
But the real story Monday at the All England Club was the comeback by homecountry hero Andy Murray against the mentally-fragile Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Did Richard Gasquet really just blow it serving for the match, up two sets and 5-4 on Andy Murray in the third? Ah, yes he did. What a stunner.

Pretty nice line-up we have at Wimbledon on Monday with the entire fourth round – men’s and women’s – scheduled. If you could have only one single ticket in tennis you could make a case this is the day to have it.

WTA officials should add a tab to their website that explains patronymics in Eastern European languages. It might help fans understand why so many top players last names end with “ova” or some such variation.

Other players into the Round of 16 Saturday were (8) Richard Gasquet (d. (28) Gilles Simon in four), (12) Andy Murray (d. Tommy Haas in four), and unseeded Croat Marin Cilic (d. (14) Paul-Henri Mathieu in four).

“I think I know what it takes to win Slams or to go far,” Federer said. So I have the proper preparation. I have the belief…Playing at Wimbledon always creates extra pressure because it’s what’s closest to my heart…I want to prove it to myself I can do it again here.”

The reason for this is Sharapova can only play one way. When that way is working, when she has perfect conditions, feels healthy, is moving reasonably well and picking her spots with her serve she can humble a great player. When any of that is not working and she is forced to move during points and is not able to dictate right off of the serve or return, Sharapova looks very average. She has a monotonous game. Jim Courier called it “ball machine tennis” last summer.

Other upsets were orchestrated by Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez, who topped Spanish countryman and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro in five sets; former world No. 2 Tommy Haas, who gave a straight-set grass master course to No. 23 seed Tommy Robredo, and Croat Marin Cilic, who outlasted No. 24 seed Jarkko Nieminen in five sets.

Andy Roddick looked terrible today against Janko Tipsarevic in a stunning defeat. Maria Sharapova stunk up the house with her play in a loss to the 154th-ranked Alla Kudryatseva, and James Blake, well, he went James Blake losing from ahead in crushing five-set defeat to Rainer Schuettler.

The Independent on Roger Federer’s Wimbledon sweater: “This, it almost goes without saying, is a prime example of how not to wear knitwear,” Susannah Frankel wrote. “Federer resembled nothing more than an ageing Harry Potter, although one suspects that this was not the effect he was aiming for.”…
