Has it ever happened that a brother has won the men's doubles the same year that sisters won the women's doubles at a Slam? Particularly from the same country? If both the Bryans and Williams siblings win their respective draws, that would be pretty cool!
-- Cheri Lambert, Great Falls, Mont.

It would be cool and it would be a first. I will play cynic here and suggest that if the schedule gets "buggered" and one or both the sisters remain in the singles draw, they might be reluctant to continue playing doubles. (Which isn't unique to them -- it's an inherent problem with asking the top stars to compete in the doubles draw.) But let's enjoy this bonus while it lasts.

Does not fan interest count in court assignments? Putting The Sisters on Court 18 ties putting Hingis/Kournikova on an outside court. And both happened at Wimbledon. If the stars are there to win, The Sisters and Hingis/Kournikova types belong on a show court. By the way, the one tournament I attended, in Charleston, S.C., the crowds were bigger on Courts Two and Three for doubles than on Center Court and One for singles.
-- Jerry White, Mineral, Va.

I side with the tournament on this one. It would be pretty hard to defend putting a singles match on a back court in favor of a doubles match. I would add this: not every fan has the opportunity to hold tickets for Centre Court and Court One. It's great the average fan with a grounds pass can still see the stars.

Shots, miscellany

• Before leaving for Wimbledon I caught the Broadway show Deuce, a tennis play starring Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes. The script could have used a vetting by a tennis fan (as well as anti-cliché officer) but it's worth seeing.

• For fellow fans of both tennis and the NBA, check out this mock draft courtesy of Patrick of Pittsburgh .

• Who says there's no depth or parity in women's tennis? Only three of the 16 women to qualify were seeded. (Eleven of the seeded men made the Big Show.)

• Lindsay Davenport is playing World TeamTennis for Sacramento a mere six weeks after giving birth to a son. Is it me or does this have the distinct whiff of comeback?

• Ranga of St. Augustine, Fla., writes: "This is a very interesting article about Nicolas Kiefer's comeback from wrist injuries. Especially with the paragraph about him working with terminally ill children, one cannot help but feel that perhaps his off-court persona is much different (and nicer) than his on-court persona."

• On June 18, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour launched a special auction on its charity auction Web site to benefit two of its players, Sandra and Daniela Klemenschits, twin sisters from Austria who made a name for themselves in Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and ITF Women's Circuit doubles events. The auction was scheduled to close on June 26, but due to the overwhelming response from fans and players, the auction has been extended to this coming Monday, July 2, and a second auction will open the week of July 16. Fans and supporters of the Klemenschits sisters can visit http://www.sonyericssonwtatourauctions.com/ to participate in the auction. All items are authentic and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the twins' medical fund. Personal donations via check or wire transfer are also accepted. For more details on how to donate, please contact Gina Clement at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, +1.727.895.5000 or gclement@wtatour.com.