Wimbledon Act II: This Week the Play Should Be the Thing

The first week of Wimbledon itself is as much a tradition as the strawberries and cream, the rain delays and the cucumber sandwiches.

All hell breaks loose.

The stories are more about entourage members than unforced errors. (Hmm, maybe some entourage members could be called unforced errors too). Police reports are scrutinized more closely than match statistics.

If Wayne Ferreira cut loose with a four-letter expletive on the Centre Court at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, well, it would rank somewhere behind the fifth story of the day about Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi and disharmony on the German soccer team.

If Jeff Tarango complained about the balls, the line calls and refused to shake his opponent’s hand after a second-round match at the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles, it falls under the radar. It’s well behind what Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are doing and thinking and whether Jerry West really is going to follow through and step down this time.

Wimbledon is the difference.

First-week madness at Wimbledon is like being in the land of the giants. Everything is bigger, seemingly blown way out of proportion. Heroes are larger than life, and so are the villains.

Then, almost magically, the second week reverts to tennis. (There are exceptions, of course, last year being the prime example).

The tempest and turmoil of Week One started to lift when Saturday was winding down at the All England Club. Perhaps setting the tone for the second week was the third-round match between Mark Philippoussis of Australia and Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands. The victor was an exhausted and bloodied Philippoussis, who won, 20-18, in the fifth set.

It lasted more than five hours and ended with a show of good sportsmanship and class from both players. By the time Schalken finished showering, his anger dwindled and he gave Philippoussis his proper due.

WEEK IN REVIEW

The opening six days featured the Parent Trap. On Thursday, Damir Dokic, father of Aussie star-in-waiting Jelena, was causing a head-turning disturbance on the press balcony, which quickly went from loud shouting to obscene behavior to the destruction of property.

“The Queen is on the side of democracy and the rest of the country is fascist,” shouted Dokic, who appeared to be drunk.

He carried on about President Clinton and made an obscene gesture and then smashed the cell phone of a British television reporter. Police took him away and a worried Jelena Dokic suddenly looked a lot younger than 17.

Damir Dokic was detained but there were no charges, and his daughter continued to defend him after her matches, the same way she did in the winter after another altercation with a television camera crew at the Australian Open.

“Everything has been blown out of proportion about my dad,” she told an Australian magazine. “There have been all sorts of stories about him. I’ve heard rumors he was beating me. But it’s all lies. . . . They [her parents] are the ones I trust with my decisions. And I trust my dad more than anyone.”

After a highly publicized incident at Birmingham, England, last year, the WTA said it would consider banning Damir Dokic from women’s events if there was another disturbance.

After this week’s adventure, the WTA said it is investigating. Australian newspapers are suggesting he be banned from the tour, a la Jim Pierce. That seems to be one of the few options remaining.

WEEK IN PREVIEW

Five potential matches worth getting in the queue for the next few days . . .

1. Martina Hingis vs. Venus Williams--One of the best rivalries in the women’s game has been on hold because of the absence of Venus in 2000 because of injuries. The last two years at Wimbledon, Williams has played exceptionally, losing to eventual winner Jana Novotna in 1998 and finalist Graf last year. Adding to the intrigue: Williams and Hingis have never played one another on grass.

2. Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams--One of the best rivalries in their household. They are sisters, best friends and doubles partners and could meet in the semifinals. Still, that is three matches away. Serena Williams has to get by Tamarine Tanasurgarn in the fourth round and either Lisa Raymond or Olga Barbanschikova in the quarterfinals. Venus Williams has to deal with Sabine Appelmans in the round of 16 before facing Hingis in the quarterfinals.

3. Tim Henman vs. Mark Philippoussis--This country is in need of a sports victory in a major way. No need to retell the latest sports failures in Great Britain. Tim is all that is left. Well, so is Alexander Popp of Germany, who has an English mother and an uncle and cousins in London. Sounds as if Greg Rusedski is on the verge of being traded back to Canada.

4. Andre Agassi vs. Philippoussis or Henman--An attractive quarterfinal in the rugged lower half of the draw. Whoever comes through this section could end up playing a revitalized Patrick Rafter of Australia in the semifinals, should his shoulder hold up through two more rounds.

5. Pete Sampras vs. Jonas Bjorkman--No, it’s not a misprint. Even though Justin Gimelstob would probably disagree, an injured Sampras does not win every match. Sampras will play a resurgent Bjorkman today in the fourth round and from here on in, every move, every twinge he makes will be watched in the chase for Wimbledon title No. 7 and the 13th Grand Slam singles championship.

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Today’s Featured Matches

MEN

* Pete Sampras (1) vs. Jonas Bjorkman, Sweden

* David Prinosil, Germany, vs. Andre Agassi (2)

* Tim Henman (8), Britain, vs. Mark Philippoussis (10), Australia

* Thomas Enqvist (9), Sweden, vs. Jan-Michael Gambill

WOMEN

* Martina Hingis (1), Switzerland, vs. Anke Huber (11), Germany

* Jennifer Capriati vs. Lindsay Davenport (2)

* Sabine Appelmans, Belgium, vs. Venus Williams (5)

* Monica Seles (6) vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (9), Spain

* Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand, vs. Serena Williams (8)