At Wimbledon, Tennis Isn’t the Main Draw

Where’s tennis?

In the Times of London it’s on the eighth page of a 12-page sports section. Tennis stories get half a page. European Championship soccer fills up the first seven pages.

Where’s tennis? Not on the minds of the random Londoner. The England-Croatia soccer game scheduled for Monday night dominates the conversations in parks, restaurants and hotels. That game dominates the media, print and television. It dominates car bumpers and store windows -- soccer paraphernalia is decor of choice in restaurants, department stories, local groceries and newsstands.

Tim Henman, Britain’s long-standing, long-suffering native hope for winning Wimbledon, is no longer a national talisman. He’s an afterthought. He elicits not hope or sympathy. More likely his name brings a shoulder shrug or a bored “He’ll not win,” instead of prayerful best wishes and stiff-upper-lip optimism.

On the eve of Wimbledon, the most revered tennis tournament, the only tennis player seen on any posters or advertisements around London is Andre Agassi. This may be appropriate because Agassi isn’t playing Wimbledon, a hip injury having sidelined the 34-year-old.

Injuries or illnesses have also knocked out Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, who would have been the top two seeded players in the women’s draw. David Nalbandian, a Wimbledon finalist two years ago, had been seeded fourth but withdrew Saturday because of a torn abdominal muscle. Rafael Nadal, a charismatic teenager from Spain, and American James Blake are out. So are new French Open champion Gaston Gaudio and former French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten.

So it will be up to the top two seeded players in the men’s draw and a pair of sisters to start causing a tennis buzz.

Elegant, stoic Roger Federer, 22, of Switzerland, the defending champion, has won two of the last four Grand Slams and established himself firmly as the best and most versatile player in the world.

“I see Federer becoming more and more the Borg of the 2000s, with his game and style,” television analyst Dick Enberg said during a conference call last week. Enberg first worked Wimbledon 25 years ago and saw the best of Bjorn Borg up close.

“I don’t see Roger going away for a while, though,” said Enberg, referring to Borg’s sudden retirement before he turned 26.

His foil, in terms of both playing style and personality, is American Andy Roddick, 21, winner of the 2003 U.S. Open and owner of two 150-mph serves over the last two weeks. Roddick both engages audiences and infuriates opponents with his frantic on-court energy. He often kicks up a fuss by arguing with referees and with himself, by glad-handing fans and keeping none of his emotions inside.

“We are very different,” Federer once said. “But that’s OK.”

On the women’s side, the questions, as usual, are whether Serena and Venus Williams are fully engaged in the sport and whether they can stay healthy.

The all-Russian French Open final of Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva resulted in record-low television ratings in the United States. A Wimbledon reprise seems unlikely. Serena and Venus have combined to win the last four championships. Lindsay Davenport was the last non-Williams winner.

Four in a row by the sisters seems daunting until it is remembered that Martina Navratilova once won six in a row. Navratilova, 47, is returning to the singles draw for the first time in a decade. She is playing Catalina Castano of Colombia, who is playing in her first Wimbledon.

Navratilova says this will be her last Wimbledon singles event. Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 champion, is also making his singles farewell. The 32-year-old Croatian hasn’t played here since winning his only major title.

“I could have stayed home and said that nobody defeated me here after I won the title,” Ivanisevic said, “but I think I owe it to myself to play another Wimbledon. I wanted to finish my career at the best place.”

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Wimbledon Glance

* Dates: Monday to July 4; no matches scheduled on middle Sunday, June 27.

* Site: All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.

* Format: Men play best-of-five-set matches, women play best-of-three.

* Singles fields: 128 men, 128 women.

* Total prize money: $17,667,250.

* Singles champion prize: Men, $1,096,550; Women, $1,020,110.

* Defending men’s champion: Roger Federer.

* Defending women’s champion: Serena Williams.

* Last year: Williams beat older sister Venus for the fifth time in six Grand Slam finals, including second straight year at Wimbledon; Federer lost just one set en route to his first major title, beating Andy Roddick in the semifinals and Mark Philippoussis in the final.

* Past Wimbledon champions entered: Federer (‘03), Lleyton Hewitt (‘02), Goran Ivanisevic (‘01); Serena Williams (‘02-’03), Venus Williams (‘00-’01), Lindsay Davenport (‘99), Conchita Martinez (‘94), Martina Navratilova (‘78-’79, ‘82-’87, ‘90).

* Noteworthy: No man has won consecutive major titles over the past 17 Grand Slam tournaments, a record in the Open era (which dates to 1968). That mark will increase to 18 because French Open champion Gaston Gaudio won’t play at Wimbledon.

* Television: Mon.-Fri.: 5 a.m.-2 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2. Sat: 5-9 a.m., ESPN2; 9 a.m.-Noon, ESPN; Noon-3 p.m., Ch. 4. June 28-30: 5-7 a.m., ESPN2; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., ESPN; 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Ch. 4. July 1-2: 5-9 a.m., ESPN; 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Ch. 4. July 3: 6-11 a.m., Ch. 4. July 4: 6-11 a.m., Ch. 4