Wimbledon Monday 20/06/05

 

The people I paid attention to were:

 

 

none of whom I’d ever heard of.

Benneteau & Kiefer

were first up on court 14, where I joined, standing on the steps, part way through the first set.  By the second set I had progressed to an excellent seat, in the front row opposite the umpire.  Kiefer seemed on top at the start of the third set, then Benneteau asserted control.  This is the third set from B’s point of view:
  

*4-1,   4-2,  *5-2,  5-3,  *5-4,  5-5,  *6-5,  7-5!

And the fourth (by which time we heard “Allez Julien!” from many quarters, particularly loudly from one of the frog-eating dancing‑masters just behind me):

 

4-2,  *4-3!,  5-3!,  *6-3

 

And the fifth:

 

1-0!,  *2-0,  2-1,  *3-1,  3-2,  *4-2,  4-3 (Here Kiefer paused for a long massage),  *4-4! (and broke back),  4-5,  4-6,

 

giving the final result 6-3,  T(7-5),  5-7,  3-6,  6-4.  An excellent match, four and a half hours in the strong sun (reflected in my face, though not my bald patch, protected by my cloth cap).

 

I was convinced Kiefer was an American: slight figure, stubble, backwards baseball cap, bit like Agassi;  maybe he’s like Rusedski, only a pretend German.

 

A BBC cameraman was present (I guess because Kiefer is seeded), just behind me, attending to his duties all the time, and with five seats reserved for an entourage that never came.

 

Dupuis & Berdych

There was lots of room on court 16;  they had been 3rd up, and were near the end of the second set when I joined at 16:45;  so two ladies’ singles & a bit more had passed during the court 14 struggle..  I’d paused at court 15 for a brief look at Saulnier & Hbarty, which for some reason looked boring – maybe because they were ugly.

 

This match developed very well though, and the court filled right up as time passed.  I felt moved to convey the sad news that this was the last match on this court, to a lady who claimed a good seat when all was over.

 

I chose a seat at one end this time, at the front, near the player.

 

Dupuis looked really rather old, like a battered German film star;  he grunts and spits a lot – defense de cracher  M. Dupuis – mercifully he didn’t gob into the crowd, else I’d have caught a face‑full.

 

Berdych is very good-looking,

 

                        

 

and I thought I’d mistaken the court when I first went in – he had his back to me, with pony tail coming through his cap, and I really thought he was a girl.  He has a tendency to look mournfully into the crowd, and utter lamentations, in difficult times.

He had a few supporters, who would say “Uvoni!, Uvoni!’ and ‘supair’.

He grunts quite a bit, like Dupuis, in fact their games are similar;  the difference is that Berdych looks & moves like a god.  I suppose peoples’ games have anyway become more similar since the slow-down, which I regret really – rallies are much longer but I miss those amazing displays of agility (think of McEnroe before his droning days) near the net.

 

Berdych won in four sets,  T(7-5),  7-5,  3-6,  T(7-4);  Dupuis also tried the ‘long massage’ ploy, but less successfully than Kiefer.  It does seem to unsettle the opponent, who wanders around stretching on the net & so forth.

 

I notice (15:30 Wednesday 22/06/05) that Berdych has moved in straight sets into the third round.

 

Gimelstob & Garcia

Gim is tall & big-framed, grins a lot, very courteous to the ball‑boys, not like Benneteau.  Gar is the opposite, small & dark & poker-faced.

 

I joined court 11 at 19:10 ( no break at all, I had lunch in my seat during D‑B) at 3-3 in the third;  a reasonable seat, at one end near the back, then again the court filled.

 

Gim’s serve was extraordinarily fast, from a great height, quite a few aces.  Play seemed fairly even, but I’d say Gim was on top, looking very relaxed except during the tie-break, when he’d look fiercely at the crowd and shout “Come on!, Come on!”

 

Gim won in straight sets,  6-3,  6-4,  T(7-5), about half an hour after I joined.  He too has moved into the third round, beating another Chilean 6‑3,  4-6,  T(7-5), T(7-0).

 

Conclusion

On the way out to gate 5, at 19:40,  I peered over some heads to see something of a little Thai guy, Udomchoke, on court 9.  Very Thai, very cheerful.  I see today (Wednesday 22/06/05) he won that long 5-setter, but I didn’t hang around, no chance of a decent seat.

 

So, I left home about 10:00, arrived in the queue about 11:15 (free parking for the scooter in the car park opposite gate 6), in the ground at 12:15.  Solid tennis watching for nine and a half hours.  Total expenditure £16 to get in, plus petrol for the scooter.

 

I should think this will have been my last visit – but you never know, the game’s not over till the dark lady sings.  I was thoroughly absorbed, saw a lot of great tennis in a super atmosphere.  But I didn’t feel that passionate interest any more, or the sense of being incredibly fortunate to be present.  The first time I went must have been 1979, age 46, and I’ve been to quite a few first days since, over the 26 years.  I think the first day has been rained off only twice in the last 105 years, and I was there both times;  on one, we turned away before paying to go in & went (wet) for a slap-up tea in the Hotel Russell instead, watching anxiously to see if play had started after all.