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 Sour grapes? Ousted Rios grumbles about grass, etc.
Posted: Wednesday June 24, 1998 10:24 PM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Marcelo Rios' sagging popularity rating took another hit. This time the target of the surly Chilean was Wimbledon, tennis' most venerated tournament. The 22-year-old, ranked as the most disliked man in the sport by several magazines, showed why. Seeded No. 2, he was ousted in the first round Wednesday by Spain's Francisco Clavet 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Rios -- who briefly reached the No. 1 spot on the ATP Tour ranking earlier this year -- complained about everything from the officiating to the transportation, and -- of course -- the grass. Among other things, Rios was bothered by a line call that led to him losing his serve early in the deciding set. "Well, we're in England, what do you expect?" he said. Then, he added, "I'm just kidding." "There are little things that are not very good at this tournament, the organization, the transportation and all those things," he said. "They're a little bit down. "I think Wimbledon is just a tournament, like anything else." He also complained that he didn't get enough time on the practice courts. And he hates grass. Last week in a Wimbledon grass-court warmup at Nottingham, Rios tanked a match, losing 6-0 in the final set. The first-round loss Wednesday showed shades of that, too. "Grass is not a surface to watch tennis or to play tennis, it's really boring," he said. "You just serve, return and go in, and that's it." Despite trashing Wimbledon, this year's Australian Open runner-up insisted he might eventually win here. If he's allowed back, that is. "I'm really disappointed," he said. "I lost the first round of a Grand Slam, and I thought I had a really good draw coming into the tournament. But that's the way it goes. It was a tough match, he played good, and that's it. "But I'll come back next year. I think so. I'm going to try to do better and have better preparation." He said he'd leave England immediately for home. "I'm leaving tonight, or tomorrow, but I've got to go," Rios said. And when he gets home, will he watch Wimbledon? "I'll watch the World Cup soccer," replied the Chilean, whose team qualified for the second round.
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Marcelo Rios reacts after losing to Francisco Clavert of Spain 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6 and 6-3 