As top seeds fall, Venus, Serena keep rolling

WIMBLEDON, England - Wimbledon has already lost its top-four seeded women’s players, while the Williams sisters keep rolling toward another sibling final.

Monday’s fourth-round play at the All England Club produced more upsets at the top of the women’s seedings, but also offered more convincing wins from the champions and title contenders.

Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, hobbled by a knee injury, fell 6-3, 6-2 to Tamarine Tanasugarn. No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, lost 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to 19-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska.

With top-seeded Ana Ivanovic and No. 3 Maria Sharapova eliminated last week, none of the top-four seeded women reached the quarterfinals — the first time that’s happened at Wimbledon and also the first time at any Grand Slam tournament in the 40-year history of the Open era.

The highest women’s seeded player left is No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Shahar Peer. Only three of the top 14 seeded women are left.

The other two are the Williams sisters, and they posted back-to-back victories on Court 2 — nicknamed the “Graveyard of Champions” for its history of upsets. They questioned why they weren’t put on Centre Court or Court 1.

Defending champion and seventh-seeded Venus Williams beat Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4, while two-time winner and No. 6 Serena downed Bethanie Mattek — the only other American left in the men’s or women’s draw — 6-3, 6-3.

“It wasn’t what I would have liked to see,” Serena Williams said of the Court 2 scheduling. “Initially, I thought, ’Is this the right schedule?’ I thought maybe there was a mistake. But I can’t dwell on that. I just have to focus on doing the best that I can whether I’m on Court 2 or Court 20.”

Later, the sisters made it 3-0 on Court 2 for the day, beating Anabel Medina Garriques and Virginia Ruano Pascal 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarters of the women’s doubles.

Between them, four-time champion Venus and two-time winner Serena have won six of the last eight women’s singles titles at Wimbledon. They’re in opposite halves of the draw and could meet in the final Saturday. The Williams sisters faced each other in the 2002 and ’03 finals, with Serena winning both.

“Both of us have an opportunity to live our dream, so for us it’s a plus,” Venus Williams said.

Playing with her left knee heavily strapped, Jankovic was never in serious contention against the 60th-ranked Tanasugarn. The 31-year-old Thai, playing in her 12th consecutive Wimbledon, also was treated for a lower back problem during changeovers in the second set.

After converting on match point to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time, Tanasugarn covered her face with her hands and broke into tears.

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Federer overcomes slow start to top Hewitt

WIMBLEDON, England - Five-time champion Roger Federer advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon on Monday with a straight sets win over Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.

No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal, runner-up to Federer the last two years, beat No. 17 Mihhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

Hewitt, the last man to win the Wimbledon title before the top-seeded Federer, was ousted 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-4 on Monday.

Federer extended his winning streak on grass to 63 matches and 38 in a row at the All England Club. Federer, who served 21 aces, has now beaten his Australian rival in 12 consecutive matches.

Federer, who hasn’t lost a set while chasing his sixth straight title, was in complete command against Hewitt after scraping through the first-set tiebreaker. At 7-all, Federer mis-hit a backhand and the ball was ruled wide, but a replay showed it hit the sideline and the point was replayed. Federer then hit a backhand winner for 8-7, and an ace gave him the set.

Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion whose career has been slowed by a chronic hip injury, went 0-8 on break points.

“I saw Lleyton struggling with his hip a little bit,” Federer said. “That first set tiebreaker really put me on the winning streak and after that I played consistently well.”

Hewitt, who said he’s not sure if he’ll play in the Beijing Olympics or U.S. Open because of his hip troubles, praised Federer’s serve.

“He hit every line out there today,” the Australian said. “That’s why he’s the best player around, especially on this surface. Serve is so important. He hit the target every time.”

Federer will next face the last player to beat him on grass and at Wimbledon — Croatian Mario Ancic, who won in the first round in 2002. Ancic came from two sets down Monday to beat Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11. The final set alone lasted 1 hour, 35 minutes.

“I completely underestimated him back in 2002,” Federer said. “I was a little shellshocked and didn’t know what happened to me. What it taught me was not to underestimate any opponent.”

No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal, runner-up to Federer the last two years, overcame an injury scare in the second game of the match and beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

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U.S. men nowhere in sight at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -Rafael Nadal has helped his nation cure its longtime aversion to lawn tennis, and he'll be one of three Spanish men playing Monday in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Switzerland, France, Russia and Croatia have two players apiece among the final 16. Britain, which last won the men's singles title in 1936, advanced one man to the second week, as did Australia, Germany, Serbia and even the island of Cyprus.

And the United States? None.

The nation that produced Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Bill Tilden finds itself in a collective slump. And there's no sign of a turnaround.

"We've been struggling for a long time, and it has just gotten worse,'' said Gene Mayer, a former top-five player who coaches privately in New York. "We just are producing no players.''

For the first time since 1926, only one U.S. male - No. 102-ranked Bobby Reynolds - reached the third round at Wimbledon. He lost Friday.

The problem isn't grass. At last year's French Open, American men went 0-9, their worst showing on the Roland Garros clay in at least 40 years. The last U.S. male to win a major title was Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open in 2003.

The drought is less noticeable on the women's side only because of the Williams sisters, who have combined for 14 major titles. They and Bethanie Mattek were the lone Americans to survive the first week at Wimbledon.

American men went 5-12. Eight lost in the first round, including Olympians Sam Querrey and Robby Ginepri. Andy Roddick and James Blake lost in the second round.

Poor Reynolds, delighted to equal his best Grand Slam result at age 25, was left to explain why U.S. fortunes continue to decline.

"Around the world tennis is a huge sport, and maybe it's not No. 1 over in the States,'' he said. "In the States you have basketball, baseball, football, golf. You have so many avenues that people can try out. I think that might have something to do with it.''

But tennis has always been well down the list of the most popular sports in the United States. What has changed is the way kids learn the game, with the most precocious youngsters often being steered at an early age toward a tennis academy.

Mayer said the grass-roots tutoring of earlier eras produced better results.

"It was quality coaches working in intimate settings with players,'' he said. "Now everyone goes to academies so young, and you never learn to play tennis. You don't learn at age 7, 8, 9, 10 in a group setting with 200 kids. You learn it one-on-one with a coach.''

While development lags in the United States, waves of talented youngsters keep surfacing in Europe, Asia and South America. Ricardo Acuna, a national coach for the U.S. Tennis Association, said Americans are winning less because the game has gone more global.

"More than it's a drought, it's that the world got better,'' said Acuna, a Chilean who ranked in the top 50 in the mid-1980s.

"When I first started playing, 50 percent of the draw was Americans, and then there was the rest of us - South Americans or Europeans. But now it's the other way around, especially with like France and Spain, and then you have the smaller countries too that have a lot of good players.

"Tennis is the biggest sport or the second-best sport in those countries. In the U.S. it's probably like the 30th sport behind many others.''

Tennis finds itself in a vicious cycle. With fewer Americans doing well, the sport becomes less popular in the United States and participation drops. That means fewer youngsters take up the game, which reduces the pool of potential future champions.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport has noticed a transformation of tennis during her career.

"It has kind of slipped in the rankings of sports watched on TV and overall popularity in the public,'' Davenport said. "I don't know exactly what the answers are to get it to be more popular, but worldwide it's definitely a bigger hit than in the United States.''

In April, the USTA hired Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe to save American tennis. His job is to coordinate player development, with help from a new advisory board and coaches commission to scout and groom talent.

But past USTA pledges to improve development have gone unfulfilled, and even if McEnroe is successful, the payback is at least a decade away. It's certain there won't be any comeback by the U.S. men at this year's Wimbledon.

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Cara Black worries over Zimbabwe

WIMBLEDON, England - Cara Black is safe now in the traditions and serenity of Wimbledon. Back home, in Zimbabwe, it is far different and far more troubling.

"It's all over the news so I think everybody is aware what's going on and players do ask me,'' she told The Associated Press. "But every Zimbabwean is in the same situation so it's frustrating, but you've just got to get on with things and hope things will be fine.''

Black has been around tennis a long time. She is 29 and a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion. Four titles have come at Wimbledon, including three in women's doubles and one in mixed.

Players approach her at the All England Club and offer sympathies. Black fears the consequences of speaking out about Zimbabwe, where counting continued in a widely denounced presidential runoff. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew, blaming intimidation and physical danger.

Black is reticent to discuss her encounters with longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who for nearly three decades has presided over Zimbabwe, its economy now in ruins.

"It's not safe for me,'' Black said.

But she is relieved the international community has finally begun an effort to unseat Mugabe and ease the burden of her compatriots.

"It's disturbing for every Zimbabwean. It's just hopefully not for much longer and things will be fine,'' Black said. "You've just got to keep waiting. It's getting better. It's on the way forward now. We've just got to bide a little more time. The world seems to be caring more.''

Black is a tennis globe-trotter based in London and gets to her home in the capital of Harare twice a year. In her latest visit, in April, she saw how dire things were.

"You notice the food shortages, you've got to look around for your shopping,'' she said. "Everybody struggles and is effected by it. Things are tough, nothing's simple.

"You can't just go to the shop and buy some bread or go to the petrol station and get some fuel, but they learn to deal with it. They do deal with it well and they are strong, tough people and survivors.''

Black hopes her performances at Wimbledon and the Beijing Olympics in August will provide some relief for a troubled nation.

Black and American partner Liezel Huber are the top-seeded pair in the women's doubles, and they advanced to the fourth round Saturday by beating Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-3. Black is also entered in the mixed doubles with Paul Hanley.

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Nadal beats Kiefer to advance at Wimbledon

Second-ranked Rafael Nadal has advanced to the fourth round with a 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-3 win over Nicolas Kiefer in fading light at Wimbledon.

Nadal, bidding to be the first man since Bjorn Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, did not drop serve Saturday until 5-1 in the third set, when he was serving for the match.

The four-time French Open champion, and runner-up to Roger Federer at Wimbledon the last two years, held at love in his next service game to finish it off.

Other men’s winners included No. 8 Richard Gasquet, No. 12 Andy Murray, Janko Tipsarevic, Arnaud Clement and Rainer Schuettler, the oldest player left in the draw at 32. Murray, carrying Britain’s perennial hopes for a first homegrown male champion since 1936, had 15 aces in a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 win over Tommy Haas.

The tournament has been jolted by a series of early upsets that have decimated the seeding lists.

Six of the top-10 seeded men have been knocked out so far before the fourth round: No. 3 Novak Djokovic, No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 Ferrer, No. 6 Andy Roddick, No. 7 David Nalbandian and No. 9 James Blake.

The No. 2 seeded Nadal, who lost to Federer in the last two finals, was dismissed Kiefer in straight sets to advance.

Roger Federer’s next opponent is 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt — the last man to win the title before the Swiss star began his run of five straight championships.

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Ex-men's player sorry for ripping Kournikova

WIMBLEDON, England - Justin Gimelstob’s disparaging comments about Anna Kournikova have created a stir at Wimbledon, where World Team Tennis teammate Serena Williams denounced the remarks as unprofessional.

Gimelstob retired from the men’s tour last year and is on the board of the ATP, which runs men’s tennis. He made sexual remarks about Kournikova and other female players on a Washington radio program “The Junkies” last week, before heading to Wimbledon.

The comments were widely published in Britain on Friday, after Gimelstob was suspended one match without pay by WTT for a violation of the player conduct code.

Gimelstob called Kournikova the “b-word” and made sexually-charged remarks about her and his brother. Gimelstob apologized on the WTT Web site Wednesday, the day of his suspension.

Serena Williams, who is on the Washington Kastles team with Gimelstob, said the comments were “totally uncalled for.”

“Being pro women’s rights, I just think we’ve come farther than to be referred to ... you know, I don’t cuss,” she said Friday, during her post-match press conference. “Anna is a great girl. For anyone to say that about her is kind of ... what can I say? It’s not professional.”

Gimelstob also made a suggestive comment about Czech player Nicole Vaidisova during the program. Vaidisova downplayed the remarks.

“I know Justin. He’s a very nice guy. I heard he apologized for it,” Vaidisova said. “I think it’s just you say something and you don’t really mean it. It happens.”

In his apology, Gimelstob said there was “no excuse” for his comments.

“I am extremely disappointed in myself,” Gimelstob said in the statement. “I take full responsibility for all the words that came out of my mouth ... Anna Kournikova, World Team Tennis and many others deserve my deepest apologies.

“I recognize that my access to communicate to the public should be used in a positive way, and this was clearly not the case last week.”

Billie Jean King, the co-founder of WTT, met with Gimelstob and was “confident both he and WTT will move beyond this unfortunate incident,” she said in a statement on the WTT Web site.

Gimelstob, a commentator at Wimbledon for Tennis Channel, writes a regular column for Sports Illustrated’s Web site.

Kournikova made the Wimbledon semifinals in her debut in 1997. She never won a singles title, but won two Australian Open doubles titles.

Kournikova had little to say about Gimelstob’s remarks.

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Venus powers into Wimbledon's 4th round

WIMBLEDON, England - No slow start for Venus Williams this time.

After struggling in tight first sets in her opening two matches, the defending champion moved quickly to defeat Spanish qualifier Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1, 7-5 Saturday and advance to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Williams served out the match at love, finishing with a 127-mph delivery — the fastest recorded by a woman at Wimbledon — for her 11th ace.

“Yeah, 127 is a good way to end it,” said Williams, who holds the WTA Tour record at 129 mph.

The four-time champion was barely tested in the first set by the 101st-ranked player. But Williams was pushed to the limit in the second when Martinez Sanchez switched to an effective serve-and-volley game.

“I was very pleased with the performance,” the seventh-seeded Williams said. “Things got close in the second set. She was really playing well, and I had to come up with something more than she was giving.”

Also advancing to the round of 16 was No. 2-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who rallied after dropping the first set and overcame a knee injury to down 17-year-old Danish player Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Court.

Jankovic appeared to hyperextend her left knee while lunging for a shot in the first set and later took an injury timeout to get her knee heavily wrapped. Jankovic plans to have an MRI before facing Tamarine Tanasugarn in the fourth round on Monday.

“It’s very sore now,” she said. “I hope for the best so that I will be able to play my next match.”

The 25-year-old Martinez Sanchez had never won a Grand Slam singles match until this tournament and looked out of her depth in the first set against the six-time major winner. But the left-hander scored repeatedly with serve-and-volley winners and angled drop shots and drop volleys in the second set.

“It was a great strategy,” Williams said. “In the first set it wasn’t working for her from the baseline. I was impressed with the way she changed strategy and made it really competitive in the second.”

The Spaniard rallied from 3-1 down to go ahead 5-4 on serve. But she double-faulted on break point to give Williams a 6-5 lead. Williams finished with 33 winners, as well as 10 unforced errors and six double-faults.

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American men finished at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Bobby Reynolds’ third-round loss left Wimbledon without an American in the men’s singles draw.

A dozen started Monday, including two-time finalist Andy Roddick, seeded sixth, and James Blake at No. 9. They were all gone on the fifth of 14 scheduled days.

No. 102-ranked Reynolds was under all kinds of pressure Friday, this being the first time since 1926 that only one U.S. man had made the third round.

“I guess at the beginning of the tournament I wouldn’t have thought that it would be me, last one standing,” Reynolds said after his 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Feliciano Lopez, one of five Spaniards into the third round.

Good friends Roddick and Blake — seeded to meet in the quarterfinals — made their exits within hours of each other Thursday at the end of the second round.

Big-serving Roddick lost to Janko Tipsarevic, saying he “pretty much choked it.”

Blake lost to German veteran Rainer Schuettler and Jesse Levine also crashed out in the second round.

Since Pete Sampras won the last of his seven Wimbledon titles in 2000, U.S. men have found it increasingly hard to go the distance on the lawn courts at SW19.

“Obviously it’s discouraging, I was the last one and it’s only the third round,” Reynolds said. “That’s not something we like to tip our hats to.”

It’s a good thing for the United States, then, that the women are still winning.

At least one is guaranteed of making the quarterfinals with two-time champion Serena Williams due to meet 69th-ranked Bethanie Mattek in the fourth-round after both beat French women on Friday.

Mattek upset last year’s losing finalist, 11th-seeded Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-1 for her biggest Grand Slam tournament win, while Serena Williams held off 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Defending champion and elder Williams sister, Venus, was to play her third-round match against Maria Martinez Sanchez on Saturday.

Mattek, 23, had never advanced beyond the second round at a major before, so she’s in new territory.

“This is my best result in a Grand Slam by far,” she said. “Last year it was the first time I won a round actually, so this is a pretty amazing feeling.”

She had a little help on Friday, with Bartoli needing treatment for a shoulder injury in the first set and calling for a medical timeout. But the win boiled down to taking her chances, converting five of her nine breakpoint chances.

Williams, who has won eight Grand Slam titles dating back to the 1999 U.S. Open, has been watching Mattek.

“She’s been playing better tennis and better tennis. It’s good to see some more American players playing well,” said Serena who, as something of a fashion diva, has noticed Mattek’s sense of flair.

“The courage you have to wear something like that in fashion goes a long way to me,” Serena said. “She’s a nice girl. I normally would like to see the best for her, but clearly I want to be able to win.”

Mattek has toned down her outfits at Wimbledon, where the code insists on white clothes, and is concentrating just on tennis.

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Federer rolls into fourth round at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Roger Federer continued his march toward a sixth straight Wimbledon title by beating Marc Gicquel in straight sets Friday, setting up a fourth-round matchup with the last man to win the championship before him.

Also Friday, the last remaining American in the men’s draw, Bobby Reynolds, lost to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

After the first rain delay of the tournament, Federer overwhelmed the 53rd-ranked Frenchman 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Centre Court for his 62nd consecutive win on grass and 37th straight at the All England Club.

His next opponent will be Lleyton Hewitt, who won Wimbledon in 2002 — the year before the Swiss star began his run of five straight titles.

Federer surprisingly dropped serve in the opening game. But he immediately broke back and was in control the rest of the way as he sailed to victory in 1 hour, 21 minutes. The rain delay before the match lasted longer — 1 hour, 41 minutes — the first rain of the tournament.

“Again, difficult conditions, tricky opponent,” Federer said. “The wind was swirling. I got down a break in the first game and had to rally back. I played really well throughout the match considering the circumstances.”

Federer hasn’t dropped a set so far in the tournament.

“It’s always nice,” he said. “Couple of days off now. Hope I play as well next week. It’s important to try to keep the game where it is.”

Hewitt, who has been troubled by a chronic hip injury and is seeded No. 20, served 14 aces and beat Italy’s Simone Bolelli 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Federer leads Hewitt 13-7 in career meetings and has won 11 straight going back to the Australian Open in 2004. They have played twice before at Wimbledon, with Federer winning in the quarterfinals in 2004 and semifinals in 2005.

“The next round will be much more difficult,” Federer said. “We’ve played maybe over 16 times. He’s a former No. 1 and Grand Slam champion. Should be a great match.”

The 31-year-old Gicquel, who had never gone beyond the first round at Wimbledon, has a big serve and strong forehand but couldn’t trouble Federer. Gicquel saved a set point on his own serve at 3-5, but Federer closed it out in the next game with a 129 mph ace.

On the final point of the second set, Federer whipped a forehand that left Gicquel lunging and doing the splits. Federer cruised through the third set in 20 minutes.

Fifth-seeded David Ferrer was ousted by Croatia’s Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3) in a match that ended on Centre Court in near darkness around 9:15 p.m. local time. Ancic is the last player to have defeated Federer at Wimbledon — he did it as a qualifier in the first round in 2002.

“I’m so happy I’m back again,” said Ancic, who missed last year’s Wimbledon with glandular fever. “It was an incredible match from first point to last point. The crowd was going crazy. It just was just a couple of points that went to my side.”

Ferrer’s exit means six of the top 10 seeded players in the men’s draw have gone out so far in the first three rounds.

In a match that ended even later on Court 1, Safin pulled out a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory over Andreas Seppi.

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Demoralizing defeat for Roddick

getCSS("3315906")Bud CollinsWIMBLEDON, England - It was a disastrous day for American men’s tennis at Wimbledon as the best Yanks in the business – sixth-seeded Andy Roddick and ninth-seeded James Blake – tumbled to defeat on the grass at the All-England Club.

We’re not just talking about skinned knees here. We’re talking about big wounds. Deep wounds in what was an all-around miserable day for U.S. tennis fans who were hoping that either A-Rod or JB would summon what it takes to at least make the second week of this London fortnight. But for both it’s good night and forget about the sweet dreams. Roddick and Blake just hope to avoid having nightmares over additional chapters that now have been written in their stinging stories of showing up here year after year and -- with little exception -- their getting mowed down on the lawns.

With graying skies, Roddick lost to the very dangerous Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Earlier in the day, Rainer Schuettler of Germany ended Blake’s Wimbledon visit early with a 6-3, 6-7 (8), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory. I was so sure that once Blake evened the match at one set apiece he would hold on to prevail in this encounter. So much for being so sure of something!

That leaves the Wimbledon draw with one American male remaining – it’s Bobby Reynolds, who is ranked No. 106 and who will take on the No.-31-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the third round. No offense to the delightful Reynolds, but this is Wimbledon and this is grass -- it’s Andy Roddick’s favorite surface and I don’t think Reynolds was the guy we were expecting to be the last American man waving the red-white-and-blue flag.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Roddick is demoralized by this defeat. Certainly not because Tipsarevic isn’t a talented guy -- we can’t forget that he took Roger Federer to five sets before losing at this year’s Australian Open. But coming into Wimbledon, Roddick was considered a contender by so many people that it’s shocking he’s heading home after just a couple of matches.

With Roddick’s big serve and his having reached two Wimbledon finals here (2005 and 2004), I anticipated that he would stick around for a while and check out the neighborhood during the second week of the fortnight. But with that said I actually didn’t see Roddick winning the title with the incomparable Roger Federer and the guy I’m picking to win the championship -- Rafael Nadal -- in the mix.

I will say that no one can ever fault Roddick for not trying -- this guy gives every match he plays his undivided attention. But there are things about his game that continue to worry me and most of all it seems apparent that he still seems confused as to when are the right times to approach the net. Clearly, with a big serve like Roddick’s it would be a big bonus if he could come in to the net more and take advantage of his height and wingspan. But doing so is not just not an instinctual skill for Roddick so while he’s improved at coming to the net, it’s easy to tell it’s not his comfort zone.

The other thing to take notice of is that Roddick has had a lot of coaching changes during his career. He came onto the circuit with Frenchman Tarik Benhabiles then moved on to work with Brad Gilbert, Dean Goldfine and Jimmy Connors. At the moment, he’s settled on his brother to be his coach -- John Roddick, who played collegiate tennis at the University of Georgia.

Roddick’s best results were with Gilbert, but from all indications their personalities didn’t jive well and in the big picture that is an important element to any coaching relationship. Roddick is a family oriented guy so I know he feels comfortable with big brother John as his coach. As to whether there is someone out there who could help Roddick find a better transition game, I can’t really say I know the answer to that question.

When Roddick had those two set points on Tipsarevic’s serve in the tenth game of the fourth set, I said to myself here comes the American. He’s not going to let this match go lightly into the night. But as dusk started to settle in, Roddick was stumbling away.

Roddick had eight opportunities in all to break Tipsarevic’s serve during the just over three-hour match and he could not convert on one of those openings. That’s definitely something that Roddick’s going to want to look at carefully as he heads home.

For Roddick the summer is now about to begin and he’s going to spend all of his time on the hard court tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open, which is his last chance of this year to reel in a title at the majors.

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Many have questioned why Roddick is not going to make the trip to Beijing for the Olympics but his mind is set on gearing up for the U.S. Open and he believes that the best preparation to do that will be to stay stateside and play his usual list of tune-up tournaments.

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Maria’s loss a win for Venus, Serena

getCSS("3315906")Tracy AustinWIMBLEDON, England - At the start of Wimbledon it was figured by many that for Venus or Serena Williams to win the ladies’ singles championship one of the sisters would have to knock out Maria Sharapova.

That’s no longer necessary after the Russian star and 2004 Wimbledon champion was stunned in a second-round encounter with one of her unheralded countrywoman on tour -- 20-year-old Alla Kudryavtseva.

My trio of favorites to win here – Sharapova, Venus and Serena – is now a duo. And with the seventh-seeded Venus and the sixth-seeded Serena in different halves of the draw, an All-Williams final could be the highlight of this fortnight, and the third such meeting in a Wimbledon final – at least on the ladies’ side.

It went really wrong for Sharapova and there’s no mystery as to why. Her serve was the culprit. The serve is the most essential element to win on grass and the problems Sharapova had with her serve were great enough for her to shockingly fall to Kudryavtseva, who is ranked No. 154.

Sharapova double faulted eight times and that’s just unacceptable for a player of her talent. A perfect example of a weapon that wouldn’t work was her serving three double faults to lose a game and go down 4-2 in the first set.

Her troubles against Kudryavtseva were reminiscent of last year when she would struggle with her serve and then a lack of confidence would start to seep into the rest of her game.

It’s particularly interesting that except for this year’s Australian Open which she won, Sharapova has not even reached the quarterfinals in four of her last five majors. And it’s important to point out that her big weapon in Australia was her serve, which was top-notch Down Under.

This year began really well for Sharapova as she won three titles -- the Australian Open and Doha on hard courts and then the first clay success of her career at Amelia Island. She also reached the semifinals at Indian Wells and Rome so there have been significant periods when she’s been playing well.

But sometimes her serve really lets her down. What I believe is the problem with it when it does go south is that’s when Sharapova is not rotating her body as she should when serving. She starts serving on the side but instead of moving her body forward so that her navel is facing the net, she remains in a sideway stance.

Sharapova worked on her serve between the French Open and Wimbledon with Phil Dent when she was home in California. Dent is someone she has consulted with periodically in regards to her serve ever since she was 15-or-16 years old. The fact that she went over to see Dent during the time between the French Open and Wimbledon signifies to me that she knows she is having a problem with her serve. She’s trying to fix it but obviously it isn’t fixed yet.

And as we all have seen before with Sharapova if her serve goes, it drains her confidence and starts affecting other shots in her arsenal, most notably her forehand, which she starts pulling up on.

While Sharapova served her way out of the All-England Club, Kudryavtseva deserves credit for playing the match of her young life against her fellow Russian. In recent weeks Kudryavtseva lost in the first round of Eastbourne and Birmingham and she also lost in the first round at the Australian Open and French Open so her results of late have been far from stellar.

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Kudryavtseva was very strong from the baseline and really challenged Sharapova repeatedly as the one-hour, 24- minute match unfolded. Kudryavtseva made Sharapova move and kept her off balance by driving the ball hard, deep and to different parts of the court. In comparison Sharapova was off, she made 22 unforced errors to 13 winners.

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CLARKE OPTS FOR WALES
Oh Maria! Sharapova ousted from Wimbledon

Davenport hurt; Wimbledon career may be over

WIMBLEDON, England - Lindsay Davenport’s Wimbledon comeback was curtailed Thursday by a lingering knee injury.

The 1999 champion, who hobbled through a first-round victory, withdrew hours before her second-round match against Gisela Dulko.

Davenport’s knee has bothered her for several weeks. She said an MRI exam this week showed no structural damage, but she struggled warming up Thursday morning.

“I felt like I was about 25, maybe 30 percent,” she said. “In a first-, second-round match, it’s just not good enough. It’s not going to get better the more I play on it.”

Davenport said she was told to rest for three or four weeks. She was selected Thursday to the U.S. Olympic team and said she expects to be healthy enough to play in Beijing.

The 32-year-old Davenport, who returned to the women’s tour last year after becoming a mother, played her first match at Wimbledon since 2005 on Tuesday. With her knee heavily taped, she beat Renata Voracova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

The MRI after the match revealed inflammation and fluid behind the kneecap.

“I worked hard to get ready to play here,” she said. “If I learned anything over my career, this is the way it goes sometimes.

“I was like almost in tears the other night. I was so relieved it was nothing major, like doesn’t require surgery. So that actually put me in probably a better mood than I should be.”

Davenport has flirted for years with retirement, and she hesitated when asked if she expects to be back at Wimbledon in 2009.

“I guess not, but it didn’t go into my mind today like, ‘Oh, this is my last chance to play here,”’ she said. “I haven’t analyzed it to that point yet.”

Davenport beat Steffi Graf in the 1999 final and was second in 2004 and ’05. She had not been eliminated before the quarterfinals since 1997.

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TIGER TURNS IT ROUND AFTER SLOW START
Ailing Davenport expects to play Wimbledon
Big Papi sits out again because of knee bruise

6th-seeded Roddick stunned at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Former two-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick didn't even get to the third round this year.

Roddick, who lost in the 2004 and 2005 Wimbledon finals to Roger Federer, went out 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Thursday to 40th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, who has never gone past the fourth round at a major.

The sixth-seeded Roddick went 0-8 on break points, while Tipsarevic converted both of his break chances. Roddick had three set points in the fourth set but couldn’t capitalize, and Tipsarevic finished him off in the tiebreaker, falling to his hands and knees in celebration on Centre Court.

“This means the world to me,” Tipsarevic said.

He pulled off the biggest win of his career just a day after No. 3-ranked countryman Novak Djokovic was knocked out on the same court by Marat Safin.

“I’m just glad that I won and Serbia will have more representatives in the men’s singles draw,” Tipsarevic said.

Nadal, a two-time Wimbledon runner-up who swept to his fourth straight French Open title without dropping a set, lost the first set against the talented Gulbis — a quarterfinalist at the French — when he was broken in the 12th game.

But Nadal sailed through the next set, took the third in a tiebreaker and got the decisive break for 5-3 in the fourth.

No. 9 James Blake — who has never gone past the third round at Wimbledon — lost to Germany’s Rainer Schuettler, 6-3, 6-7 (8), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and No. 12 Andy Murray had a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over Belgium’s Xavier Malisse.

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Roddick struggles but wins Wimbledon opener
WIE HAPPY WITH OPENING ROUND

Austin: Wimbledon so very special for Venus

getCSS("3315906")Tracy AustinWIMBLEDON, England - Shortly after she had won her opening-round match at Wimbledon, Venus Williams wore a smile that could have brightened even the darkest of summer sky that is usually no stranger over the All-England Club.

So far this fortnight the rain has taken a rain check so tennis fans on the grounds are in good spirits. Their frame of mind is positive over what’s forecasted to be a stretch of good weather this opening week but no one’s outlook over this year’s grass court major is as rosy as Venus’.

Venus is passionate about playing in The Championships. She’s won this Grand Slam event four times including last year and her affinity for it led her to proclaim on television that Wimbledon “this year has actually become the love of my life.”

With that being the case, not many are lining up to pick against her once again emerging queen of the lawns.

For Venus the opening act in the defense of her title came in a bit of a tough tussle with Briton Naomi Cavaday in a 7-6, 6-1 win. Venus initially needed to work out how to deal with Cavaday’s slice serve and heavy groundstrokes but once she took the first set, she showed why her trophy shelf has four Wimbledon mementos.

Cavaday proved a good beginning for Venus as she needed to have a pesky opponent considering she played no grass court warm-up event. Wimbledon is the major where she’s been the most successful, taking the title three other times besides last year – 2005, 2001 and 2000. She also lost in the finals to sister Serena in 2003 and 2002.

Venus has won two U.S. Open titles (2000, 2001) but has never been a champion at the French Open or the Australian Open. Her best showing in Paris was reaching the final in 2002 and she was also a finalist in Melbourne in 2003, losing both of those matches to Serena.

It’s hard not to be so very impressed with her title-winning performances here in 2005 and 2007 when she ranked outside the top 10. Nobody put her in the group of favorites to win the title in 2005 -- she wasn’t even a consideration by most. And last year, seeded No. 23, Venus appeared to have too tough a road to travel to another championship.

I didn’t believe that and I was one of the few people who included Venus on my list of favorites -- a decision I made based solely on her championship here two years before, which signaled to me that Venus always has to be counted in the title hunt at Wimbledon.

I knew last year that Venus deserved for us to pay attention to her at Wimbledon because she proved in 2005 that this piece of real estate is her territory. Without a doubt her ability to win here in 2005 and 2007 recharged her career and redeemed her reputation as a serious contender every time she heads into another Wimbledon.

Venus feels at home at Wimbledon. Grass is a surface where she can get that first strike in and if she can do that she knows it’s going to be difficult for any opponent to play successful defense against her. She has a big forehand, big backhand and big serve and it often takes just one big shot to put her in the driver’s seat on a point.

Having been a player on tour, I can pretty well guess how the other players feel about Venus at Wimbledon -- none of them wants any part of her on grass. That’s a big key psychologically for Venus -- she knows that opponents aren’t comfortable against her on this surface and they know she loves mowing them down on the lawns.

Venus has very fond memories of Wimbledon. Don’t underestimate the importance of that to her title chances. As someone who played professionally, I know that if you find yourself in trouble during a match, you can call on those good memories to boost your confidence in believing you can come through in a tough spot.

Venus seems relaxed and serene. She appears to be content with being considered a favorite and being talked about all the time. Her familiarity with winning here allows Venus to believe she can successfully compete with any of the top contenders. Certainly, Venus knows that Serena can play well here and she knows Maria Sharapova can also perform well as the Russian owns one Wimbledon title – but it’s Venus not Serena or Maria who is a Wimbledon champion four times over.

There are three players that come to mind as Wimbledon’s elite of recent times -- Billie Jean King won the title here six times, Steffi Graf won it seven times and Martina Navratilova won an amazing nine times.

Interestingly, Venus’ game in no way resembles the games of any of those three great players. Both King and Navratilova came from a different era when players couldn’t wait to visit the net. Incredible serve-and-volley talents, it's no surprise that King and Navratilova account for 15 Wimbledon titles between them.

As for Graf, she was a different player than Venus because she had the monstrous forehand and slice backhand. That slice backhand wasn’t delivering winners but it was sending balls back very low, which helped her set up points.

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Venus, has a very different style -- her style is today’s style where she has a big serve, hits power shots from the baseline and only occasionally ventures to the net.

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Oh Maria! Sharapova ousted from Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Former champion Maria Sharapova was knocked out of Wimbledon in a stunning second-round upset Thursday by a 154th-ranked Russian, marking her earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament since her first full season on tour in 2003.

Her game littered by double faults and ugly unforced errors, the third-seeded Sharapova slumped to a 6-2, 6-4 loss to 20-year-old Alla Kudryavtseva on Court 1.

“She had nothing to lose,” Sharapova said. “She went for her shots. I can’t be really happy about anything today.”

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion at age 17, hadn’t lost so early in a Grand Slam since going out in the first round at the Australian and French Open and second round at the U.S. Open in 2003.

Sharapova is the second marquee player eliminated in as many days. But her defeat to a little-known player with a career Grand Slam record of 4-5 was a much bigger shock than No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic’s loss to former No. 1 Marat Safin on Wednesday.

Defending champion Venus Williams, meanwhile, overcame another erratic performance and pulled away to beat Britain’s Anne Keothavong 7-5, 6-2 and reach the third round. In men’s play, second-seeded Rafael Nadal rallied to beat 19-year-old Latvian star Ernests Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-3.

On paper, it seemed inconceivable Kudryavtseva could beat the three-time Grand Slam winner and reigning Australian Open champion — especially at the tournament where Sharapova made her major breakthrough four years ago.

Kudryavtseva, who was born in Moscow and now lives in Miami, lost in the first round at Wimbledon to eventual champion Venus Williams last year. She has been ranked as high as No. 59 last year.

In their only previous meeting, Sharapova won easily, 6-1, 6-4, at the French Open last year.

getCSS("3053751")  WimbledonJune 23-July 6Women: Oh Maria! Sharapova oustedMen: Roddick, Blake both knocked outDavenport withdraws with hurt kneeAustin: Wimbledon so special for VenusCollins: Nadal will be new Wimbledon wonderWalters' Wimbledon blog: From the sidelines  Mad Dog: Pressure is on FedererVotes: Men's winner?  |  Women's champ?  Sound off on tennis message boardsBut it was clear from the start Thursday that she was off her game — other than her shrieking grunts, this wasn’t the usual Sharapova. She looked listless and finished with 22 unforced errors and eight double faults.

Asked what went wrong, she said, “Not sure. It’s a question I’ll be asking myself. I think I’ve got to look at the tape to see what went wrong. It went a little fast to analyze it right now. I felt that I wasn’t playing my game. I was letting her take control of the majority of the points.”

Sharapova served three double faults in one game and Kudryavtseva took her chances and swept the first set easily in 32 minutes. Kudryavtseva also looked shaky at times in the second set, serving three double faults in the opening game. Sharapova went ahead 2-0, then dropped four straight games.

With Kudryavtseva leading 4-3, Sharapova’s second serve on break point was called out, but she challenged the call and the Hawk-Eye replay system showed the ball was in, giving her another chance. When Sharapova served an ace on game point to make it 4-4, she shouted and pumped her fist and seemed to have the momentum.

But Kudryavtseva took the next two games to close out the match. Sharapova double faulted to give her opponent match point, and she converted with a crosscourt forehand winner.

“You can go out there and not feel great and you’re opponent can make the most of that,” Sharapova said.

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Serena in 3rd round of French? No big deal
JIMENEZ WITHDRAWS FROM WALES OPEN

Serena would vote for Obama, but she can't

WIMBLEDON, England - Serena Williams would vote for Barack Obama if she could. Don't even ask Venus Williams what her political leanings are.

The Williams sisters, vocal on so many issues from fashion to gender equality and equal pay for women, say they're not allowed to vote because of their religion. The sisters, who have 14 Grand Slam singles titles between them and are among the most recognizable athletes in sports, are Jehovah's Witnesses.

After their first-round wins at Wimbledon, both were asked about the Nov. 4 presidential election.

"I feel that what I do in tennis isn't really political,'' Venus said after her 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over British wild card entry Naomi Cavaday on Tuesday. The work she does for UNESCO and other agencies was about helping people, she said, "I don't see it as political. I don't vote.''

Younger sister Serena said she was "excited to see Obama out there doing his thing.''

"I'm a Jehovah's Witness, so I don't get involved in politics. We stay neutral. We don't vote,'' she said. "So I'm not going to necessarily go out and vote for him. I would if it wasn't for my religion.''

Bye, bye Bjorkman
Jonas Bjorkman's 15th and last Wimbledon singles campaign was among his shortest. The 36-year-old Swede lost in the first-round Tuesday 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (4) to Frenchman Arnaud Clement.

Bjorkman made the semifinals here two years ago at 34 before losing to eventual champion Roger Federer, equaling his best run at a major. He made the U.S. Open semis in 1997, the year he reached a career-high No. 4 in singles.

Bjorkman plans to play until the Stockholm Open in October. His more immediate plan is to add a 10th Grand Slam doubles title. He has three at Wimbledon among his nine.

His favorite moments involved the three Davis Cup titles he helped Sweden win.

"To win it three times, it's something very special I think - it's something we're very proud of back home in Sweden,'' he said.

Bizz buzz bees
There's a buzz going around Wimbledon about the birds and the bees.

getCSS("3053751")  WimbledonJune 23-July 6  Women: World No. 1 Ivanovic survives thrillerMen: Safin stuns Djokovic; Federer sweeps Austin: Wimbledon so very special for VenusSharapova dons tuxedo top for first roundAustin: Venus, Serena and Maria rate edgeCollins: Nadal will be new Wimbledon wonder  Mad Dog: Pressure is on FedererVotes: Men's winner?  |  Women's champ?  Sound off on tennis message boardsTwo days after having to deal with a swarm of bees around the player locker rooms, Wimbledon organizers received a letter from an animal rights group condemning the treatment of pigeons at the All England Club.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said it had seen newspaper reports that army marksmen were being used to shoot pigeons around the club.

PETA sent a letter to Tim Phillips, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and members of the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit to outline Wimbledon's "apparently illegal action.''

"We believe that the club should be prosecuted for cruelty to animals,'' said the letter, which was released to the media Tuesday.

PETA urged Phillips to call an immediate halt to the eradication plans if the reports were correct.

Under the Animal Welfare Act, a property owner can only use lethal control as a last resort if it can demonstrate, in a court of law, which non-lethal methods had been used and only if the target species presents a demonstrable risk to public health and safety.

All England Club spokesman Johnny Perkins confirmed contract pest controllers had used marksmen to shoot at pigeons on Sunday, and defended the club's policy.

Major moment
Japanese player Ai Sugiyama set a record for most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances - by a woman or man - when she started her 57th with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.

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Jose could return to England
Wimbledon men’s capsules
Traore Hoping For Hammers Move
Daveport out of French for ‘personal reasons’

No. 1 Ivanovic survives 2nd-round thriller

WIMBLEDON, England - Nathalie Dechy thinks it might be a good time for Ana Ivanovic to buy a lottery ticket.

Facing match point in the second set of her second-round match at Wimbledon, the top-ranked Ivanovic drove a forehand into the top of the net — it somehow trickled over.

From the brink of an embarrassing exit to a player ranked 97, she recovered to beat veteran Frenchwoman Dechy 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 10-8, in a match lasting 3 hours, 24 minutes.

“Someone from upstairs made the ball roll over,” Ivanovic explained, laughing. “I just feel so lucky. I felt like time stopped for a moment. ... I just thought the match would be over. After that point I felt like it was a new match for me and I had a new opportunity.”

Dechy had an instant of thinking she had won. “Then I saw,” she said. “I was like, gee, there’s maybe somebody in the sky who help(ed) her on that one.

“Maybe today she can go and play lotto also a little bit. It would be a good day for her.”

Two-time champion Serena Williams had less trouble, advancing 6-4, 6-4 over Urszula Radwanska on Court 2, called the “graveyard of champions” for its history of upsets.

In other women’s matches, 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo recovered to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 over Virginia Ruano Pascual and 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli beat Tatiana Perebiynis 6-2, 7-5.

Also advancing were No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 8 Anna Chakvetadze, and No. 18 Nicole Vaidisova, a quarterfinalist last season.

In her first tournament as a Grand Slam titlist and the No. 1-ranked woman, the 20-year-old Ivanovic seemed to be in a big rush, trying to finish points quickly.

It worked to start. The Serbian star won the first three games in six minutes.

But Dechy, determined, patient and no-frills, rallied and took the first set in a tiebreaker.

getCSS("3053751")  WimbledonJune 23-July 6  Women: World No. 1 Ivanovic survives thrillerMen: Safin stuns Djokovic; Federer sweeps Austin: Wimbledon so very special for VenusSharapova dons tuxedo top for first roundAustin: Venus, Serena and Maria rate edgeCollins: Nadal will be new Wimbledon wonder  Mad Dog: Pressure is on FedererVotes: Men's winner?  |  Women's champ?  Sound off on tennis message boardsThe second set began in a similar fashion with Ivanovic up 3-1, only to fall behind 3-4, with Dechy serving well and Ivanovich having problems returning.

So it went to Ivanovic serving to stay in the match in the 10th game.

Facing two match points, she fired a big serve and followed with a forehand winner.

One to go.

The pressure compounded with a fault. But rather than back off, Ivanovic produced a big second serve and charged in, driving a forehand into the net. That’s when time stopped for both players. Ivanovic’s ball clipped the net, and dropped over.

She smiled nervously, then pulled her sun visor down over her face to stifle a laugh.

Dechy grimaced and looked up. She pushed Ivanovic for the rest of the match, but never seemed to get on top again after Ivanovic dominated the tiebreaker.

The Frenchwoman was broken twice in the deciding set to fall behind 2-4 and then 3-5. But she clawed back again to 5-5, when another slice of fortune fell Ivanovic’s way.

Dechy played a forehand volley which ought to have sent her 15-30 up on the Ivanovic serve, but her hat fell off in the process. It was extremely unlikely Ivanovic could stay in the point, but she asked for and was granted a replay — a fair call under the strict definition of the rules.

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Federer, Ivanovic No. 1 seeds for Wimbledon
Russia win extra-time thriller

Safin shocks No.3 Djokovic at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Novak Djokovic was upset in straight sets by Marat Safin in the second round Wednesday, ending the Serb’s chances of testing his theory about Roger Federer’s vulnerability at Wimbledon.

The 75th-ranked Safin won 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Centre Court. It was a stunning loss for the third-ranked Djokovic, who came to the All England Club confident after beating top-ranked Federer in the semifinals at this year’s Australian Open en route to his first Grand Slam tournament title.

Top-ranked Federer only had a minor hiccup — dropping serve once, the first time since Roland Garros — before getting past Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to extend his streak on grass to 61 matches. The Swiss star looked anything but vulnerable as he continued his bid for a sixth straight Wimbledon title.

“I think I played well. Moving well, feeling good,” Federer said. “I got my first break (against) on grass this year, still, not too concerning. Honestly, I thought the performance was excellent.”

Djokovic came up against one of the toughest second-round opponents he could have drawn.

Former No. 1 Safin has won two Grand Slam titles. One came when he upset Federer in an Australian Open semifinal en route to the 2005 title. Safin beat Djokovic in the first round of that tournament — their only previous meeting.

“It was certainly a very bad day for me,” the 21-year-old Djokovic said. “I didn’t do anything that I was supposed to — he was very solid in all segments.”

Djokovic had said Federer was vulnerable after his recent lopsided French Open loss to No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal.

The hype surrounding those comments set up the possibility of an enticing semifinal here. Now, it will be Safin who will try to go down that path.

getCSS("3053751")  WimbledonJune 23-July 6  Women: World No. 1 Ivanovic survives thrillerMen: Safin stuns Djokovic; Federer sweeps Austin: Wimbledon so very special for VenusSharapova dons tuxedo top for first roundAustin: Venus, Serena and Maria rate edgeCollins: Nadal will be new Wimbledon wonder  Mad Dog: Pressure is on FedererVotes: Men's winner?  |  Women's champ?  Sound off on tennis message boardsBut not before offering some thoughts on what led to his victory over Djokovic.

“He didn’t impress me with his game today. I could read his serve. I could return,” the 28-year-old Russian said. “I could stay with him from the baseline, and that’s it.”

Safin said he came in under the radar, and that Djokovic had all the pressure.

“He’s the one who has to win matches. For me, nobody expects anything,” said Safin, admitting that he had not dared look beyond the second round. “Now, I’ll have to check — the way I’m playing now, I could go far.”

Djokovic was far from convincing, playing on a surface he is not entirely comfortable on and struggling with his serve in a blustery breeze. After saving three match points, he served a double-fault to give his Russian opponent a fourth, then double-faulted for the 10th time to concede.

“I was serving a lot of double-faults, which is unusual,” said Djokovic, who was broken twice in each of the first and third sets and only broke Safin’s serve once. “I was just not finding my momentum.”

Lleyton Hewitt, the only other Wimbledon champion in the men’s draw, survived Court 2 with a 7-6 (4), 6-0, 6-2 win over Albert Montanes of Spain.

Others advancing were No. 10 Marcos Baghdatis, No. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka and American Bobby Reynolds, who had a 4-6, 7-6 (10), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Canadian Frank Dancevic.

Another former No. 1, Juan Carlos Ferrero had to retire with a leg injury in the third set when he trailing Mischa Zverev.

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Ott signs two-year extension with Stars
Wimbledon semis may pit Federer vs. Djokovic
WIE HAPPY WITH OPENING ROUND

Roddick struggles but wins Wimbledon opener

WIMBLEDON, England - Sixth-seeded Andy Roddick defeated Eduardo Schwank 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (0) to advance to the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

The two-time Wimbledon finalist fired 17 aces and did not face a break point Tuesday in his first-round match against 60th-ranked Schwank on Court 1.

Roddick converted only two of 12 break-point chances in a tough, grinding match before dominating the tiebreaker to close it out.

Roddick will meet Janko Tipsarevic in the next round.

Rafael Nadal — coming off his fourth straight French Open championship and first grass-court title — got off to a solid start on Centre Court in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Runner-up to Roger Federer the past two years, the second-seeded Spaniard beat 122nd-ranked German qualifier Andreas Beck 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (0).

Nadal, who never faced a break point, managed to break Beck just twice out of nine chances. He saved his best for the tiebreaker, ripping a crosscourt forehand winner for 5-0, serving his 17th ace for 6-0 and forcing an error on match point with a backhand drop shot.

“The first match is always very difficult, but I played well in the last tiebreak,” Nadal said. “I was a little bit nervous today. It was tough, but I have very nice memories from the last two years.”

In the day’s first major upset, fourth-seeded Davydenko was knocked out in the first round in straight sets by 116th-ranked German Benjamin Becker, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. It was the fifth time in seven years the Russian failed to get past the first round; he reached the fourth round last year.

“He played good, but I played very bad,” Davydenko said.

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Walkover sets up Roddick-Nadal semifinal
Wimbledon semis may pit Federer vs. Djokovic

Venus starts title defense with win

WIMBLEDON, England - Defending champion Venus Williams scraped through a tight first set and then pulled away for a 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory over British teenager Naomi Cavaday to begin her bid for a fifth Wimbledon title.

As reigning champion, Williams was up first on “Ladies Day” on Centre Court Tuesday as the All England Club enjoyed a second spell of dry, sunny weather on a day that also featured wins by Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick and former champions Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport. Fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko was the top name to go out.

It took a while for the seventh-seeded Williams, playing her first grass-court match of the season, to find her game and take command against a 19-year-old wild card entry playing only her third career Grand Slam match.

“She played a great match,” said Williams, who hit one serve at 125 mph (201 kph). “She put a lot of pace on the ball, forced a few errors by me. I felt confident throughout the match. I felt good out there. I always feel good on that court.”

Williams’ potential quarterfinal opponent, No. 2-seeded Jelena Jankovic, easily advanced by beating 113th-ranked Olga Savchuk of Ukraine 6-3, 6-2 in a late match.

A day after Roger Federer wore a custom-made cardigan onto Centre Court and Serena Williams donned a thigh-length trench coat, 2004 Wimbledon champion Sharapova made a fashion statement of her own. She came on court wearing shorts and a specially designed white tuxedo-style top.

“I’m very inspired by menswear this year,” Sharapova said. “Every year at Wimbledon I want to do something classy. I’ve never worn shorts before at a Grand Slam and Wimbledon is the place to do it.”

She advanced 6-1, 6-4 over 105th-ranked French qualifier Stephanie Foretz.

“It was great to get out there and get a feel for the court,” the third-seeded Sharapova said. “It was my first match on grass this year and I did pretty well considering.”

Davenport, the 1999 champion competing in her 13th Wimbledon at age 32, overcame a leg injury to beat Renata Voracova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Davenport missed the tournament last year after giving birth to a son in June 2007.

Davenport, who squandered a match point in the 10th game of the second set, took an injury timeout before the third. A trainer strapped her right leg from mid-calf to thigh. Davenport limped through the third set, going for big shots, and managed to win. After match point, she looked to the sky and limped off the court with no smile.

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Davydenko may have inadvertently sparked trouble

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -Nikolay Davydenko suspects he inadvertently became ensnared in a betting scandal by talking too loudly to his wife during a tournament in Poland last year.

Davydenko spoke at length about the ongoing match-fixing investigation after his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Benjamin Becker on Tuesday - the fifth time in seven years he has lost in the first round at Wimbledon.

Davydenko, seeded fourth, said he had done nothing wrong in Poland and was confident he would be cleared in the ATP investigation.

Betfair, an online bookmaker, voided all bets on a match between Davydenko and Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello in Sopot on Aug. 2 after the Russian player retired, citing a foot injury in the third set.

The betting agency said it received about $7 million in wagers on the match, 10 times the usual amount for a similar-level match. Most of the money was on the 87th-ranked Arguello, even after he lost the first set.

Asked for a possible explanation Tuesday, Davydenko said it was a small tournament, with lots of Russian spectators and that some of them might have overheard him talking to his entourage in the stands.

"Everything was going on. I spoke in the center court with my wife ... (in) Russian,'' he said. "Maybe it's possible, if I can say something, 'I don't want to play or I can retire.' ... some people can understand.

"It may be my mistake because I need to be quiet, I need to be concentrating, I need to do only my job. Not to do something, talking with anyone or something like this in the stadium.''

That sort of inside information could have sparked the flood of telephone or internet betting.

But the 27-year-old Russian shrugged off concerns for the outcome of the investigation, saying he's denied any involvement in illegal betting for a year, the investigators have no proof of any wrongdoing and "what's happening is happening.''

"I try to defend me how possible,'' he said. "I don't know how long I can defend me more. Maybe (until) the end of my career.''

Davydenko insisted he had given investigators appointed by the ATP all the information they had asked for, including his and his wife's phone records, except for some of his brother's phone records that were not available.

He said he was comfortable about continuing to play, despite the investigation, but it had been a "bad dream.''

"But not one day, (a) few months,'' he said.

Davydenko said he does not believe there is a match-fixing problem in the sport. He said he supports bans up to three years for anyone found guilty of serious corruption.

Leading betting agencies last year presented world tennis authorities with a dossier of matches involving irregular gambling patterns over the last five years. Of those, 45 are under investigation, including eight at Wimbledon.

The Association of Tennis Professionals, which runs men's tennis, this week formally approved a list of 15 recommendations from an independent review panel announced last month to combat potential for corruption.

The All England Club, which runs Wimbledon, is already implementing tougher restrictions on access to player locker rooms - allowing only the player and a coach to enter - during the tournament.

Five of the eight players who lost those Wimbledon matches were in this year's draw, which contains 18 players involved in the 45 matches under investigation.

Among the recommendations, players will be required to report any suspicious contact from gambling syndicates within 48 hours of being approached. Sanctions range up to life bans for players found guilty of match fixing.

Players and their families and entourages could also be banned from betting on matches.

Five players, all Italians, have been fined and suspended for betting on tennis.

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Sharapova dons tuxedo top for first round

LONDON - First, there was Roger Federer’s cardigan and Serena Williams’ trench coat. Now, Maria Sharapova has set her own fashion trend at Wimbledon — a tuxedo.

“I love men’s wear in general,” Sharapova said Tuesday after beating French qualifier Stephanie Foretz 6-1, 6-4 in the first round. “I love tuxedo jackets.”

The 2004 champion played the match in a sleeveless top with a tuxedo-style bib front. She strode onto Court One sporting a single-breasted jacket with gold stitching on the collar lapel and front edge, which she hung on her chair.

Sharapova also wore shorts — the first time the 6-foot-2 player has done so in a Grand Slam tournament. But not just any old shorts: ones worn low on the hip with a wide-tailored waistband, pin stripe-effect and gold-stitched buttons.

“It’s hard to do things different with white,” Sharapova said, referring to Wimbledon’s strict dress code. “I thought ’why not do shorts this year?’ I’ve never done it at a Grand Slam. You know, if there’s one place to do it, it’s here.”

Sharapova didn’t wear the other half of her tailored, tuxedo-inspired warmup suit — wide-legged pants.

“I love things that are actually a bit baggier and wide,” she said. “I loved it when that whole wide-legged pant trend set in. I’m tall and I can pull those things off.”

If Serena Williams can wear a short rain coat on court when there is not a cloud in sight, as she did on Monday, why shouldn’t Sharapova wear men’s clothes? Even if Williams described hers as “ladylike.”

The 21-year-old Russian’s outfit was inspired by “London’s history in bespoke tailoring,” according to her clothing sponsor. It may have been inspired by a man’s suit, but she made the seamless, lightweight vest look feminine. Perhaps the $5,000 Tiffany diamond and platinum dangly earrings helped.

While Federer played up to Wimbledon’s old-style traditions by donning a herringbone-patterned cardigan on Monday, Sharapova’s take on the classic tuxedo caused more of a stir.

Her post-match news conference was dominated by questions about her outfit, to the extent that she remarked it was “amazing.”

She thought Federer’s gold-trim cardigan was “classic and beautiful.” And Serena’s raincoat? “I didn’t see it,” Sharapova said.

What does she think of all the attention being paid to players’ clothes?

“I think it’s great,” she said. “I mean, look, tennis is not a a sport where you have to wear uniforms. It’s an individual sport. I’ve loved fashion since I was very young. ... I loved working with thread and needles, making things on my own.”

getCSS("3053751")  WimbledonJune 23-July 6Women: Venus opens title defense with winAustin: Wimbledon so very special for Venus  Sharapova dons tuxedo top for first roundMen: Roddick struggles but wins openerAustin: Serena's top form missing in openerAustin: Venus, Serena and Maria rate edgeCollins: Nadal will be new Wimbledon wonder  Mad Dog: Pressure is on FedererVotes: Men's winner?  |  Women's champ?  Sound off on tennis message boardsSharapova also revealed that because of retail demands she already knows what she’s wearing in fall 2009. But when asked what she will wear next year at Wimbledon, she laughed.

“Oh, goodness,” she said. “I still haven’t finished the tournament. We’ve got a lot in store.”

One player who isn’t particularly interested in all the fashion talk is Andy Roddick, the two-time men’s runner-up.

“I personally don’t care,” he said.

If attention is drawn to tennis for whatever reason, that’s fine, Roddick said. If that means Federer’s cardigan, “then so be it.”

“I don’t know if it would be a good look for me,” he said. “Or any of my friends. Or relatives.”

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getCSS("3315906")Tracy AustinWIMBLEDON, England - Serena Williams had some difficulty in her opening match at Wimbledon but not to the degree where she was sent packing from the major she last won in 2003.

When she left the All-England Club after beating unranked Estonian Kaia Kanepi, 7-5, 6-3, Serena had to be happy that despite arriving here without having played on a grass court this year she didn’t litter the lawn with a lack of execution or effort that would have made her vulnerable to a stunning upset.

Serena worked through her difficultly, fending off five break points in the first set against Kanepi, who was a quarterfinalist at the French Open earlier this year. Kanepi would double fault on set point and Serena took charge in the second set putting to rest any thought she would follow her shocking third-round, straight-set loss to Katarina Srebotnik at the French Open with a Day-1 exit from Wimbledon.

Serena is always most vulnerable in the first week of a major but there’s no reason that she isn’t capable of winning this Wimbledon, which I see as a wide open following the retirement earlier this year of Justine Henin. The key for the sixth-seeded Serena as it is for her sister -- seventh-seeded Venus -- is to come through the first few rounds. It seems that once they do that either one could get on a championship roll.

Kanepi was a very tough first-round opponent but Serena may find that helpful to her title chances as she got in a good grass court test right off the bat with the Estonian hitting the ball really hard and deep off the ground. It could very well to Serena’s benefit that she was pushed by Kanepi. Psychologically, Serena needed to be tested and to draw confidence from successfully dealing with a challenge on a surface she likes a lot but plays little on. Getting this win under her belt should fuel her as the fortnight rolls on.

Not playing any tournaments on grass courts prior to Wimbledon is not something new for Serena or Venus. They followed that plan before. This is certainly a far different approach to the grass season than in my days of playing. I played Wimbledon six times in my career -- reaching the semifinals in 1979 and ’80 -- and I remember clearly that virtually all the top players played the tune-up tournaments such as Birmingham and Eastbourne.

It never even seemed an option to go back to the United States between the French Open and Wimbledon. Maybe that was because in that era players didn’t make as much money as they do nowadays and so it didn’t seem to make much sense financially to go back home for just a couple of weeks.

This year it wasn’t only Serena and Venus going back to the United States after the French Open but Maria Sharapova did the same. Sharapova usually plays Birmingham, but with this being an Olympic year there is going to be extra travel on her schedule and she felt that time to rest and work on the hard courts was a more advisable plan than playing on the grass courts prior to Wimbledon.

Looking at how Serena’s match went against Kanepi it’s clear that to survive better opponents the American will have to improve her first serve percentage from 56 percent. As the matches get tougher, Serena will need to be finding a first-serve percentage range of at least 65 percent or she could be in big trouble.

What was impressive and an aid to her cause is how Serena mixed up where she placed her serves very well -- which is a strategy that keeps opponents off-balance. She seemed to be comfortable serving out wide or down the T well, but she wasn’t particularly successful when she attempted to serve into Kanepi’s body.

Serena could come in more often than she did against Kanepi but encouraging for her is that when she did decide to venture forward, she was fairly successful, winning seven of nine points at the net.

Serena’s statistics showed that she made more total winners (22) than unforced errors at (11) and needs to keep it that way. But, most importantly, was the way she responded to a tough first encounter on grass. It was no secret that Kanepi was capable of giving Serena trouble but the American handled it well – just like you would expect from an eight-time major champion.

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Serena’s success right out of the gate here was imperative considering the sloppy, surprising loss to Srebotnik at Roland Garros. Serena went into the French Open very well prepared and had won three titles already this year at Bangalore, Miami and Charleston. What happened to her in Paris truly shocked me. She’s out to make up for it at Wimbledon.

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IMMELMAN WITHDRAWS DUE TO ILLNESS
Serena starts slow before powering into 2nd

Reynolds salvages a win for Americans

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -When Bobby Reynolds started his first-round match at Wimbledon, U.S. men were 0-4 on Day 1.

The pressure was on. Vince Spadea, Sam Querrey, Robby Ginepri and Kevin Kim had all lost.

"This first day was just a bunch of tough draws for the guys,'' said Reynolds, who won the first two sets 6-2, 6-2 before Italy's Filippo Volandri retired with left knee pain. "I guess I'm happy that I won, but obviously, you'd like to see all the Americans do well everyday.''

Kim missed a chance to play five-time champion Roger Federer in the second round when he went down 7-5, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Robin Soderling.

Spadea was up a set and a break in the fourth before things started to go wrong and he lost 6-7 (8), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden.

"At 4-3, I'm two games away from winning. It's just not a good day for me,'' he said. "I didn't put it away. I don't usually let matches like that slip away, but I did today. On grass, you have to learn how to put it away and it should be easier, but for me it's harder.''

Spadea, who will be 34 next month, said he wanted to prolong his career, even if other people seemed to be saying it's almost time for retirement.

"This sport has a little bit of a scarlet letter when it comes to age. People start putting it on you and you become a little paranoid and conscious of it.

"Tennis is a demanding sport so it's not easy to play into your 30s and 40s, but other athletes overcome the age barrier. I've seen football players, basketball players, baseball players come into their 30s and 40s and do great things.''

Querrey won the opening set against former No. 1-ranked Juan Carlos Ferrero, but went downhill after that and was broken once in each set.

"He's a good player, used to be No. 1 in the world and has won a Grand Slam, so it wasn't too bad,'' he said. "I had some break points that I didn't convert. I'm disappointed, but the guy is (No.) 20 in the world.''

Ginepri lost 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 to 2007 Australian Open finalist Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.

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HEWITT THROUGH: Lleyton Hewitt was one set from leaving Roger Federer as the only Wimbledon champion in the men's draw on the first day of matches at the All England Club.

Hewitt, who has been sidelined with chronic hip pain in recent seasons, needed to draw on all his survival skills to fend off 21-year-old Dutch player Robin Haase 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2 in 3 hours, 35 minutes on Court 1.

The 27-year-old Australian was the last man to win Wimbledon before Federer's five-year streak started in 2003.

At least he made it to the second round. David Nalbandian, who lost the 2002 final to Hewitt, went out in straight sets to Canada's Frank Dancevic.

Hewitt was cautioned by chair umpire Fergus Murphy for unsportsmanlike conduct after complaining that a line judge was singling him out for foot-faults. He'd earlier smashed his racket to the ground after saving two break points in the first set.

Hewitt said he will dispute the charge.

"I'm not sure how many got called in the end,'' Hewitt said of the foot-faults that bothered him. "For some reason there's only one person that kept calling.

"We played two-and-a-half sets without that one person when they changed people, and then the same bloke came back again and I got done again.''

Haase kept the 20th-seeded Hewitt moving from side-to-side with some powerful ground strokes and had him on the back foot with 28 aces.

Hewitt said he became confident when the match went into a fifth set, an advantage set at the Grand Slam tournaments. And he brought back some uppercut fist pumps and 'C'mon' screams that were his trademark when he topped the rankings in 2001.

He said would ice the hip and expected it to be OK for his second-round match against Albert Montanes of Spain. He could meet Federer in the fourth round.

"I put up with it. This is Wimbledon, one of my favorite tournaments of the year,'' Hewitt said. "If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be playing.''

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STAY HOME: British police have warned 11 potential stalkers or troublemakers to stay away from Wimbledon during the two-week tournament.

Police at the All England Club didn't say which players were at risk from the "fixated individuals.''

"There are a number of individuals well known to the police, the All England Club and the tennis authorities,'' police superintendent Pete Dobson said Monday. "They have been written to and banned from entering the club.''

A member of one player's family has been issued with a restraining order barring him from Wimbledon during the next two weeks. The police did not identify the family.

A man believed to have been stalking 2004 champion Maria Sharapova was banned from the tournament in 2005.

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ODDS & ENDS: - British bookmakers are slashing the odds on a rain-free Wimbledon, saying there's two weeks of "fantastic'' weather on the cards.

William Hill cut its odds from 8-to-1 to 3-to-1 after seeing the forecast.

Only five tournaments have been rain free: 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993 and 1995.

The last time play had to be scheduled on the middle Sunday - the traditional rest day - was in 2004, though it was only narrowly avoided last year.

Bad weather has forced the tournament into a third week 17 times, but not since 2001.

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PRICE HIKES: The credit crunch is hitting fans wanting to sample the traditional fare at Wimbledon, with the price rising for the first time in five years for strawberries and cream.

A basket of strawberries served with fresh cream is selling for $4.50, up 50 cents on last year's price. The previous rise was 10 cents in 2003.

The tournament says for freshness, the grade one English strawberries are picked in nearby Kent shortly before dawn the day before they're sold at the All England Club.

The healthy option is still relatively cheap. A small serving of ice cream was selling for $6 and a medium was going for $9. A luxury cushion, on sale in between the Centre Court and Court 1, will set spectators back $30.

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