Jensen Mystery Partially Solved : Wimbledon: Player calls to say he is safe, but remains in hiding for unexplained reasons.

Murphy Jensen resurfaced Tuesday morning, contacted a family member and let her know he was well, but his exact whereabouts are still unknown.

Jensen, 26, failed to show up for his second-round mixed doubles match Monday afternoon, was defaulted and fined $1,000. As the day wore on, family members and Wimbledon officials grew increasingly concerned. On Monday night, Jensen’s family contacted the police. Jensen’s mother, Patricia, said she feared her son had been kidnaped.

Only part of the mystery was solved Tuesday. The Jensen family released a statement that said Murphy Jensen called his sister Rachel in Atlanta, who reached the family at a rented house in Wimbledon village Tuesday morning. Jensen was unable to get through to the house because of the volume of phone calls from media, according to the statement.

“We simply want everyone to know that Murphy has taken a few days by himself in the country to relax,” the statement said.

The Times of London reported that Jensen had accidentally missed the beginning of his match because of traffic problems and had left to go fishing in the North of England, fearing reprisals.

Luke Jensen, Murphy’s older brother and doubles partner, said he had no idea where his brother had gone or why.

“It’s so out of character,” he told BBC Television. “He is spontaneous, very creative. But his is very responsible. He usually calls and let’s us know.”

Luke Jensen sidestepped the question of whether Jensen might have disappeared to avoid drug testing. Officials said a defaulted player is automatically subjected to drug testing.

In addition to being defaulted and fined, Jensen faces potential sanctions for failing to explain his absence to the umpires’ office.

Jensen was last seen around 2 p.m. Monday, at the tournament transportation desk. His mixed doubles partner, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of the Netherlands, said she had practiced with Jensen about 90 minutes before her singles match, which was the first match on Court 3. Their mixed doubles was the third match.

Schultz-McCarthy said the Jensen brothers had agreed to meet at nearby practice courts at 1 p.m. Luke was late because he was watching Schultz-McCarthy’s singles match. She speculated that Murphy Jensen waited for his brother then took off to find another practice partner and lost track of time.

“I’m happy he’s alive, and now that people have heard from him and I was like, ‘That’s Murph,’ ” Schultz-McCarthy said. “It’s too bad it had to happen. He’s really a nice guy, he’s one of my best friends on the tour. The last thing I want is that people are going to write that he’s going to quit tennis. I mean, he’s a very good guy. He just sometimes has trouble with all the press and all the attention he’s getting with the doubles and the whole thing.”

Schultz-McCarthy is staying with the Jensen family and said Monday night the household was frantic. The story broke late in the day but the English tabloids were hot on the trail.

“After the 30th phone call it was kind of getting on our nerves,” she said. “I took a couple of phone calls [and answered], ‘Pizza Hut.’ ”

The Jensens became known after winning the men’s doubles at the 1993 French Open. Murphy advanced to the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles in the 1994 U.S. Open with Mary Pierce, with whom he has been romantically linked.

The Jensen’s image is less a reflection of their values than a marketing ploy--the Jensens are acutely savvy marketeers. They have called their style, “Industrial strength tennis” and their hard-hitting, aggressive approach has earned them a large following.

The two have formed a band called, coincidentally, “We Haven’t Heard of You Either.”