Britain. His Jamaican father has British roots, while his mother is German. “Something has to happen also from the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association),” Brown said. “If they are interested, then they have to step towards me.”

STARRING

Irina Falconi of Georgia Tech and Robert Farah of the University of Southern California have been named the 2010 Campbell/ITA National College Players of the Year in the United States. Farah is a senior from Cali, Colombia, and has been his team’s captain for three seasons, that include consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team titles. Falconi is a sophomore from Jupiter, Florida, USA and has been ranked number one throughout the entire spring season.

STARTING SOMEWHERE

Opportunity Tournaments will be held in three Southern California locations with the winner of each event awarded a wild card into the qualifying draw of the Mercury Insurance Open, which begins July 31 in La Costa, California, USA. The Opportunity Tournaments are open to all interested female players and requires a USD $40 entry fee. The draw size for each event will be limited to 32 players and acceptances will be made according to Sony Ericsson WTA Tour ranking, college record and/or junior record. Among early entries into the Mercury Insurance Open are Samantha Stosur, Dinara Safina, Nadia Petrova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic. Former two-time tournament champion Lindsay Davenport has accepted a wild card into the doubles where she will partner fellow American Liezel Huber.

SITES TO SURF

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html

Braunschweig: www.nordlb-open.de/

Turin: www.sporting.to.it

Cuneo: www.countrycuneo.com

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Bastad: http://women.swedishopen.org/

Budapest: www.gazdefrancegrandprix.com

Newport: www.tennisfame.com/

Pozoblanco: www.tennispozoblanco.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (second week)

$132,000 NORD/LB Open 2010, Braunschweig, Germany, clay

$105,000 Sporting Challenger, Turin, Italy, clay

WTA

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (second week)

$100,000 Cuneo 2010, Cuneo, Italy, clay

DAVIS CUP

Americas Zone Group IV, at Panama City, Panama, clay (round-robin with top two nations promoted to Americas Zone Group III): Barbados, Honduras, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, US Virgin Islands

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$442,500 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass

$105,000 Open Diputacion Ciudad Pozoblanco, Pozoblanco, Spain, hard

WTA

$220,000 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary, clay

$220,000 Collector Swedish Open Women, Bastad, Sweden, clay

DAVIS CUP

World Group Quarterfinals

France vs. Spain at Clermont-Ferrand, France

Russia vs. Argentina at Moscow, Russia

Croatia vs. Serbia at Split, Croatia

Chile vs. Czech Republic at Coquimbo, Chile

Americans Zone Group II Second Round: Venezuela-Peru at Maracaibo, Venezuela; Paraguay-Mexico at Encarnacio, Paraguay

Americas Zone Group II Playoffs: Bolivia-El Salvador at Cochabamba, Bolivia; Guatemala-Netherlands Antilles at Guatemala City, Guatemala

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I First Round Playoffs: Chinese Taipei-Philippines at Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Korea-Uzbekistan at Gimcheon, South Korea

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Second Round: Indonesia-Thailand at Jakarta, Indonesia; New Zealand-Pakistan at Taranaki, New Zealand

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Playoffs: Malaysia-Pacific Oceania at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sri Lanka-Hong Kong, China at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Europe/Africa Zone Group I First Round Playoffs: Belarus-Netherlands at Minsk, Belarus

Europe/Africa Zone Group II Second Round: Ireland-Lithuania at Dublin, Ireland; Slovenia-Bulgaria at Otocec, Slovenia; Cyprus-Portugal at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal; Bosnia and Herzegovina-Estonia at Tallinn, Estonia

Europe/Africa Zone Group II Playoffs: Turkey-Great Britain at Eastbourne, Great Britain; Norway-Monaco at Monte Carlo, Monaco; Egypt-Denmark at Cairo, Egypt; FYR Macedonia-Hungary at Godollo, Hungary

WHY SODERLING WILL BEAT NADAL IN WIMBLEDON QUARTERFINALS

June 27, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

I’ve cautioned you from Day 1 to not lose sight of Robin Soderling and now you don’t have any choice. You’re going to have to look at the big-serving, big-stroking, big-bodied Swede because he’s now just one round removed from an absolute blockbuster quarterfinal next Wednesday against Rafael Nadal.

Soderling still has to get by the running machine, David Ferrer, on Monday, while Nadal plays Paul-Henri Mathieu in the round of 16. Despite Nadal’s recent shaky play, including Saturday’s five-set victory over Philip Petzschner Saturday, a Rafa-Robin quarter is probable.

If it happens, I’m giving Soderling a slight edge, and here’s why.

While Rafa has struggled from two sets to one down in his last two matches, really turning it on in the latter stages (and we’ll get to some significant numbers on that in a moment), Soderling hasn’t lost a set, hasn’t been pushed to a tiebreak and, most importantly, hasn’t been broken. He’s gone 43 games in a row at Wimbledon without losing serve.

For the second time in a row, Nadal has seen what a big serve can do to neutralize lesser ground-stroking talent. All Robin Haase had to do on Thursday and Petzschner Saturday was to just hang in there with Nadal by holding serve, no matter how much better Nadal looked overall.

If you’re going to whip Rafa on grass, you’ve got to have the serve. Haase clubbed 28 in his five-set loss and Petzschner 25. Meanwhile, Soderling has averaged 14 aces per match, but, remember, he’s played three three-setters, not five-setters. On average, he’s right there with Haase and Petzschner and, with Soderling, it’s not just about aces. He’s hitting more service winners, getting more unreturned serves.

Soderling is not going to give you 140 mph blasts off his racket, but he’s consistently around 125-130 when he isn’t taking pace off by slicing serves to the deep corner of the deuce court. And he may have the best second serve in tennis right. He’s averaging 126 mph on his firsts and 110 on his seconds.

He’s faced only five break points, three against Saturday’s victim, No. 24-ranked Tomaz Bellucci of Brazil, who is the first quality opponent Soderling has played. But, regardless of his opponent’s rankings (Robby Ginepri is No. 72, Marcel Granollers No. 87), you can see how well Soderling is playing and he’s working with very high confidence right now, having beaten Roger Federer at the French and reached the final against Nadal in Paris.

As for Nadal, I have no doubt that high on his agenda on his Sunday off is going to be focus on his clamping down harder in the first three sets. He can’t keep depending on his last-match fitness to bail himself out, because with Soderling there might not be a fourth set.

In the Haase match, there wasn’t a lot Rafa could do in the opening set, in which Haase looked like Pete Sampras, crashing 13 aces and looking untouchable. Leading two sets to one, Haase at that point had cashed in both his break-point opportunities. Nadal shut him down in the final two sets.

In the Haase match, Nadal had 27 winners and 9 unforced errors after three sets. In the last two, his numbers were 15 and 3.

Next, Saturday’s Petzschner match. Nadal had 36 winners and 14 errors in the first three sets before bearing down and going 20-4 in the last two sets.

Great finishes by Nadal to keep himself in the tournament, but he can’t be happy having to pull these matches out.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

CYNTHIA LUM: SHARAPOVA EARNS WIMBLEDON’S TOP SPOT ON THE FASHION RUNWAY

June 27, 2010 by WTM

I’ve been daydreaming and planning what I will to on my wonderful day off Sunday. Having no play on the middle Sunday is the best part of the Wimbledon experience for all of the press. I have to applaud the organizers at the All England Club for being able to finish in thirteen days. The French now spread it out over fifteen and both the US and Australian Opens take fourteen including night matches.

So, will it be a trip to Henley for the regatta, Oxford or just hanging in London and going to the Tate Modern, shopping in Soho? Perhaps I will take in the concert in Regents Park? So many choices. I may have to play hookey from the tennis one day and do a day of shopping and museum therapy in the city.

I am SO ready for a break. The crowds here have been tremendous. Tremendous for the tournament that is, not so great if you are trying to get across the site from court one to court 19 carrying 30 lbs of cameras. The attendance the day the Queen was here was 42,608. That is more than the entire population of the Illinois town where I grew up. Total attendance for the first five days was 207,208. I’m in serious need of some space.

The good thing is, there has been no lack of excitement. Obviously, the marathon match setting all kinds of records, the Queen, and on a more bitter note, Victor Hanescu, who was accused of swearing at the chair umpire, spitting at hecklers and finally storming off the court in the fourth set. He had asked for a suspension around 8:30, because of an injured thigh, but the chair told him that there was another thirty minutes of daylight and refused his request. The twenty-eight year old then proceeded to act like and eight year old, producing a series of odd and deliberate foot-faults, then storming off the court with the excuse of a thigh injury.

His temper tantrum could prove quite expensive. He could face a 6,600 pound fine, plus lose his 25,000 pounds in winnings.
I think it’s time to talk about fashion. Maria Sharapova for sure gets the number one spot on the runway. Her white and cream dress is perfect for Wimbledon, or anything else for that matter. I’d love to have it in a street length. I’m thinking that I may take a photo of it to Shanghai with me and get something like it made there. The skirt is made of a soft sheer fabric that looks cool and moves beautifully. Nike has also given her white and cream shoes and sox, maybe my comments about her white shoes with the black dress she wore in Paris got back to the designers.

Venus as usual is causing a stir in her white fringe. Once more I have to say, I give her credit for daring to be different, and truth is, I kind of like the movement of the layered skirt. The top doesn’t really go with the bottom in my opinion. It’s sort of a double-layered affair, too tricky with the wild skirt. She’s making a statement with the skirt and that is enough. Accessory wise, Dominka Ciblikova wins hands down with her strawberry print racquet bag.

Shall we talk about Serena? Well, her dress is ok, but I’m not sure about the fuchsia knickers. Anyone with her, uhhh, assets, might not want to exhibit them in this attention drawing color. Then there are the nails. The actually sparkle in the sun. Well, I’m ok with that. It’s sort of fun.

Unfortunately there is nothing to say about the guys. Quite boring in their Wimbledon whites.I’m excited about my day off and will back on the grounds on Monday.

– Cynthia

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Cynthia Lum is one of the world’s most celebrated sports photographers and has traveled the world covering all the major tennis events for 18 years. In addition to tennis she is currently shooting horse racing, golf, surfing, and beach volleyball. Visit her on-line photo archive at www.cynthialum.com where her photos are for sale for professional and personal use. She is available for hire for corporate and editorial clients. She is based in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

The Fitness Training of John Isner

June 26, 2010 by WTM

How is it physically possible to win an 11 hour and five minute match?

John Isner will give you a clue.

The winner of the historic 11 hour, five minute 70-68 fifth set Wimbledon marathon over Nicolas Mahut recently sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Harry Cicma, the host of the television show WORLD TENNIS WITH HARRY CICMA and discussed his training methods at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla. Isner credits Saddlebrook and its coach Craig Boynton to his improved fitness and rise into the top 20 of the ATP World Tour rankings.

”I owe all (my improvements) to Craig and the great trainers at Saddlebrook,” Isner tells Cicma. “I have everything at my disposal here – the tennis, the gym, the field. It’s everything an athlete could ever ask for. It’s the perfect training ground for me.”

To view the entire interview and to have a look at Isner in the gym, watch the segment here:

The interview will be part of the upcoming July showing of WORLD TENNIS, the second-year, 30-minute tennis television show that airs on the New England Sports Network (NESN).

Cicma reports for NBC Sports/NBCSports.com and was previously the sports anchor and main producer at NBC in Providence, R.I., CBS in Springfield, Mass., and ABC in Sioux City, Iowa. He is the co-founder and host/producer of “NESN-TV’s World Tennis with Harry Cicma,” “Comcast SportsNet Boston’s World Team Tennis Show” and has also served as a commentator for other networks including Fox Sports Net and Tennis Channel. Cicma is the Television voice of World Team Tennis and did play-by-play for the U.S. Open tennis championship’s World Television feed. A former ATP world-ranked doubles player, he was also a standout Big East tennis player at Rutgers University.

The Saddlebrook Resort (www.Saddlebrook.com), located just 30 minutes north of the Tampa International airport, offers an ideal, award-winning resort setting with luxury accommodations and facilities for corporate events, meetings and conferences, spa getaways, family reunions, kids camps, and Florida golf and tennis vacations. Its facilities include year-round golf at two 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature Courses, 45 tennis courts in every grand slam surface, a European Style Spa, and five premier dining and restaurant options. As a world renowned professional training center for many sports, its tennis academy, originally started by the legendary Australian coach Harry Hopman, is the training ground for such tennis superstars as Isner, James Blake, Mardy Fish, and the Bryan Brothers, who call Saddlebrook Resort their preferred training center.

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CYNTHIA LUM: “THE QUEUE” IS A STORIED WIMBLEDON TRADITION

June 26, 2010 by WTM

The Queue, and notice its spelled with a capital letter. This is not just a word meaning lining up for tickets at Wimbledon. In SW19, the Queue is a tradition as integral to the Championships as strawberries and cream, or predominately white clothing.

Some have said that it adds to the excitement and mystique. Well, I don’t know about the mystique part, but for the campers, it does hold a certain excitement or at least a nice break in their daily routine. For the kids, it’s excuse to sleep in a tent, eat junk food, and get out of taking a bath before bedtime. For adults, a chance to act like kids.

For many years, the queue ran up the hill along Church Road from the Southfields tube station. It was a casual impromptu affair with people setting up tents or sleeping bags on the sidewalks lining the road. Fans would hang out playing frisbee in the street, cooking on portable barbeques and generally having a fun party.

However, in the last few years they have moved the queue to Wimbledon Park, which runs alongside Church Road. It’s lost a lot of its fun atmosphere and become a very organized affair. When you arrive with your camping gear and Honorary Steward hands you a numbered card (this custom was started in 2003 after having huge problems with queue jumping in the previous year) and a 40-page booklet called A Guide to Queueing for the Championships. No, I’m not kidding! A FORTY page guide. Only at Wimbledon.

Among the do’s and don’ts are excessive drinking, loud music, oversized bags and flip-flops. Flip-flops. What in the world could they have against flip-flops? However the CARDINAL NO! NO! and the one that is spelled out in capital letters is,” QUEUE JUMPING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED”.

The stewards are also there to make sure that people actually stay in the line, rather than set up a tent, then in the darkness of night, sneak off to a B&B. But I’d be willing to bet that if someone disappears for hours the people in adjacent tents are going to blow the whistle on them.

I heard that the reason the campers were moved into the park was because the homeowners on Church Road started complaining about noise and cooking on the street, but from what I have seen over the years, it was quite tame. Just people having a few laughs, and a bit of fun. I’m sure it started quite innocently when someone got the bright idea of camping on the street to be first in line for the next days tickets, and grew from there.

The atmosphere is somewhat that of a huge family reunion. People who have been coming for years and only re-connect for this one special event, embrace and share food, drinks and stories. Young people are strumming guitars, limbo dancing, and I saw one family who actually put up a make shift net with clothesline and were playing tennis!

Approximately 2,000 fans line the park every night. Some are obviously seasoned campers with good tents, folding chairs, blow up pillows, games, books portable radios, and I saw one with a small TV! Can’t miss you fav tele programs even if you are sleeping in the park.

There is, of course, a lot of conversation about the matches. Fans show loyalty to their favorite players adorning their tents with flags and banners.

If you didn’t bring a picnic, there is a grill truck, and an ice cream stand. There are also temporary toilets set up with decent facilities. No worry about over sleeping, the stewards will wake everyone at 6:30 AM and the line will start moving at 7.

I came across the park at 10AM this morning and campers were already setting up for tomorrow! It seems to me that the camping is a much of the experience as actually going to the matches. I heard one of the stewards telling people at the end of the queue, that they may not get tickets until 5PM today. That was at 10 in the morning and God only knows what time they arrived yesterday. The fans smiled and replied, “Oh that’s alright, it’s a nice day to spend in the park anyway”.

I actually toyed with the idea of doing this one night, thought it might be fun and a good thing to have the experience before writing this blog, but my comfy bed with a warm down comforter and a hot shower was sounding awfully good, and anyway, I forgot to bring my tent.

Cynthia

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HENIN HITS GROOVE AHEAD OF FOURTH-ROUND CLASH WITH CLIJSTERS

June 25, 2010 by WTM

By Ritesh Gupta

There are times when famed players raise their game to a certain level which results in a feeling of contentment for them. Even after being at the top when you prove something to yourself, it definitely means a lot. Also, when you know your opponent is not a mere pushover, it makes such effort all the more creditable.

Justin Henin conjured up one such display at Wimbledon Friday. The fact that the Belgian played on the Centre Court, it made her 6-1, 6-4 made her third-round victory over Russian Nadia Petrova all the more special.

For one who only returned to the competitive tennis earlier this year, Henin surely is hungry for success.

Her post-match smile summed it up all. Immediately after her third-round win, Henin mentioned that this is the best she has played since her return.

The Henin-Petrova match lasted for 68 minutes. But the first 30 minutes almost completed Petrova’s misery.

The way the first set shaped up, it was clear that Henin was in no mood to let her opponent settle down. She bamboozled Petrova with her swift movement and fluent strokes. So much so that the depth and the pace of Henin’s groundstrokes made Petrova retrieve a lot of balls in an awkward fashion. Henin also negated Petrova’s service games with ease and that only mounted the pressure point after point, game after game.

After being broken thrice in the first set, Petrova lost her control. Her frustration became quite apparent. Not happy with the situation, she slammed her racquet on her foot and on the ground.

At times such antics may not lift one’s spirit, but they can definitely break your opponent’s tempo.

Perhaps that was the case with Henin. She lost her serve early in the second set, owing to a couple of loose strokes. Petrova, though not serving the way she is known for, varied her pace and improved her first serve percentage for a brief period to make a match of it.

But Henin soon broke back after Petrova failed to stave off fourth break point in the sixth game. A couple of games later, the Russian’s resistance came to an end.

Henin’s victory showed she was on top her game and quite focused. She knows she can’t afford to let the advantage or rhythm go, especially the way she squandered 5-2 lead in the second set in her second-round match against German Kristina Barrois before recovering to win in straight sets.

The timing of Henin striking form couldn’t have been better. She next faces Kim Clijsters for a place in the last eight, definitely the biggest match in the ladies’ singles so far.

Importantly, Clijsters isn’t spending too much time on court. She was equally ruthless in her 6-3, 6-3 win over Maria Kirilenko of Russia.

CYNTHIA LUM: WHAT’S THE BIGGER STORY, THE QUEEN AT WIMBLEDON OR ISNER BEATING MAHUT?

June 25, 2010 by WTM

OH MY WORD! Where do I start. Thursday was an insanely busy day at the All England Club. The Queen and the conclusion of the John Isner/Nicolas Mahut. Which is the bigger story?

Let’s start with the Queen. Never, have I seen so many people set a twitter over a visit from the Queen. I know this is a big deal as it’s her first visit in 33 years. I think it’s obvious that she is probably not a huge tennis fan, but the royalty of Wimbledon tennis, including the top four seeds on both sides of the draw, with three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick, filling in for Andy Murray who could not participate because of his scheduled match. Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova were also included in the group.

I chose not to try to photograph her in the crush of fans as she was escorted through the grounds. It was a mad scene of subjects and photographers trying to get a glimpse of her and snap a photo.

I decided that I was much better off to wait and take photos from the photographer’s pit where I had a good view of the Royal Box. Dressed in a turquoise coat, and elaborate, matching hat she did indeed look quite royal and seemed to enjoy watching Andy Murray defeat Jarkko Nieminen.

The tradition of the men bowing and women dropping into a curtsy to the royal box was dropped in 2003, however Murray and Nieminen, revived the tradition by bowing when the entered and departed. It was reported that the Williams sisters also honored the queen with a curtsy when they met her in the players enclosure.

What do I think about all this? Hmmm well, I don’t want to get into trouble here, but I’m not one to get overly caught up in the romanticism of the monarchy. I never dreamed of growing up and being swept away by a prince on a white horse, but it is rather quaint and I know the Brits love their traditions and all the pomp and circumstance.

Frankly I’m glad we’re done with it. The queen’s visit has been a huge topic of conversation the last couple of days. All the photographers were trying to plan, figure out, and jockey for the best place to get photos, stressing out about security guards surrounding her so there wouldn’t be a clear view and on and on until I had too put on my iPod and retreat into my private musical world. Truth is, I have a hard time getting too excited about this sort of thing.

What I am excited about is John Isner finally winning the longest match in tennis history! OH MY WORD. When they got to 68-all I was convinced that I was right about the twilight zone. The match was really going to go on forever.

I decided to spend the first part of the match on Henman Hill watching the match on the giant screen with the real fans. The atmosphere there was fantastic! At one point, the TV cameras trained on the fans. Everyone jumped up and down waving. The girl next to me shouted, “Look there’s my arm! My arm is on TV!” Really fun. Those people are definitely having more fun than the ones who paid a fortune for a seat on show court 18.

I was thinking about that yesterday. There we were at an amazing incredible match, both players giving their all, and there was no atmosphere. Polite applause was all they were getting. Is Andy Murray the only thing these fans can get excited about?

So, in the end, the match took a total of 11 hours and five minutes and spanned three days without Wimbledon’s famous rain delays. They went for 167 straight games without a service break and finished with a score of 70-68.

I’ll close with this quote from Isner. Ask by a reporter about his statement that it was like a dream, he replied, “I think it really is better than a dream because you can’t even dream of something like this.”

– Cynthia

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THIS LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE WEIRDEST WIMBLEDONS…

June 24, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

That’s four days down and 10 to go in what looks like one of the weirdest of all Wimbledons, and even Rafa Nadal’s sweat-it-out five-setter Thursday against Robin Haase can’t top the 11-hour and 5-minute John Isner triumph over Nicolas Mahut.

Yes, it’s over. And I’m sure the Bryan brothers can’t be too happy following that act onto Court 18.

On his fifth match point, Big John slapped a backhand return that forced Mahut to half-volley, leaving Isner a nice long look at a backhand passing shot. He pumped it down the line for an easy winner, then fell over on his back on the grass if relief and joy.

When it was over, a little more than an hour after they restarted at 3:30 p.m. (Wimbledon time), the standing ovation went on and on. “It stinks that someone had to lose,” said Isner, and he directed the audience toward Mahut and began clapping his exhausted adversary.

The longest match ever played — From left to right: John Isner, Nicolas Mahut and Chair Umpire Mohamed Layhani

Wimbledon officials gave the two players, and chair umpire Mohammed Lahyani of Sweden, some sort of commemorative medal for participating in the longest, strangest match ever at the All England Club. One half-wondered if Lahyani also did not receive a month’s supply of Preparation H after having sat in that chair for seven hours in a row on Wednesday.

Isner rejoiced. Mahut sat in his chair, a towel over his head, looking emotionally crushed. Before they left the court, Lahyani and the players posed for photos in front of the scoreboard that read 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.

It will be days, I think, before people run out of anecdotes about this match.

Isner normally brings seven rackets to a Slam and goes to a fresh stick about every second ball change (18 games). He ran out of fresh long ago and it was just a matter of finding the racket that had lost the least tension.

Isner has to come back tomorrow to play his second-round singles against young Dutch Thiemo deBakker. Who knows how his body is going to react — all 6-foot-9 of it.

Of course, there will be those among the 2,500 on Court 18 who will claim to have watched every one of the 980 points. Right. Was there all three days. Never got up to go to the bathroom. Hung on every point. My guess is that Isner, Mahut and Lahyani were the only ones who saw every point.

Isner, by the way, joked about his coach, Craig Boynton, telling him during a training session in Tampa last week that he was so fit he could go 10 hours.

Check that, Craig. Make it 11.

Everything else at this tournament seems like an afterthought right now, though we might get back to normal on Friday.

Nadal was down two sets to one to Haase, who was serving like Pete Sampras for most of three sets. He clubbed 13 aces in the first set alone. But Rafa buckled down and won the last two sets 6-0 and 6-3, looking very happy to get off Centre Court.

Lost somewhere in all the talk about the Isner-Mahut match was Roger Federer’s dicey first two matches, needing five sets to beat Alejandro Falla and then losing the second set to No. 152 ranked Ilija Bozoljac of Serbia. And what about Taylor Dent’s record 148 mph serve in a losing effort. Between all that and Andy Murray carrying the British banner into the third round, the women’s tournament has come up very short on publicity.

One final note worth mentioning. Robin Soderling had another boffo performance to reach the third round. He’s on course to play Nadal in the quarters.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

70-68! JOHN ISNER WINS LONGEST TENNIS MATCH OF ALL-TIME

June 24, 2010 by WTM

John Isner of the United States won the longest tennis match ever Thursday, taking the fifth-set of his first-round Wimbledon match with Nicolas Mahut of France 70-68. The final time of match was an incredible 11 hours, 5 minutes.

Isner and Mahut split the first four sets Tuesday, before darkness caused for the match to be delayed. They began the fifth set Wednesday at 2:04 p.m., and play was halted again at 9:10 p.m., because of darkness with the score tied 59-59.

Isner finished with a total of 112 aces and Mahut with 103.

The previous longest match in tennis history was 6 hours, 33 minutes, played between Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro – both of France – in the first round of the 2004 French Open, Santoro winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 3-6, 16-14 in a match stretched over two days.

The longest tennis matches of all time now list as follows;

11:05 John Isner def. Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (9), 7-6 (3), 70-68, 2010 Wimbledon first round

6:33 Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14, 2004 French Open first round

6:31 Vicki Nelson-Dunbar def. Jean Hepner 6-4, 7-6 (13-11), 1984 Virginia Slims of Richmond

6:22 John McEnroe def. Mats Wilander 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6, 1982 Davis Cup quarterfinal

Both players broke the previous record for most aces in a match, set by Ivo Karlovic of Croatia last year when he hit 78 aces in a Davis Cup match against Radek Stepanek.

For all draws, schedules and further Wimbledon news, go to www.Wimbledon.org

CYNTHIA LUM: NEVER-ENDING MATCH PLACES TENNIS IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE

June 24, 2010 by WTM

By Cynthia Lum

Up until about 3 PM I was having a pretty normal day. I stopped in at my favorite Italian deli in Southfields for cappuccino and crusty Italian bread with Italian Marmellata Di Ciliegie or Cherry Marmalade Delicious. Then I headed up the hill to the site, checked my e-mail, finished up a little editing from yesterday and proceeded to shoot some photos. I was keeping an eye out for the finish of the John Isner-Nicolas Mahut match which was suspended yesterday with a tie of two sets each 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7.

Around 2 PM, I got involved in sending some photos that a magazine in Croatia requested, and it took a lot longer than I expected, I hadn’t had lunch and was starving so looked up to check the score on Isner’s match, and saw that it was 14-all in the fifth! OMG! Wondering how in the world I lost track and it got to that score, I grabbed my camera and RAN to court 18. All the way there, I kept kicking myself for not paying better attention and worrying that I would miss match point.

Needless to say, I didn’t need to run, didn’t need to worry, match point won’t be played until tomorrow. So far, the fifth set has run 7 hours and 6 minutes. Yes SEVEN hours for one set and they aren’t finished. The score is 59-59. When Isner won the game at 18 all to go up 19-18, we turned to one another and said, wow, it’s going to be 20 something before they finish.

If I’d known that they were out to set a world record, I would have brought lunch, some drinks, maybe a book and a jacket – it was freezing by the time they called the match a little after 9PM. The previous longest tennis match was six hours and 33 minutes.

UNBELIEVABLE and you have to write that in capital letters. I felt like I was in the twilight zone, with a never-ending match going on while the rest of the world proceeds normally. People aging, newborns growing, fabulous space age inventions happening, but here at Wimbledon this tennis match just kept going, and going and going, like that battery advertisement. Neither of the players aging or changing. Isner keeps hitting aces, going up one game, and Mahut keeps evening the score. Neither player ever stops to eat or sleep. They just keep playing this match for eternity. So now you see, tennis has driven me quite mad.
At around 22 all, Isner started dragging around the court like a twelve-year-old boy who has just been told that he has to put on his Sunday best and go to ballroom dancing class with his hated, taller than him, thirteen year old girl (ugh) cousin. At times, it looked as though he wasn’t even trying to break Mahut, but then when it was his serve, he turned up the heat and hit aces. Mahut, on the other hand looked pretty fit skipping and jogging to change ends, while the American looked as though he could barely put one foot in front of the other. Mahut, however did have to call for pain killers, and the trainer, but still looked a lot better than Isner and continued ripping cross-court backhand’s and aces that Isner wasn’t even trying to go for.

Big John kept mumbling about not being able to read Niko’s serve. At one point, when Mahut hit an ace at 15-30, I could clearly read his lips through my 300 millimeter lens saying, “You’re %$#@ ing killing me”.
The Frenchman, however, was in better humor, leaning on the net and laughing after Isner hit an amazing sharply-angled vollley.

There were only twelve photographers allowed on court and at least a dozen waiting outside hoping someone would leave… Are they kidding? No one is giving up their seat for love or money. Well, maybe for money. Photographers are a mercenary lot. Everyone else was lining the fenced grass area above the court. There were at least fifty photographers up there and hundreds of fans.

The photographers on the bench were commenting that they felt Isner’s pain. The light was going, we were all stressing out about getting a decent match point shot. It was getting cold and many of us were starving, having forgone lunch for this match. The guy next to me was hoping that they would call the match because his batterys were going dead and he didn’t have a spare with him.

At 59-all he got his wish. The fans were chanting “We want more” but after speaking to the players, the referee called for a suspension.

They will be the third match on court 18 tomorrow and it should be a great show.

Interested in stats? Let me throw a few at you. Isner hit 98 aces in the match, 70 of them in the fifth set, Mahut was not far behind with 94 and 68. The previous longest match consisted of 112 games. The fifth set alone in the Isner-Mahut match is currently 118 and they are not finished. Yes, you read that correctly, the fifth set already has more games the longest match in history.

One last stat.. yours truly was on this match for SIX hours, and I’m still not finished either!

– Cynthia

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Cynthia Lum is one of the world’s most celebrated sports photographers and has traveled the world covering all the major tennis events for 18 years. In addition to tennis she is currently shooting horse racing, golf, surfing, and beach volleyball. Visit her on-line photo archive at www.cynthialum.com where her photos are for sale for professional and personal use. She is available for hire for corporate and editorial clients. She is based in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

THE LONGEST MATCH EVER PLAYED AT WIMBLEDON (AND IT’S NOT OVER YET!)

June 23, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

OK, it’s legendary. OK, these two warriors — spiky haired Nicolas Mahut (“mah-oo”) of France and 6-foot-9 John Isner — were out there nearly seven hours on Wednesday, unable to finish a match that was called because of bad light at 9:09 p.m. and the score, incredibly, at 59-all in the fifth set.

Isner was barely shuffling along. He came back from a bathroom break, about 10 minutes before tournament referee Andrew Jarrett stepped into the ring and waived both boxers off to their respective beds, and he was gripping the handrail to help climb the stairs.

And OK, the crowd, chanting “We want more” as Jarrett came on court to make his call, was loving it, while twitters or tweeters — whatever they call themselves — were jotting out things on the internet like, “Wow, incredible,” and “these guys are gladiators.”

But when we clear away the dust and the ridiculous statistics that will flow from this match, if it’s ever finished, you’re entitled to ask, “Is this tennis?”

The U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam that has gotten it right. When the Open became the first major to order tiebreaks in 1970, it insisted that the fifth set be settled by a tiebreak as well.

Australia, the French and Wimbledon did not follow that lead and, admittedly, it has led to some great fifth-set theater. Just last year, Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth for the title. But that was for a trophy. Isner-Mahut is a first-round match and after nearly 10 hours of tennis, these guys were just about out on their feet.

In the final analysis, qualifier Mahut is not going to come close to winning Wimbledon if he comes out on top and Isner, if he is triumphant Thursday, will be so dog-tired he could be out in the second round.

Which brings up another question. Assuming this thing gets over quickly tomorrow, will the winner have to play his second round match the same day, against young Thiemo de Bakker, to keep everyone else in his quadrant in the same competitive situation?

There were only two breaks in the match and none in the final set, and one of the key reasons why this thing went on interminably was because both players no longer had the quick-twitch muscle freshness to react to the others’ serves. There were 138 aces in the final set alone, 68 by Mahut, who erased the fourth match point of this circus at 58-59 — a blast up the T that left Isner with the bat on his shoulder.

I watched a couple hours, fascinated, like everyone else. And then tedium crept in. This wasn’t anything like watching Federer-Roddick, as each jockeyed for a break point with a Grand Slam title as the reward. When there was about 45 minutes of light left, I got back to the match. It was more of the same until Jarrett intervened.

As the players headed back to their lodgings, they had played 608 points in the final set. Combined, there were 460 winners and 61 unforced errors in the last set alone. Great playing, you think? Hardly. The rallies were so short no one had much of a chance to commit an unforced error.

And what of the skewed statistics from this match. I’ve got Isner for 98 aces, by far a record at this point. Isner is among the ace leaders in men’s tennis, but is it reasonable that his 98 or 100 or 150 aces, whatever his final total, become a record that will never be broken — not by Andy Roddick, Ivo Karlovic or anyone else?

The Brits will be back on Court 18 on Thursday to watch the finish and, as they did Wednesday, to stand and cheer two valiant players. They will have witnessed the finish of something you’ll probably never see again.

And let’s hope we don’t.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com