Wimbledon 98: Court circular
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Your support makes all the difference.A GLANCE through the archives is all it takes to confirm that phrases such as "excellent weather", "ideal weather but rather hot" and "brilliant sunshine" to describe the conditions over the fortnight are all but a thing of the past. Only twice in the last 20 years has there been no rain at all during the Championships.
With these statistics in mind, maybe Lindsay Davenport's warm-up strategy for Wimbledon didn't quite cover all the bases. "Every year I go back and forth about whether I should play a warm-up tournament or not but this year a friend of mine told me she was practising on a grass court five minutes from where I live in Newport Beach, California. She invited me to use it which meant that I was able to practice on grass for two weeks without any bad weather," explains the American.
Although Davenport feels that technically she is well prepared for Wimbledon, surely it's only taking part in the European tournaments that can really prepare a player for "The Big One". Not only do they provide competitive grass court practice but they are also kind enough to lay on the torrential rain that gets a player used to sprinting in and out of the locker-room when the inevitable drops begin to fall in SW19.
Rafter offers advice to Henman hordes
WITH TIM Henman's four-set victory over Byron Black taking him safely through to the last 16, his opponent, Australian heart-throb Pat Rafter felt it was time to give the home fans a few pointers on how best to support their man.
"Sometimes a crowd can put a lot of pressure on you," says Rafter who found out all there is to know about pressure, expectation and adulation at the Australian Open in January.
"Sometimes when you're down and they say "Come on, Tim" [in the manner of a whiny child on Neighbours] and you're like "I'm trying!" [in the manner of a pouting adolescent on Neighbours], "I know how that feels," he says. "They want you to win so badly, but it's just the way they say it. If they say it with a bit more sprite in it, it makes it a bit more fun to play."
Rafter doesn't share his thoughts about how flag-waving might affect our Timmy, but no doubt he would agree that cheering his opponent's unforced errors is a definite no-no. Oh, and if you're a Henman fan and he's making a bit of a meal of the match, don't tell him to hurry up because you're missing the football.
Jane Marlow
Monica Seles and Sandrine Testud play on despite the smoke billowing from Saturday's fire in a flat owned by former Davis Cup captain Warren Jacques PA
DEEDS OF THE SEEDS
1 SAMPRAS
Starts today a set up against Enqvist in R3
Men's
singles
Holder:
Pete Sampras (United States)
OUT
2 RIOS
Defeat in five sets by Spain's Clavet
3 KORDA
Facing Dutch test of Van Lottum in R4
INJ
4 RUSEDSKI
Ankle injury forces him out in R1
OUT
5 MOYA
Beaten by Morocco's Arazi in R3
6 RAFTER
Faces Henman today on Centre Court in R4
OUT
7 KAFELNIKOV
Beaten in four sets in R1 by Philippoussis
OUT
8 PIOLINE
Lost five-set R1 marathon to Rosset
9 KRAJICEK
Restarts R3 match with Kiefer today
OUT
10 CORRETJA
Surprise R1 defeat by Gimelstob
OUT
11 BJORKMAN
Defeat by Siemerink in R3
12 HENMAN
Today facing a R4 battle against Rafter
OUT
13 AGASSI
Beaten by Germany's Haas in R3
OUT
15 KUCERA
Shocked by Belarus qualifier Voltchkov
14 IVANISEVIC
Meets Czech Vacek in third round today
16 MANTILLA
Meets French qualifier Grosjean in R3
Women's
singles
Holder:
Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
1 HINGIS
Likhovtseva latest victim in R3
2 DAVENPORT
Spain's Serna up next in R4 for Lindsay
3 NOVOTNA
Takes on Moriaru in R3 today
OUT
4 GRAF
Straight sets shocker by Zvereva in R3
5 SANCHEZ
Perennial bridesmaid into R4
6 SELES
Faces French test of Testud in R4
7 WILLIAMS
American faces Rubin today in R3
OUT
8 MARTINEZ
Shocked by Britain's Sam Smith in R3
OUT
9 COETZER
Defeat in R2 by Japan's Sawamatsu
10 SPIRLEA
Takes on South African De Beer in R3
OUT
11 PIERCE
Shock defeat in first round by Tartakova
INJ
12 KOURNIKOVA
Thumb injury forces her out before start
OUT
13 SCHNYDER
Beaten by Zimbabwe's Black in R2
14 TESTUD
Tough match next against Seles in R4
15 VAN ROOST
Faces Appelmans today in R3
16 TAUZIAT
Britain's Sam Smith is next in R4
CHAMPIONSHIP STATS
13 Number of games behind schedule after four days' rain.
17 The seeds of 32 who survived the first week.
305 Seating capacity on Court 19.
4 The weeks world No 1 Pete Sampras lost his top ranking to Marcelo Rios.
182 Number of ball-boys and girls used in the fortnight.
1.85 The price of 10 strawberries at Wimbledon.
68 degrees Fahrenheit the temperature of new balls.
LATEST ODDS
Men's singles (Fourth round): 1/2 P Rafter v T Henman 6/4; 1/2 M Philippoussis v J Stoltenberg 6/4; 5/6 M Larsson v T WoodbridgeJ Siemerink 5/6.
Champion: Men's: Evens Sampras; 6 Ivanisevic; 7 Krajicek; 12 Rafter; 14 Korda; 16 Philippoussis; 20 Henman; 25 bar. Women's: 4-5 Hingis; 9- 2 Seles; 7 Novotna, Venus Williams; 10 Davenport; 25 bar.
(Odds supplied by Ladbrokes)
TODAY'S WEATHER
Unsettled, with rain likely.
Maximum temperature 18C (64F)
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