| Kournikova an original |
Anna Kournikova said she doesn't do anything "on purpose" to create publicity — it just seems to follow her. Last week, after losing in the first round, the Russian complained about a television interviewer's line of questioning and former players criticized her lack of success on court. Kournikova's good looks and appeal off the court have drawn parallels with other up-and-coming young Russians, including Maria Sharapova, seeded seventh in the junior girls' draw. When asked about other players being dubbed "the next Kournikova," she smiled and said, "A copy is never as good as the original.'' SECURITY AGAIN QUESTIONED: British teen-agers Stephen Procter and John Ghebre said Wednesday they were able to walk around the players' lounge and media centre without being questioned, the third security breach of the tournament. On Tuesday, Australian Sean Piper said he gained access to the lounge and had his photo taken with Anna Kournikova last Friday. Last Thursday, Karl Power and Tommy Dunn jumped from the stands onto Centre Court and played a few shots in full tennis clothing before fleeing without being questioned or apprehended. Securicor, which is responsible for guards at the tournament, vowed to tighten security. Procter said he and Ghebre, both 17, wandered around the players' section, saw the gym and later sat in BBC studios in the media centre. Procter said he tried a similar stunt at the Queen's Club tournament before Wimbledon, but was stopped by security. THE SCOREBOARD JUGGLER: When rain delayed the start of play Wednesday at Wimbledon, London university student Charlie Billington, who operates the scoreboard for Courts 2 and 3, entertained the crowd with his other passion — juggling. Billington showed off his circus skills by juggling three soccer-sized tennis balls for the crowds waiting for the weather to clear. Previous exhibitions have included juggling tennis rackets and fire sticks. "Juggling is just something I do as a hobby, and I'm always happy to try and cheer fans up when the weather's not too great,'' he said. NEWSPAPER WARS: The Daily Mirror tabloid left no stone unturned Wednesday when reporting on the fourth-round loss of Canadian-born British player Greg Rusedski, who has an affiliation with the rival Sun. "As The Sun-sponsored Canadian Greg Rusedski crashes out of Wimbledon, it's a crying shame, Lucy," the Mirror wrote. A spread on Page 3 had 11 photos, some of them not very flattering, of Rusedski's English-born wife Lucy, including one of her crying when her husband lost. SECOND SERVES: Helena Sukova, winner of seven Wimbledon doubles titles — four women's and three mixed — was honored Wednesday for her contribution to the WTA Tour's Partners for Success program. It pairs talented young players with a retired female player. Since 1997, Sukova has voluntarily helped Czech players Denisa Chladkova and Daja Bedanova. . . . . The junior competition is underway at Wimbledon, with top-seeded Wang Yeu-tzuoo of Taiwan losing in the first round to Michel Koning of the Netherlands. Former junior champions at Wimbledon include Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, Sfefan Edberg and Martina Hingis.
|
|
