| Those who want to see the stars spend the night in tents Sunday is a day off at Wimbledon. This unshakable tradition is broken only in emergency cases. For example, due to heavy rain, which can confuse all the organizers' cards. But since the first week of the tournament turned out to be enviably sunny, the organizers had no reason to keep the tennis players busy playing on their only day off.
The overall prize fund for this year's tournament has increased by 10%, which is considered a good increase. However, questions of prize money do not really concern the famous “Wimbledon queue” - a special attraction of the tournament. Many, many tennis fans who fly to London in the hope of getting an extra ticket are usually forced to participate in a long picnic called a queue. Many people here spend the night in very comfortable tents pitched right on the sidewalk. People chat, grill sausages they had bought in the nearest supermarket over coals and discuss the chances of Hanman or Agassi. It must be said that there are almost no disturbances in this “queue”. In the morning and during the day, special stewards monitor the tranquility of the fans seated on the sidewalk, as if on a beach; in the evening, the police pick up the baton.
When the sun rises and the tennis players begin to arrive for their first practices, the “queue” is served by boys and girls from the tournament supply service. They deliver water, sandwiches, sunscreen... In general, the Wimbledon organizers take care of their “queue” in every possible way, not allowing it to get smaller. The All England Lawn Tennis Club rightly believes that the more people who want to get an extra ticket, the higher the reputation of the tournament, the greater the happiness of those who still made it through the gates of Wimbledon.
After the top 16 for men and women were determined at the tournament, the chances of the favorites were actively discussed in the press. The prospects for Andre Agassi, who showed himself excellently at the Stella Artois tournament that preceded Wimbledon, look good. Andre admitted that combining family life with performing on tour is extremely difficult and few people succeed. His wife Steffi Graf, pregnant with their second child, is here at the tournament with their son Jaden Gill. “The beauty of having a family is that when you leave the court, you forget about all this tennis and get caught up in the problems at hand: how Jaden ate, how he slept,” explains Agassi. If the American gets past Mark Philippousis, who has almost regained his former form, then his bracket will be quite favorable and he can reach the final without any problems. This, by the way, is what all the English wish for him from the bottom of their hearts. They appreciate the spirit of showmanship in Agassi, a special charisma that, alas, is passing away with his generation of tennis players.
In the other part of the men's draw, after the defeat of Lleyton Hewitt, there are no bright favorites, except for Andy Roddick and Roger Federer, who is hungry for big titles. Andy is now coached by Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert, and this partnership can bring really significant results. There is only one “but”. Roddick is attracted to a modeling career; he even studied at a special school where they teach the necessary skills to work on the catwalk. If this hobby does not outweigh tennis, then we can expect resounding victories from Roddick in the near future.
Federer is not scattered, he is now focused on tennis. However, speaking about favorites, you shouldn’t get hung up on the names listed. At this stage of the tournament there are no longer random opponents. Anyone who doesn’t understand this quickly flies out of the net. This is what happened to the sensational Croatian Ivo Karlovic after the game with the Belarusian Max Mirny. Anastasia VLADIMIROVA, London |
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