Missing pieces

Wimbledon set to begin without many familiar faces

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- It's a time-honored Wimbledon tradition as familiar as strawberries and cream, all-white clothing and wet weather.

On the first Monday of the fortnight, the defending men's champion steps out first onto the manicured lawn to play the opening match on Centre Court.

Only this year, the reigning champion -- Goran Ivanisevic -- isn't back to defend his title. The losing finalist -- Pat Rafter -- isn't here either.

So who better than to get the Centre Court honor than seven-time champion Pete Sampras? But Sampras sustained a rib strain over the weekend and wasn't sure whether he could play Monday.

Tournament officials turned down Sampras' request to schedule his first-round match against Britain's Martin Lee on Tuesday. But, rather than putting him up first on Monday as expected, they've scheduled him for the third match to give him a few extra hours for rest and treatment.

The Centre Court stage goes instead to Andre Agassi, the 1992 champion and No. 3 seed, who will face 76th-ranked Harel Levy of Israel.

The second match on Centre Court has No. 2-seeded Serena Williams vs. 103rd-ranked Evie Dominikovic of Australia.

Other matches Monday include No. 3 Jennifer Capriati -- a winner at three of the past six majors and semifinalist at the others -- playing Janette Husarova in the first match on Court 1; No. 2 Marat Safin facing 1997 finalist Cedric Pioline; and No. 5 Yevgeny Kafelnikov playing Dominik Hrbaty, who holds a 7-3 career edge against the two-time major champion.

The two top-seeded players won't play until Tuesday. As the defending women's champion, Venus Williams will open Centre Court on Day 2 against 344th-ranked Jane O'Donoghue of Britain, while Lleyton Hewitt has a tough test against Jonas Bjorkman, winner of the Wimbledon tuneup at Nottingham.

With Ivanisevic out with a shoulder injury and two-time runner-up Rafter taking an extended break from the sport, it's the first time since 1931 that neither of the previous year's finalists returned.

Sampras, who hasn't won a tournament since Wimbledon in 2000, withdrew from an exhibition match Saturday after feeling a "slight tweak" during practice. He skipped practice Sunday and received ultrasound treatment for what Wimbledon referee Alan Mills described as "an acute strain in the right lower ribs."

Mills said he couldn't schedule Sampras for Tuesday because his half of the draw was already slated to play Monday.

Sampras' status is day-to-day, coach Jose Higueras said.

"We'll have to see how he feels when he wakes up tomorrow," Higueras said Sunday. "I think he'll play. Hopefully, he will be fit. We'll see."

If Sampras plays, the 94th-ranked Lee said he won't be overawed by the occasion.

"Pete has earned his reputation as the best grass-court player ever, and this place is almost his home," he said. "But it's my hometown, too, and I am ready."

Agassi, meanwhile, shouldn't be troubled in his first grass-court match of the year. While he's not a natural grass-courter, his serve returns and punishing ground strokes always make him a threat here.

"I want to believe I am a strong contender for Wimbledon," Agassi said. "Believing something like that is crucial to me if I want to continue playing -- to feel that I have a shot at the title if I play my best tennis at the right time."

With Sampras no longer his dominant self, there is no overwhelming men's favorite this year. Eight men have won the last eight Grand Slam titles.

"This tournament's wide open," said Agassi's coach, Darren Cahill. "There are half a dozen guys who are level with a chance to win."

The British bookmakers' 4-1 favorite is Tim Henman, who has made the semifinals in three of the last four years.

No British player has lifted the Wimbledon men's trophy since Fred Perry in 1936. With England losing to Brazil in the quarterfinals of soccer's World Cup, the weight of the nation is now on Henman.

Henman was asked Sunday about the possibility of Queen Elizabeth II attending the final, as she did in the last Jubilee year, 1977, when Virginia Wade was the last Briton to win a Wimbledon singles title.

"That would be great," he said. "But I'll worry about that if I get to the final. I have to get to the final first."

 

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