Shriver Went Out With a Whimper

All things must pass, even at Wimbledon. Sometimes it’s a good thing.

Pam Shriver played what was probably her last singles match at Wimbledon on Wednesday and all the sentiment and nostalgia that accompanies Shriver here came rushing back. As did bad memories--although Shriver has won 21 Grand Slam doubles titles, she has never performed as well in singles.

Witness her shellacking by Anke Huber on Centre Court, 6-2, 6-1. Shriver wrote the tournament committee requesting a wild card into the singles draw, knowing that such free rides into Wimbledon are usually reserved for British players. Perhaps in deference to Shriver’s 18 years at Wimbledon, she got the wild card.

Shriver, who turns 34 on July 4, regretted her last singles match here. She nearly didn’t get to it. Noting that Wimbledon officials are sticklers for players arriving on time, Shriver was on her way to the court but was held up for several minutes by security for members of the royal family.

“So I’m sitting there in front of the motorcade, or whatever, hanging on to my bag,” Shriver said, laughing. “Only me--I’m going to be defaulted because of the royals.”

Shriver got to the ready room and saw tournament referee Alan Mills. The two began reminiscing and Shriver broke down.

Shriver recovered and kept her sense of humor. She needed it. Tall and never very fast, Shriver couldn’t get to Huber’s crisp shots, and her own attempts to get to the net were sluggish and often aborted in mid-lumber.

One newspaper account of her match noted: “[Shriver] took so long getting to the net she was in danger of being removed by security as an unattended package.”

Not quite fair, but fairly accurate.

Shriver’s worst moment came on match point. She double-faulted, and her second serve bounced first on her side of the net before flying toward the seats. Ping-Pong serve, match point, Centre Court, it doesn’t get much more embarrassing than that.

With characteristic self-effacing humor, Shriver came into the post-match interview and, before any question could be asked, she said, “So, you want to know what happened on that last serve?”

The room broke up, as many of the journalists know Shriver both as a player and as a colleague--she has a second career as a television commentator.

Shriver then invoked the sports excuse of the sun-got-in-my-eyes, half-kidding but half-serious. After a long and detailed discourse on the height of the sun in the sky and the obscured sight lines, Shriver let out a long breath and said, “So, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it.”

Shriver is still playing in doubles. She and partner Ros Neideffer defeated Monica Seles and Betsy Nagelsen, 4-6, 6-4, 9-7. Seles, seeded second, was upset in singles by Katerina Studenikova on Wednesday.

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Stefan Edberg, the unassuming two-time Wimbledon champion who is retiring this year, said goodbye Thursday amid thunderous applause after a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 second-round loss to fellow Swede Mikael Tillstrom. Edberg threw several shirts and water bottles into the crowd and sat slumped in his chair as the ovation grew. Never one to show much emotion, he waved and walked off with his head down.