BRIT CHRIS EATON

Last month, Chris Eaton, Britain's newest tennis hero, was making long-distance journeys across Uzbekistan in a taxi to travel to his latest tournament on the no-frills Futures Circuit.

"There's no glamour. There's nothing. There's no atmosphere," said the 20-year-old.

But it was all a little different for the world number 661 on Tuesday.

With a throng of 40,000 spectators - some in wacky hats, some drinking champagne, some even watching tennis - Wimbledon cannot be accused of lacking in ambiance.

And on Court Three on a balmy evening, Eaton experienced the spine-tingling aura of the world's greatest tennis tournament for the first time in his career, and added a bit of sparkle to the event himself.

Hundreds had gathered around the court to watch the qualifier from Surrey; the stand was full to capacity and they queued to get into the walkway.

As the players entered the court not everyone could confidently identify which one was the Brit.

But after he despatched Serbia's Boris Pashanski with such panache, winning 6-3 7-6 6-4 and landing 26 aces, children gathered excitedly around him to get his autograph. A little recognition at last.

Indeed, the big-serving right-hander, the lowest-ranked player in the men's draw, made such an impression that everyone is wondering why he has not made an impact before now.

During his teenage years, Eaton was compared with Tim Henman, a fellow former student of Reed's School in Surrey.

Eaton may lack the former British number one's all-round game but he has a serve that would be the envy of the perennial Wimbledon semi-finalist, winning 74% of the points when his first serve landed against Pashanski.

Eaton, who was also a talented cricketer, started playing tennis aged six and, as a junior, was once ranked second in Britain.

Adrian Blackman, head of tennis at Reed's, remembers a straight-A student who took to the game a little later than the other pupils.

"He was always a big boy and very strong," Blackman, who used to play doubles with Henman, told BBC Sport.

"He was a late developer, had a great work ethic and by the time he was 16 he felt he was going to be a professional.

"His victory against Pashanski will be a massive boost and he can go on and beat a lot of players. His serve is his real weapon."

At a time when Britain's young tennis stars are being accused of being mollycoddled, Eaton, who had to beat six opponents just to make the main draw at Wimbledon, has shown a dogged determination to succeed.

He lives with his parents, Mike and Sue, in the village of East Horsley near Guilford, and drives a Vauxhall Astra with duct tape on one mirror.

His career earnings so far total £13,500, which will be eclipsed by the minimum of £17,000 - a fee which Eaton admits will help "fund his life" - he will receive for reaching the second round at Wimbledon.

Not that life will change all that much for the Englishman. He strung his own rackets ahead of the match against Pashanski and will continue to do so.

"We have a stringing machine at the National Tennis Centre. I always string my racquets there," he said.

"I know exactly how the racquet's going to come out. I thought I may as well do it myself, then I know exactly what I'm getting.

"For the next tournament I play, I'll just try to do exactly the same thing I'm doing here - focusing, working hard in the gym, working hard on the court. Hopefully it will continue."

Before he contemplates his next tournament, however, Eaton will face 25th seed Dmitry Tursunov, who beat Henman in five sets at Wimbledon in 2005.

Eaton will be third on Court One on Thursday and should he beat the Russian then a certain hill at SW19 might need renaming.

SECOND WEEK SKED

CHRIS EVERT AND GREG NORMAN WED

Ex-golfer Greg Norman and tennis legend Chris Evert were married on Saturday in a seaside ceremony held under a veil of tight security on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force and local security staff kept reporters, photographers and television crews from straying beyond checkpoints set up well around the perimeter of the One & Only Ocean Club resort where the celebrity couple tied the knot at sunset.

But People magazine said Evert and Norman, both 53, exchanged vows in front of 140 family and friends, including U.S. television personality Matt Lauer and singer-songwriter Corey Hart.

Evert's youngest son Colton, 12, served as ring bearer, and sons Nicky, 14, and Alex, 16, walked her down the aisle. Also present were Norman's daughter Morgan, 23, and son Gregory Jr., 21, who served as best man, the magazine said.

Media reports have said the couple, who arrived in the Bahamas on Norman's private jet on Thursday, shelled out up to $2 million for their lavish weekend nuptials.

Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, divorced former husband Andy Mill, a World Cup and Olympic skier from Colorado, last December after 18 years of marriage.

Norman reached a divorce settlement with his wife of 26 years, Laura Andrassy, in September. The Australian won the British Open in 1986 and 1993.

COLD STEEL

So why does everyone hate Maria?

Even among tennis fans as a whole, it's been clear for some time that Sharapova is not a beloved champion. There's a lot of interest in her, but not a lot of affection. She was booed off the court by the finicky French fans after losing to Dinara Safina at the French Open. It inspired an interesting discussion in the IHT's pre-Wimbledon forum, and the range of possibilities given was wide -- her entourage, her grunting, her uninspiring game, her toughness on court, her looks.

The thing is, what's she to do? Sharapova isn't by nature warm or sweet, nor is she pleasantly dumb, either of which would make her less threatening. She's sharp and assertive, presenting a steely edge to the world .

Sharapova Inc. The Tiffany's earrings, the talking point dresses, the endorsements, the money, the attention ... Sharapova's commercial success would make it tough for her to be one of the girls even if she wanted to be, but she shows no sign that she does.

It's not too surprising that Sharapova's level of comfort around fellow players isn't great, given some unfriendly experiences at Bollettieri's and the silent resentment that greets any attractive young player on tour who receives a lot of hype.saying hello business is clearly a big deal in the locker room, with Anna Kournikova (the original unloved Russian) and the Williams sisters all infamous for a tendency not to greet players. Ahead of the French Open, Alize Cornet listed Anna Chakvetadze as her least liked player -- Chakvetadze's failure to say hello factoring heavily in the explanation.

GIVE US TENNIS

 

 

DEAR ESPN,

Up at 6, dispatched coffee and cryptic.

Tuned in and settled in to watch Big W tennis.

NOT!!!

7am - talking heads

7:15 - talking heads

7:30 - talking heads

8am - more ........

Except for a few minutes of women's tennis [Dellacqua vs Vaidasova which was, as usual, hit-miss or mis-hit or miss-hits].

Druther have the talking heads.

Please!

Give us tennis!

Your obedient servant,

Grumpy

SHARAPOVA, RODDICK, BLAKE - ALL GONE

Andy Roddick and James Blake both suffered early exits at the hands of unseeded opponents, leaving unheralded Bobby Reynolds as the lone American remaining in the men's draw.

For all the accolades his serve usually receives, Roddick's failure to break Janko Tipsarevic cost him dearly in a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4) loss to the 40th-ranked Serbian, who has never gone past the fourth round at a major.

The ninth-seeded Blake's woes in five-set matches continued as he fell to Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-7 (8), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in their second-round match.

Blake made 37 unforcred errors to Schuettler's 28 and lost for the 11th time in 14 career five-set matches.

Second-ranked Rafael Nadal fared better, advancing to the third round with a 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over Ernests Gulbis.

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.

DJOKOVIC, C'EST FIN

 

Marat Safin's resurrection has claimed his first major upset -- Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.

No doubt Roger enjoyed the match!

DAMN RACQUET!

Fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko has been ousted in first round of Wimbledon for the fifth time.

Davydenko lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Germany’s Benjamin Becker on Tuesday, extending his woeful run on grass at the All England Club.

The 27-year-old Russian has advanced past the first round at Wimbledon only twice in seven trips, including a fourth-round exit last year.

FED ADVANCES

The great Roger Federer extended his amazing grass-court winning streak to 60 matches with an easy opening-round victory Monday at Wimbledon 2008. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic also moved into the second round at the storied All England Club.

The reigning five-time champion here pasted Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 amid sun-drenched conditions on the famed Centre Court.

Federer rolled with the help of 10 aces and five service breaks, while a rusty 30-year-old Hrbaty was unable to break Federer on the Swiss' preferred surface. The former top-20 performer Hrbaty was appearing in only his fourth ATP-level tournament this year.

The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is now riding a 35-match winning streak at Wimbledon, where Bjorn Borg holds the record by nailing down 41 straight victories here before losing to John McEnroe in the 1981 men's finale.

Up next for Federer will be dangerous Swede Robin Soderling.

DANCEVIC BEATS NALBANDIAN

Canada's Frank Dancevic upset seventh-seeded David Nalbandian in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday.

Dancevic, who was broken just once in the match, cruised over the Argentine in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in just one hour and 36 minutes. It is the earliest exit for Nalbandian, who reached the final in 2002.

The Niagara Falls, Ontario native used his first serve and net presence to frustrate Nalbandian throughout the match.

Dancevic made good on 64% of his first serves which translated into winners on 76% of those points. He also broke Nalbandian on five occasions.

And he forced the action at the net, winning 71% of those points.

TENNIS LOVE

It was love-all for Jamie Murray and Jelena Jankovic last year as the Scot and the Serb flirted their way to the mixed doubles title. Like giggly teenagers, they held hands, made suggestive comments and had such on-court chemistry that onlookers suspected that they were witnessing the start of a beautiful relationship.

Jankovic even announced that she had bribed Murray with “many kisses” if he made a good return, saying that she was trying “to pump him up a little”. It clearly worked.

Off court, however, love did not blossom in the way that everyone hoped and they will not be reuniting this year because Jankovic wants to concentrate on her singles. But tennis loves a good romance, as the following examples show.

Five that didn’t last

Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors

It was the summer of love for Wimbledon in 1974, when Connors and Evert, who were engaged, won the singles titles, but they split by the year’s end.

Evert and John Lloyd

Five years after breaking up with Connors, Evert married Lloyd. They divorced in 1987.

Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters

The Australian started dating the Belgian after they met at the 2000 Australian Open. Engaged in 2003, they split a year later.

Martina Hingis and Radek Stepanek

Hingis had previously dated Magnus Norman, Ivo Heuberger and Justin Gimelstob before getting engaged to Stepanek in 2006, breaking up nine months later. When asked why she dated only tennis players, she snapped: “Who else am I going to meet? A journalist?”

Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova Regularly seen together but denied that they were more than friends, although Sharapova practised with the American at the 2006 US Open, wearing a T-shirt saying: “Love is in the air”.

And three that succeeded

Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf

Agassi and Graf danced together at the champions party after the French Open in 1999. They were married in 2001 and have two children.

Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec

Vavrinec was a former tour player who reached No 76 in the world. She retired in 2002 to become Federer’s manager, having become his girlfriend in 2000.

Stepanek and Nicole Vaidisova

There must be something special about Stepanek because he is now seeing Vaidisova, 19, ranked No 18.

FED vs DJOKER and NADAL vs RODDICK

Roger Federer could face No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals as he bids for a sixth straight Wimbledon title.

Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, was drawn into Federer's half of the bracket Friday for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament opening Monday.

Earlier this week, Djokovic said he thinks Federer is vulnerable after his lopsided loss in the French Open final -- and that he is one of several players who could end the Swiss star's five-year reign at Wimbledon. 

Second-ranked Rafael Nadal, who routed Federer in Paris but lost to him in the past two Wimbledon finals, is in the other half of the draw. He could face two-time runner-up Andy Roddick in the semifinals.

Federer, who has won 59 straight matches on grass, will open play on Centre Court on Monday against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia. Hrbaty, who reached a world ranking of No. 12 in 2004, has dropped to No. 272.

Federer could play French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils in the third round and either 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt or Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth. His projected quarterfinal opponent is Spain's fifth-seeded David Ferrer.

Nadal, coming off his fourth straight French Open victory and first grass-court title at Queen's Club, will open against German qualifier Andreas Beck. Nadal could face Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals and either No. 4 Nikolay Davydekno or No. 8 Roddick in the semis.

Djokovic, who lost to Nadal in the Queen's final, has a first-round match against Michael Berrer of Germany and could face a tough second-round matchup with Russia's Marat Safin, a former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam winner. Djokovic could meet David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals before a potential showdown with Federer.

MYOPIC HAWKEYE?

The Hawk-Eye line-calling system used at Wimbledon may not be quite as accurate as people think.

At Wimbledon, Hawk-Eye has 10 cameras positioned around the courts. The technology reconstructs the ball's most likely path by combining its trajectory using images from the cameras. Hawk-Eye does not reproduce what actually happened, but what was statistically most likely to have happened.

The technology has divided players. While Roger Federer dismissed Hawk-Eye as "nonsense'' after its introduction at the Australian Open last year, Andy Roddick is an avowed fan.

Former Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport said she has confidence in Hawk-Eye and believes it is accurate.

During last year's Wimbledon final, a series of Hawk-Eye challenges from Rafael Nadal infuriated Federer. The Swiss thought he had won the third set when a line call challenge from Nadal reversed the decision.

On Hawk-Eye's Web site, an analysis of the disputed call states that it was "likely'' that the ball was in by 1 millimeter (0.04 inches). Federer ultimately won the championship, but not before complaining to the chair umpire that the electronic system was "killing'' him.

Paul Hawkins, managing director of Hawk-Eye technology, says the line-calling system has gone through more than 1,000 tests. "We've gotten every single one of the tests correct,'' he said.

Hawkins said that Hawk-Eye's margin of error averaged about 3.6 millimeters (0.14 inches) and that the system was around 99.9 percent accurate.

Aside from Wimbledon, Hawk-Eye is also used at the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. The system is also used for line calls in cricket.

WIMBLEDON DRAW

The draw for the 2008 Wimbledon Championships will take place from 5am EDTon Friday 20 June.

HE ONLY NEEDS A CAPE

TURSUNOV DEFAULTED

Russian Dmitry Tursunov has been kicked out of the Nottingham Open grass-court tournament after storming off court in a doubles match.

The ATP confirmed on Wednesday that sixth seed Tursunov had been withdrawn from his scheduled second-round singles match against Swede Thomas Johansson.

Tursunov was defaulted from the doubles on Tuesday when he and South African partner Chris Haggard were trailing 6-4 3-1 to Italian pairing Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi.

The Russian had disputed a line call and then walked off court, breaking ATP rules which state no player can leave the court without the consent of the umpire.

"The ATP rulebook states that at the discretion of the supervisor, one or both players may be withdrawn from all other events, if any, in that tournament," an ATP statement said.

"After reviewing the situation the ATP supervisor has withdrawn Dmitry Tursunov from the singles tournament."

Johansson will receive a walkover into the quarter-finals while Tursunov, who is the 25th seed at next week's Wimbledon, will lose his prize money and can expect a fine of up to $5,000.

MEN'S SEEDS

1. Roger FEDERER (SUI)

2. Rafael NADAL (ESP)

3. Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)

4. Nikolay DAVYDENKO (RUS)

5. David FERRER (ESP)

6. Andy RODDICK (USA)

7. David NALBANDIAN (ARG)

8. Richard GASQUET (FRA)

9. James BLAKE (USA)

10. Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP)

11. Tomas BERDYCH (CZE)

12. Andy MURRAY (GBR)

13. Stanislas WAWRINKA (SUI)

14. Paul-Henri MATHIEU (FRA)

15. Fernando GONZALEZ (CHI)

16. Radek STEPANEK (CZE)

17. Mikhail YOUZHNY (RUS)

18. Ivo KARLOVIC (CRO)

19. Nicolas ALMAGRO (ESP)

20. Lleyton HEWITT (AUS)

21. Juan Carlos FERRERO (ESP)

22. Fernando VERDASCO (ESP)

23. Tommy ROBREDO (ESP)

24. Jarkko NIEMINEN (FIN)

25. Dmitry TURSUNOV (RUS)

26. Ivan LJUBICIC (CRO)

27. Nicolas KIEFER (GER)

28. Gilles SIMON (FRA)

29. Andreas SEPPI (ITA)

30. Gael MONFILS (FRA)

31. Feliciano LOPEZ (ESP)

32. Michael LLODRA (FRA)

YEAR-END MASTERS CUP MOVED

The ATP's season-ending championship will relocate from Shanghai to London next year in a five-year deal.

The last Tennis Masters Cup, featuring the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams, will be held in Shanghai from Nov. 9-16. It will become the ATP World Tour Finals when it moves back to Europe with about $7 million per year in sponsorship from British bank Barclays.

The 2009 edition will be in London's O2 Arena.

The season-ending championship has been played on five continents with various names and formats since 1970. It's been located in Shanghai since 2005.

FED FIT?

Roger Federer is human after all. When the Swiss lost in the French Open final to Rafael Nadal in 2007 and 2006 there was little speculation that this heralded a sea change in men’s tennis.

But his 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 defeat to Nadal at Roland Garros, combined with the evidence of his form this year, many view Roger as vulnerable.

Of course clay and grass are two very different surfaces.

For most, reaching les finaux de Roland Garros and winning Halle would auger well, but question marks remain over his health.

His early-year problems have been put down to a short and mild bout of mononucleosis, the strength-sapping virus that is very seldom as mild as Federer appears to have had it.

My daughter, Leigh, had mono while playing for University of Kentucky, and pretty well lost a year of tennis.

Ancic, too, lost a year to mono.

Federer says it was over by the time he realised he’d been affected by it, and at the French Open was adamant it was in the past. “It’s over, something I want to forget now,” he said. “I started feeling much better a month ago.”

Recovered?

Think me no!

The gentleman doth protest too much.

WIMBLEDON STARTS MONDAY ON TSN

WIMBLEDON PREAMBLE

 

Roger Federer was last beaten on the grass courts of the All England Club by Mario Ancic in the first round of 2002. Since then he has been undefeated here in 35 matches, winning 102 sets and losing just eight, and 671 games to 394.

That incredible run has taken Federer to the brink of history, he is just seven victories away from a record sixth consecutive title, one better than Borg.

After last year’s final would anyone have believed that in 2008 the challenge to Federer’s dominance would come on multiple fronts.

Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish , Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Radek Stepanek have all beaten the Swiss this year. The world No1, judged against his own high standards, has had a disappointing year with a solitary tournament win.

Of the challengers, Nadal and Djokovic, the world numbers two and three respectively, will be considered the greatest challengers.

Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, has beaten Federer twice in the past 12 months and is the world’s form player. Nadal thrives on his rivalry with Federer, he has closed that gap between them on grass, he must feel — especially given the nature of his victory in the French Open — that he can reel him in.

ANA IVANOVIC NO. 1

Ana Ivanovic is assured of becoming the 17th woman -- and first from Serbia -- to be ranked No. 1, regardless of how she fares in the French Open final.

She will move up from No. 2 when the WTA Tour's new rankings are issued Monday, replacing Maria Sharapova in the top spot.

Ivanovic and two other women, No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, all had a chance to take over at No. 1 after Sharapova lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros.

But Ivanovic beat Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals Thursday, while Kuznetsova lost to Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2.

The 20-year-old Ivanovic, who will play Safina in the final Saturday, said she wasn't aware she had clinched the No. 1 ranking by beating Jankovic until after the match.

SHOOT-OUT AT THE OLD CLAY CORRAL

 

As the points piled up and the light faded, it was tough to decide which scenario had seemed less likely at the outset of the French Open semifinals Friday:

That Rafael Nadal would be so dominant during a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (3) victory over Novak Djokovic, a man who is, after all, ranked No. 3 and a Grand Slam champion?

Or that Roger Federer would run into so much trouble before winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 against Gael Monfils, a man who is, after all, ranked 59th and a major semifinalist for the first time?

Then again, by the end of the day, Roland Garros once more produced the likeliest of all championship matches: No. 1 Federer vs. No. 2 Nadal.

The showdown Sunday is their third consecutive French Open final, their fifth Grand Slam final overall, and plenty is on the line.

Nadal can become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win the tournament four years in a row. Federer can add the lone major trophy missing from his collection, thereby making him the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam and increasing his total haul to 13 majors, one shy of Pete Sampras' record.

Federer is 6-10 overall against Nadal, including 1-8 on clay and 0-3 at the French Open, where they also met in the 2005 semifinals.

Nadal hasn't lost at Roland Garros. Ever. He improved to 27-0 by beating Djokovic, who won the Australian Open in January and would have overtaken Nadal in the rankings by beating him.

But by the sixth game, Djokovic's cheeks were flush from exertion and he was gasping for air. Nadal make him look like a first-round opponent who had come through qualifying.

Nadal does his finest work along the baseline, and the longer the point, the better, as far as he's concerned. Against Djokovic, he won 32 of the 48 points that lasted at least 10 strokes.

QUARTER-FINAL MATCH-UPS

ROGER INTO QUARTERS

  World number one Roger Federer shot down a brave challenge from Frenchman Julien Benneteau to go through to the quarter-finals of the French Open with a 6-4 7-5 7-5 victory on Monday.

Benneteau, one of five Frenchmen to reach the last 16, fought tooth and nail for stretches with the top seed and broke the Swiss serve in all three sets, but Federer marched on after two hours and 26 rain-interrupted minutes on Centre Court.

Federer reached his fourth consecutive Paris quarter-final when he smashed home an overhead on his third match point.

The Swiss, seeking a first Roland Garros crown to complete his grand slam collection, now faces Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in the last eight.

2nd WEEK SKED ON TSN