Thanks to the hundreds of you who wrote in this week. I'll answer a few questions now and do a Wimbledon wrap-up next week.

Venus Williams lost in the second round to Croatian Karolina Sprem in a match marred by scoring error. Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

But first I'll address some recurring themes in single-word responses. "Yes," we are fairly stunned by Venus Williams' loss. Even though she hasn't won a major since 2001, there's a big difference between losing to your sister in a Grand Slam final and falling to a player ranked outside of the top 20 in the early going.

"Yes," ESPN is to be commended for airing a wider variety of matches and players.

"Yes," the sooner Wimbledon gets a roof, the better. (Though, it will be done more to accommodate television than for general scheduling efficiency.)

"Yes," we'll stick with Andy Roddick to win, even though as of this writing, Roger Federer looks untouchable.

"No," that kid in the advertisement isn't really Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi's son.

Some quick rallies ...

Far and away the hottest topic in Bagland was the phantom point in the Karolina Sprem-Venus tiebreak. Or as one of my colleagues called it, The Sprem Donation. (Oh, behave!) Let's make a few points and then move on. It was an egregious error, and it was stunning that no one intervened to correct it. But in the grand scheme of things, it was a footnote.

a) I don't blame the players. They are locked into the match. Even if they had an inkling that something was awry, it's understandable that neither wanted to come out of their carapace of concentration and play lawyer. You expect a few erroneous line calls, but you don't expect the chair to lose track of the score.

b) Here's what threw me -- and many of you, as well: Even if the umpire was confused about the score, how could he have not known something wasn't right when Venus served on an even score?

c) I don't think there was anything malicious or conspiratorial. But did anyone else catch that weird cheshire-cat expression the umpire, Ted Watts, made right after the point of confusion? Michael Moore would have a field day breaking down that footage.

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d) This being the bizarre world of tennis, it somehow figured Richard Williams would be the voice of reason. He showed not only extraordinary compassion but extraordinary perspective, as well. He was right that a single point didn't decide the match, sentiments echoed by Venus. The guy made an honest mistake -- just as the back judge made an honest mistake calling a Sprem shot out that tagged the line earlier in the set. The Wimbledon suits were probably correct in suspending Watts for the rest of the tournament, but anything more than that strikes us as pretty draconian.

e) Obscured by the chaos: Sprem is a player. She didn't back down from a two-time defending champ and -- as of this writing -- was sufficiently poised to win two more matches. Venus and Robert Lansdorp need to meet.

I have to commend ESPN (I know, gasp!) for providing us with Martina Hingis as a commentator. The Chuckster's insights into the players' skills and abilities is entertaining since she is a contemporary of most and has a famously free tongue. Congrats to ESPN for finally getting something right in its programming! (You may have explained this before, but where did the Chuckster nickname come from?)
  -- Gabriel Buddenbrock, Tampa

Not surprisingly, opinion on Hingis was really divided. As was the case when she played, folks either love her or throw assorted crockery at their screen. I think her commentary is perfectly fine -- not exceptionally incisive but certainly no worse than anyone else's -- and I applaud ESPN for adding this wrinkle. Remember too that a) Hingis isn't a journalist by trade, and b) She is not commentating in her first language. As for Chuckster, the moniker was I believe coined by an ESPN colleague who shall remain nameless. It is a reference to the Child's Play doll who wears that silly, wry grin even as it kills.

I know Marat Safin is a world-class talent, but what is up with him? Enough of these tantrums and/or playing to the crowd; we want to see him win. He has boundless talent, but I'm sure his fans are getting tired of waiting for his form to come into fruition!   -- Emmanuel R., Toronto 

I'm with you. Safin is an exceptional talent who, as recently as Melbourne, gave us a glimpse of his potential. And he has the type of expressive, engaging personality that could really help the sport. But he has reverted to "underachiever" mode. And worse, he can't seem to lose without mounting a soapbox. The season is too long, tennis isn't well-promoted, the balls are too heavy, the Olympics stink, I'm bored on grass, I have no motivation. Blah, blah, blah. Without putting too fine a point on it: Dude, just shut up and win some matches.

If there are so many rain delays at Wimbledon, why don't they start playing a little earlier than 1 p.m.?
  --  Anna, London

A few of you asked this very legitimate question. The answer I've always heard is the grass needs the morning to recuperate. Seriously.

Wayne Ferreira just set a new record by playing in his 55th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, and the television coverage hasn't  mentioned this feat. Ferreira celebrated this record by upsetting 28th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic. Ferreira has great records against players like Pete Sampras -- the media should honor his new record. He might be the next South African to retire after Amanda Coetzer.
  --  Stelio Savante, Queens, N.Y.

Chris Clarey of The New York Times was all over this story, but you're right that Ferreira's feat should have gotten more recognition. Thanks for mentioning it.

Doesn't it concern you to see a 47-year-old woman beat the 102nd-ranked player by a score of 6-0, 6-1? I know she's Martina Navratilova, but remember when Bjorn Borg tried a comeback at 34? It took him 10 matches just to win a set, and he never won. I agree with Marcelo Rios -- who's about to retire and leads my ranking of the best tennis player without a Grand Slam -- that it's unfair that men and women are awarded the same prize money. Women spend half of the time on the court as men, and their matches are only competitive from the quarterfinals on. Any comment?
  --  Javier Ceppi, Santiago, Chile

This was a fun first-week story and added to Navratilova's lore. But before we declare women's tennis more shallow than a Koi pond, let's put this in perspective. Playing on grass, Navratilova beat a clay-courter who had barely ventured into the top 100 in her career. She then lost to a little-known 19-year-old who was playing on her worst surface.

Remember too that Navratilova didn't climb out of her hammock and take a wild-card berth. She has been a rank-and-file member of the tour since 2000 and probably spends more time on fitness and flexibility than any other player out there. If she reaches the second week, we've got issues. If she gets a nice draw, beats a journeywoman and then loses to an up-and-comer in three sets, that breaks about right as far as I'm concerned.

The one nice thing you can say about the lack of depth in women's tennis is that those 6-2, 6-1 matches move things along when trying to make up for two-day rain delays. And, by the way, WTHIGOW Todd Martin? Is he fundamentally incapable of playing a match in less than five sets? Wouldn't you think a player his age would focus on becoming more efficient?
  -- Liz Prato, Portland

Not a bad point about the scheduling. As for Todd Martin, his propensity for playing matches that last longer than Ken Burns' documentaries has become almost uncanny. But instead of roasting him for an inability to play more efficiently, let's be more charitable. He lays it all out there and does what he needs to do to win. For a graybeard like Martin to outlast a supremely conditioned player like Guillermo Canas  (Lleyton Hewitt will back us on this) in five sets, is a real achievement, regardless of the surface. Unfortunately, these marathons have the effect of sapping Martin in his next match.

Your comments about Goran Ivanisevic are offensive and disrespectful to your gay readers. If Ivanisevic had used the "n" word to refer to African Americans instead of the "f" word used to refer to homosexuals, would you still describe him as "ultimately endearing" and say "tennis needs more like him?" Give him credit for his athletic accomplishments, but don't suggest he is endearing to anyone or that more people should like him. 
  -- Garth Christensen, New York

Honestly I had forgotten about Goran Ivanisevic's unfortunate remarks when I wrote that. I hear where you're coming from, and we've condemned him in the past for this. But I would submit that his use of an indefensible slur doesn't completely define his character -- or completely disqualify him from overall admiration.

I am considering traveling to the U.S. Open for the first time this year. What day would you go, and what level of ticket access would you recommend for someone on a budget? I just want to see high-level tennis and am not an ESPN fan, so I'm willing to watch non-Americans play.
  -- Lee Hilts, Raleigh, N.C.

Get the cheapest seats you can, i.e. a grounds pass. Particularly earlier in the tournament, you can spend a delightful day migrating from court to court without once setting foot in the soul-deprived Arthur Ashe Stadium. Also, if you're on a budget, you'll want to pack a lunch.

When you do your seed reports, you constantly refer to "we" in talking about your predictions. Are you using the royal "we" or is someone assisting you in your prognostications?
  -- Matt Wisinski, San Francisco

Particularly when things go dreadfully awry (how about that Svetlana Kuznetsova? Venus? Mardy Fish?), I like to create the impression that there were others involved. The converse, naturally, is that on the rare occasions the picks ring true, those divinations were mine and mine alone.

Enjoy Week 2, everyone!

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.