Graf Front and Centre at Wimbledon

The fifth question of Steffi Graf’s fortnight at Wimbledon, a seemingly innocuous query, brought forth an unexpected reaction from the seven-time champion Monday.

Tears.

Of joy. And, perhaps, relief.

Only after completing her long-awaited return to Wimbledon did the implications of her first-round match on Centre Court hit home for Graf, who beat Spain’s Gala Leon Garcia, 6-4, 6-1.

Only eight weeks ago, Graf, 29, believed she might be nearing the end of her career. There was the aftermath of knee surgery, performed a year ago, and other nagging injuries, which gradually carved away at her spirit.

“That is why in the beginning of the press conference I got a little emotional because I do not take it for granted being here. Being out there on Centre Court, like today,” said Graf, wiping the tears.

Her eyes welled up when she was asked if she had thought about the months of training that brought her back to Wimbledon, back to Centre Court.

“No question about it, yes,” she said. “After the match I saw [Coach] Heinz [Gunthardt] right now. . . .”

Graf trailed off and could not finish her thought. Last year at this time, she said she was in rehabilitation in Austria, staying in bed just after her operation. Monday, she was pleased to declare she felt fit and had “no problems whatsoever.”

“All [the problems were] in the legs, not in the mind,” Graf said, smiling.

She was asked if she had ever been this emotional in public.

“A couple of times. . . . You can never plan these things,” she said. “It just happens.”

In her six matches on grass in 1998, Graf has lost once, to Anna Kournikova of Russia last week at Eastbourne. The quarterfinal was a difficult three-setter, and as it turned out, it will be Kournikova’s last grass-court match in 1998. The 17-year-old suffered a torn ligament in her right thumb against Graf.

Kournikova withdrew from Wimbledon on Monday and could be sidelined three to four weeks.

“I was hoping a miracle could happen,” said Kournikova, a semifinalist here last year. “Yesterday it got a little bit better, but this morning when I woke up it was very difficult for me to move the finger.”

After Graf’s return and Kournikova’s withdrawal, the biggest news on the women’s side was another subpar showing from 11th-seeded Mary Pierce of France. Pierce, who was booed at the French Open for her lack of effort in a loss at Roland Garros this spring, lost, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, to Elena Tatarkova of Ukraine. Pierce had never lost in the first round at Wimbledon and did not speak to reporters afterward.

On the men’s side, maybe there was a reason hard-serving Mark Philippoussis of Australia and seventh-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia played here in the first round, with Philippoussis turning in the first major surprise, winning, 6-7 (7-5), 7-6, (7-1), 6-4, 6-2.

Those two players’ recent postmatch news conferences have sounded more like sessions with a psychologist.

Recently, Philippoussis spoke about not playing at Wimbledon after suffering a distressing loss at Queen’s.

“You say things you don’t mean and you go off and get a haircut when you’re upset,” he said. “That’s how it goes. I honestly didn’t mean it.”

The Australian legend John Newcombe also provided inspiration--at least the kind Philippoussis seems to need--by saying he should take six months off.

“How is his comment looking now?” Philippoussis said. “That’s the way to put it.”

Kafelnikov was considered one of the favorites in some quarters and appeared to have shored up his tender psyche by winning earlier this month at Halle, Germany. But he was his own worst enemy here, double-faulting 22 times. He said he thought he needed to keep trying for winners on his second serves.

“I had no other choice,” he said.

For many Brits, the worst part about 12th-seeded Tim Henman’s five-set struggle against Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic was that it briefly cut into the England-Romania World Cup match. Potential disaster was averted when Henman breezed in the fifth set.

The other seeded player on the men’s side to lose was No. 10 Alex Corretja of Spain, the French Open runner-up. Corretja lost in straight sets to Justin Gimelstob, not a major surprise because Corretja has never gone past the second round here.

The so-called middle generation of American men’s tennis got through the opening round: defending champion Pete Sampras defeated Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, 13th-seeded Andre Agassi beat Alex Calatrava of Spain and unseeded Michael Chang had a tougher test against Juan Albert Viloca of Spain, winning in five sets, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2. It was the first win at Wimbledon since 1995 for Agassi and Chang.

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Wimbledon at a Glance

* When: Through July 5. Women’s final on July 4. Men’s final on July 5.

* Where: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England.

* Defending champions: Men--Pete Sampras; Women--Martina Hingis.

* TV: Through Friday, HBO, 6 a.m.-noon; Saturday, NBC, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Sunday, off day (highlights from earlier matches, NBC, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.).

How Seeded Players Fared Monday

Men’s First-Round Singles

Pete Sampras (1) def. Dominik Hrbaty, Slovakia, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

Petr Korda (3), Czech Republic, def. Javier Sanchez, Spain, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Mark Philippoussis, Australia, def. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (7), Russia, 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-2.

Justin Gimelstob def. Alex Corretja (10), Spain, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 6-3.

Tim Henman (12), Britain, def. Jiri Novak, Czech Republic, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2.

Andre Agassi (13) def. Alex Calatrava, Spain, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

Felix Mantilla (16), Spain, def. Christophe Van Garsse, Belgium, 6-2, 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Women’s First-Round Singles

Lindsay Davenport (2) def. Florencia Labat, Argentina, 6-2, 6-2.

Steffi Graf (4), Germany, def. Gala Leon Garcia, Spain, 6-4, 6-1.

Monica Seles (6), Sarasota, Fla., def. Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo, Spain, 6-3, 6-4.

Conchita Martinez (8), Spain, def. Silvia Farina, Italy, 6-1, 6-0.

Amanda Coetzer (9), South Africa, def. Kerry-Anne Guse, Australia, 6-2, 6-2.

Irina Spirlea (10), Romania, def. Francesca Lubiani, Italy, 7-5, 6-3.

Elena Tatarkova, Ukraine, def. Mary Pierce (11), France, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.

Dominique Van Roost (15), Belgium, def. Joannette Kruger, South Africa, 6-1, 6-3.

Today’s Featured Matches

Men: Francisco Clavet, Spain, vs. Marcelo Rios (2), Chile; Mark Draper, Australia, vs. Greg Rusedski (4), Britain; Carlos Moya (5), Spain, vs. Mahesh Bhupathi, India; Ivo Heuberger, Switzerland, vs. Patrick Rafter (6), Australia; Cedric Pioline (8), France, vs. Marc Rosset, Switzerland

Women: Martina Hingis (1), Switzerland, vs. Lisa Raymond; Jana Novotna (3), Czech Republic, vs. Sandra Kleinova, Czech Republic; Catalina Cristea, Romania, vs. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (5), Spain; Jana Nejedly, Canada, vs. Venus Williams (7).