UNITED KINGDOM: TENNIS - Fans flock to Wimbledon as players gear up for the third Grand Slam of the year
Record ID:
783893
UNITED KINGDOM: TENNIS - Fans flock to Wimbledon as players gear up for the third Grand Slam of the year
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: TENNIS - Fans flock to Wimbledon as players gear up for the third Grand Slam of the year
- Date: 22nd June 2009
- Summary: WIMBLEDON, LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 21, 2009) (REUTERS) SIGN READING "OVERNIGHT QUEUE STARTS HERE" THEN PAN TO TENTS LINED UP
- Embargoed: 7th July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA23QBOYET6KWIH2NNVSC9M8V3T
- Story Text: Enthusiastic tennis fans have been queueing for days to buy tickets for the start of the Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis tournament which starts on Monday (June 22).
Some arrived in South West London on Friday (June 19) evening and set up camp just to get the chance to buy some of the few tickets for Centre Court that are available for sale on the day of play.
Many were hoping to see world number one Rafael Nadal open his title defence on Monday but were left disappointed after the Spaniard withdrew on Friday with tendinitis in both knees.
"I was really desperate to see Nadal, because we missed the opportunity to see him last year. Unfortunately on the way down we heard he has pulled out of the tournament. So we figured, we are going to stay around, we are going to get Centre Court tickets, and we are going to see somebody good - Murray, Federer, it didn't really matter," said David from Ireland, who was first one to set up a tent at the front of the queue.
Ulrike from Germany has been coming to Wimbledon for 12 years and she told Reuters Television she is excited to see the new Centre Court roof.
"I'm looking forward to see roof on the Centre Court, I would also like to see very much the new number two court and I am quite pleased that Roger Federer is playing on the Centre Court tomorrow, I should be going there because I think he's a good player," she said on Sunday (June 21).
There will definitely be a few Chinese fans around this year as China will have two seeds for the first time at Wimbledon with last year's semi-finalist Zheng Jie and the in-form Li Na looking to impress at the event where they achieved their best grand slam results.
British fans will not only have their eyes on Andy Murray, 15-year-old Laura Robson will also be in the spotlight. Presented with a wildcard into the main draw thanks to her run to the junior title 12 months ago, bubbly Robson is poised to become the youngest girl to compete at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis made her presence felt in 1995 as a 14-year-old.
Last year Robson shunted Venus Williams off the front and back pages of British newspapers after winning the girls' title on the same day the American captured her fifth Rosewater Dish.
The 29-year-old Venus will be hoping to once again lift the Wimbledon title this year to be level with Billie Jean King and just three short of Martina Navratilova's record.
After contesting seven out of the nine finals here since the turn of the millenium, she is hungry for even more success.
"I want to play the Olympics here. It's really not that far off. It's just, what, three years. So I definitely would love to be playing the Olympics here and representing, going for more golds," Williams told reporters on Sunday, referring to the 2012 London Games tennis event which will be held at Wimbledon.
Since making her debut here as a giggly teenager in 1997 with a head full of braids and beads she has seen many of her rivals and contemporaries head into an early retirement, including former world number one Justine Henin.
But Williams said she and her sister Serena still had the competitive fires burning inside them.
"Yeah. Serena and I, we often talk about that. Wonder what happened to them. We are still here and we're not leaving so... It's been a real blessing to have the success that we've had and to be able to be still playing great tennis at this point, you know, obviously with the outlook of still playing great tennis for years to come. I don't see anything changing for a while," said Venus.
Fifth-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat world number one and fellow Russian Dinara Safina to win the French Open final this month said lifting the Roland Garros title helped her confidence.
"Yes definitely, I knew before I can beat anybody and especially after French I haven't been winning a Slam in 5 years, so it's great for me," she told Reuters Telelvision on Sunday before leaving to practice with Serb Ana Ivanovic.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova recently said Kuznetsova looks the biggest threat to the Williams sisters.
Although the Russian has never been beyond the last eight at Wimbledon, she said she appreciated Navratilova's thoughts.
"I appreciate her for this. Yes definitely I have a chance. I need to go to first, to third and fourth round and then I will play better on grass, because my game, normally I need more time to adjust. But you know I don't think about it, I just play every match as I did at the French, the same as I do at any tournament and I'll see how far I can go," Kuznetsova said.
On the men side, Roger Federer will be looking to regain his Wimbledon crown after Nadal's withdrawal. If he wins it will be his 15th men's Grand Slam title, more than any other player. The Swiss will open his 11th Wimbledon campaign on Centre Court on Monday against Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan.
One of his main rivals, Novak Djokovic practiced with fellow Serb Janko Tipsarovic at Aorangi practice courts on Sunday.
But the Serb appears to be suffering a dip in form just at the wrong time, losing early in Paris and then to Tommy Haas in the Halle final.
Dvokovic will take on Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the third match scheduled on Centre Court. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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