Historic Sunday Play Today at Wimbledon, Federer, Roddick, Henman Featured

Posted on June 27, 2004

The All England Club has announced that on account of the schedule backlog due to the rain during week one, play will take place on the Middle Sunday for the third time in Wimbledon's history after 1991 and 1997.

The move will open 11,000 unreserved tickets on sale for Centre Court on Sunday, 10,000 for Court 1, and 7,000 ground tickets allowing access to Courts 2-19. All tickets will be issued on a first come, first serve basis.

"This has been a tough decision to make, but everyone with whom we have consulted has been most understanding and cooperative," said Christopher Gorringe, chief executive of the All England Club.

The Sunday Schedule:

Women:
(1)Serena vs. Serna, (25)Dechy vs. (7)Capriati, (4)Mauresmo vs. Cervanova, (9)Suarez vs. Kremer, (10)Petrova vs. Perebiynis, (32)Shaughnessy vs. Sprem, Chladkova vs. (21)Maleeva, Ruano Pascual vs. (14)Farina Elia, Grande vs. Razzano, and Golovin vs. Gagliardi.

Men:
(1)Federer vs. T.Johansson, (5)Henman vs. (32)Arazi, (26)Dent vs. (2)Roddick, (8)Schuettler vs. (30)Spadea, (24)Gonzalez vs. (11)Philippoussis, Mayer vs. W.Ferreira, Malisse vs. Beck, (25)Hrbaty vs. Ancic, Enqvist vs. (12)Schalken, Popp vs. Carlsen, (17)Bjorkman vs. J.Johansson in an all-Swedish, and (18)F.Lopez vs. Karlovic.

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NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
For the first time ever, the Middle Saturday was washed out, and according to Wimbledon records the washout was the 32nd in history, and it was just the fourth time that an event endured two washouts during a fortnight...Forecast for Sunday: More showers possible...Tim Henman is back on People's Sunday where in 1997 he beat Paul Haarhuis 14-12 in the fifth...Wimbledon frowns upon Sunday play in respect of people going to church...19-year-old NCAA champ Amber Liu is considering turning pro after she tries a rigorous summer schedule of tournaments: "I think at the end of the summer I'll have a good idea how my game's improved. Last summer the mistake I made is I thought about what I was going to do too much. I think once you're ready to turn pro you're really going to know."...Amelie Mauresmo says the Williams sisters are vulnerable: "They don't win as much as they were two or three years ago. Serena won four Grand Slams in a row and Venus was also in the final each time. So when you see players being beaten a bit more often, it does give you a lot more confidence when you walk on court against them."...The soon-to-be retired Wayne Ferreira on his greatest match: "I think probably (John) McEnroe, quarterfinals Australian Open...Well, it's just special. The guy for me, you know, I watched him so many years. He's such a character. Just to say that I actually played on the same court with him is a great memory. But to beat him about as badly as I could have, it was a great experience."...In August Martina Navratilova will make her Olympic debut for the U.S. in doubles with Lisa Raymond. Venus and Serena will also attempt to defend their 2000 Sydney gold medal...Venus is attempting to become the first player to win successive Olympic golds in singles. American women have won the last three Olympic singles titles -- Jennifer Capriati won the women's singles gold at the age of 16 in Barcelona in 1992, while Lindsay Davenport triumphed in Atlanta in 1996...For the first time in the 14-year history of the ATP Tour, no American has been elected to the 12-member Players Council. And CEO Mark Miles' contract ends in 2005. And the ATP's headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has been on the skids for a long while. Do the math...Charlie "Brick" Bricker of the Florida Sun-Sentinel writes: "It's a bit surprising the (US) Open is ready to grant (Martina Navratilova) a wildcard because it means not giving that card to one of several U.S. teenagers who are ready for a serious professional environment." Hey, if they were ready for a "serious professional career," maybe they can get through the qualifying...Venus Williams had only four groundstroke winners against Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem...After reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 1999, this year Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson failed to qualify. Writes Brick: "Inform your mother, Samantha, that she is no longer directly involved in your game. Next, stop living in a fantasy world that you're a great show business personality. Then, get a real coach, commit 100 percent to your game and go to work. Stevenson, now ranked No. 138, is not the fastest elephant in the herd, but she has a great deal of talent and if she doesn't finally surround herself with people who can maximize her talent, she will have wasted all those junior years."...Andy Roddick will be joined on the U.S. Olympic team by Mardy Fish, Vince Spadea, Taylor Dent and in doubles Bob and Mike Bryan...Writes the Glasgow Sunday Herald: "John McEnroe, never a man to mince his words, offered a cutting critique on the ATP amid their recent drugs scandal. 'It is as if the Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy are running the ATP. If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny.' Financial meltdown followed by threats of player revolts, suspicions over betting patterns and a doping fiasco, the last few years have seen so many self-inflicted wounds it is amazing the governing body of the men?s game hasn't bled to death.'"...Jimmy Connors yesterday announced he was planning a doubles match between himself and John McEnroe on one side, and Pete Sampras and another champion TBA on the other: "To get me back in the sport was always going to take something very special. That's why I've been looking into a special, one-off doubles match that will capture the world's imagination. The idea is for John Mac and myself to be on one side of the court against Pete Sampras and another player from his generation, say someone like Andre Agassi. The match would be played over three sets and would be a $1 million dollar challenge. Winner takes all, of course. It could be just the boost tennis needs to reclaim some of the limelight that other sports have taken from the game over the years...I'm looking to do it in the first quarter of 2005. There's a hotel that's very interested, in Las Vegas, and we have a sponsor who's talking seriously with us."...Michael Stich on the decline of Wimbledon: "Let's take a guy like Carlos Moya, who I like and respect. He refused to come to Wimbledon early in his career but now he is here because he believes the surface and the balls are set up for him to do well, maybe not to win the championship but to get through a few matches. It is good for the game that those guys are here, but not good for the game that they are only here because the surface has changed."