Every day at exactly 10 till noon, a distinguished-sounding gentleman clears his throat and welcomes us all to the Championships over the loudspeakers that dot the All England Club. It’s a friendly thing to do. The first two days he proudly informed us, right up front, that the weather forecast for the day looked cracking. (I doubt he actually used that word—too much class—but somehow I imagined he had.) Today he began by saying that he would save the weather forecast for later. That seemed like a bad sign. It was: He eventually told us that the inevitable Wimbledon showers were expected early this afternoon.
I’ll take this moment to catch you up on some odds and ends that have made their way into my notebook so far this week, but which haven’t found their way onto the blog.
—As the tournament began, London’s Sunday Times reported this:
Eight matches at Wimbledon have been reported to the tennis authorities on suspicion that their results have been fixed by professional gambling syndicates.
The matches are named in a dossier compiled by leading bookmaking companies, which monitor suspect betting patterns and players thought to be willing to throw games.
Four of the matches are from last year’s men’s singles at Wimbledon and involve foreign players who each lost by three sets.
All the losers singled out from last year’s Wimbledon are alleged to have been involved in suspect matches at other tournaments. One, who is ranked in the top 150, was the loser in eight games on the full list.
—This week Nikolay Davydenko mentioned that there were Russians in the audience at his infamous Sopot match, and that they may have overheard him say something to his wife about being injured.
—The English media went gaga over Chris Eaton today. When the world’s No. 651 beat Boris Pashanski yesterday, there was mass pandemonium on Court 3, and in the press room. Reporters had to scramble to get the shocking result in the paper.
—The Daily Telegraph reported that 11 known stalkers of pro tennis players have been barred from the Wimbledon grounds this year.
—In the walkway outside Centre Court, there’s a large window that allows fans to see a staircase that the players frequently walk down, usually talking on their cellphones. Mario Ancic was doing just that Monday when a group of girls spotted him. He stopped for a second. The girls started to wave their arms: “Come out here!” He saw them, but pretended he didn’t. Such are the daily difficulties of a professional tennis player/lawyer.
—The special outfits that Serena, Roger, and Maria are wearing have gotten tepid reviews from what I can tell. “Dodgy” seems to be the most common description of Federer’s cardigan. Not as harsh as Andy Roddick’s assessment of it as “Mr. Roger’s sweater.” The Sun thought he meant Mr. Roger, as in Federer; I thought he meant Mr. Rogers’, as in the PBS kids’ show. Wasn’t the Neighborhood a hit over here?
—Andy Murray has been doing chin-ups and has a 6.5 body-fat percentage. Is that even possible? Don’t say the kid doesn’t work hard.
—The Sun’s headline after Brit Elena Baltacha’s first-round win, after which she broke down and cried on court: NEW BAWLS PLEASE.
—The Times today ran a piece about Baltacha’s father, a Ukrainian native and PE instructor who tried to watch her match while he was at work. He couldn’t bear it, and ended up just watching the scoreline, which still felt “like a heart attack.” The British coverage of its tennis players can seem a little insane to an American, but it has its touching side. Everyone knows the success isn’t going to last, so enjoy it, and hype it, while you can.
—New York sportswriter Mike Lupica appeared in the Wimbledon press room yesterday. According to him, it was the first time in 20 years. This time he was here as a spectator. He looked tan, rich, happy not to be covering tennis.
—I reported yesterday that the Crow’s Nest between Courts 2 and 3 was to be abandoned next year. It will get a one-year reprieve, but Court 2 is still doomed.
—Tuesday, during the Isner-Gulbis match, I sat in front of two young men I assumed were Americans. After each point they said, “Come on, John,” in flat, nasal accents. I thought, not for the first time, “God, we have the worst voices in the world.” After three games they revealed themselves to be British teenagers doing American accents, horribly and perfectly.
—Rafael Nadal has requested an early start to his match tomorrow with Ernests Gulbis, so he can get back in time to watch Spain in the semifinals of some Euro ball-kicking tournament. Rafa said that it is “very, very important” that Spain has reached the semis. Then he said it is “very, very important” that they beat Russia to make the final. I will never understand soccer.
The sun is still out as I finish this. I may head out to see if Nicole Vaidisova can avoid a meltdown against Sam Stosur, then to see if Safin can do the same against Djokovic. I have my doubts about both of them. Talk to you later.