Notebook

Kournikova asked to change out of black shorts

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Anna Kournikova's tennis outfits always tend to cause a stir. This time she broke the rules.

Kournikova was wearing tight black shorts and a white T-shirt while practicing on Court No. 7 on Saturday - against the strict rules of the All England club, which demand all-white clothing.

The Russian was spotted by a tournament official on an internal television monitor. She was forced to borrow a pair of white shorts from her coach, Harold Solomon.

Then she had to cut out the logo printed on the shorts because the manufacturer was a rival of her own sponsor.

"Kournikova had on black shorts, which was seen on the television screens in the referee's office," assistant referee Peter Mornard said. "I went down to the court to politely ask her to remove them and change into something else.

"She was very cooperative and her coach gave her a pair of his shorts. She didn't apologize. This was just a reminder to her that the Wimbledon rule is always required."

Kournikova, now ranked 54th in the world, plays fellow Russian Tatiana Panova in the first round.

Sabatini: Williams' making game predictable, boring

The 32-year-old Argentine, who retired six years ago, doesn't like the power game of Venus and Serena, who are seeded 1-2 for Wimbledon and will try to meet in yet another Grand Slam final.

"Perhaps they hit the ball too hard for the good of the game," Sabatini told The Mail newspaper on Sunday. "Unless other players are motivated to fight, the game could start to be boring."

Sabatini, who won the 1990 U.S Open and was the Wimbledon runner-up the next year, said the Williams siblings could split the women's game into two tiers: the sisters plus Jennifer Capriati at the top level, and then everyone else below.

"It wouldn't be good for women's tennis," Sabatini said. "Before the Williams girls arrived with their power, it was probably a more enjoyable game to watch. You could see some artistry, not just athleticism. You saw players doing different things, coming to the net, varying the pace of the game.

"Today you don't see too much strategy. It's mostly hard hitting -- and it seems few players other than Jennifer Capriati can give the Williams sisters a match. They hit the ball hard, then harder still. You feel sorry for the girl on the other side of the net."

Venus and Serena have played in the finals of two of the past three major tournaments, with Venus -- at 22, 15 months older -- winning the U.S. Open, and Serena the French Open.

Their face-offs rarely sparkle, and the sisters were asked by British network ITV on Sunday about speculation that the outcomes of their matches are predetermined.

"It's said, but it's not true," Serena said.

Asked whether they ever pull out of tournaments to avoid playing each other, Serena said: "It never happened."

Brit on Brit

Patriotic fans were offered odds of 40-1 for the likelihood of 4-1 favorite Tim Henman meeting Greg Rusedski in the final of the grass-court grand slam by bookmaker William Hill.

Rusedski, seeded 23rd, could only meet Henman in the final.

No British man has won Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt and No. 7 Roger Federer are second favorites at 9-2, with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras at 6-1, Marat Safin 12-1, and Andy Roddick 16-1.

Venus Williams is the even-money favorite to win the women's title, with her sister Serena listed at 7-4. Jennifer Capriati is at 6-1, Justine Henin 14-1, Kim Clijsters 20-1, Jelena Dokic 25-1, and Anna Kournikova is 125-1.

A female British champion is considered so unlikely -- all the players are wildcard entries -- that the odds are deemed the same as those of a UFO landing on Centre Court: 1,000-1.

40-Love

Working Title films, which produced the hit movies "Notting Hill," "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "About a Boy," is planning a romantic comedy set during Wimbledon.

The film, which has the backing of the All England Club, is about an aging British men's player near the end of his career who wins Wimbledon while involved with a female player reportedly modeled on Anna Kournikova.

"The film couldn't happen this year, and we are still in discussion about what form it might take," said Chris Gorringe, chief executive of the All England Club. "If it all comes off, then there will be filming at the club."

Kirsten Dunst, a star in the Spider-Man movie, and British actor Paul Bettany, who appeared in A Beautiful Mind, are reportedly lined up to star in the film, tentatively titled, "Wimbledon."

Rainy tennis

But for the first few days of this year's tournament it's predicted to be "essentially dry."

National forecaster Nigel Bolton of the Met Office said Sunday that temperatures were expected to be in the early 20s centigrade (low 70s Fahrenheit).

"It's no heat wave," Bolton said. "There's a chance of one or two showers on Thursday but it's looking fine for much of this week."

British bookmaker William Hill has odds of 8-1 for a completely dry tournament while offering 20-1 for rain to delay play every day.

Strawberies and cream

The price of a container of strawberries and cream has risen 14 cents from 2001, to $2.73. Organizers promise at least 10 strawberries per cup.

Last year, 75,000 pounds of English strawberries were consumed during the two weeks of Wimbledon.

 

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