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Catering checked after health scare Posted: Tuesday July 02, 2002 10:01 AMLONDON (Reuters) -- Wimbledon officials Tuesday carried out extra checks on all catering facilities at the All England Club after Tim Henman was struck by a mystery stomach upset during his dramatic five-set fourth round victory. Henman suffered stomach problems midway through his match with Swiss Michel Kratochvil on Monday evening and needed smelling salts to revive his chances of a landmark Wimbledon crown. "I don't feel great, but I won't know how much this has taken out of me until (Tuesday)," the Briton said after his 7-6 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 triumph over four hours, 13 minutes of unrelenting drama. "Someone told me when I came off court that a couple of other players have had stomach problems today as well ... I don't know whether we've eaten something bad. "Fingers crossed I feel better quickly." A Wimbledon spokesman said Tuesday that the club had re-checked all health and hygiene matters throughout the grounds in addition to the "stringent standards already in place." "Although there is no suggestion Henman's illness was caused by a bug or a rogue baguette," the spokesman told Reuters. "It could be caused by any number of things... it could be some sort of virus or nerves or anything. He could have picked up something at home. "It is not as though we have had a dozen players feeling ill or anything like that. "There is no suggestion the illness was picked up at the club." First Briton Henman, who plays Brazilian Andre Sa in the quarterfinals in a match scheduled for Wednesday, is bidding to become the first Briton to win the men's singles title in 66 years. The 27-year-old, who is also looking for his first grand slam crown, said he was feeling unwell even as he took a 4-1 lead in the third set against world number 45 Kratochvil on Monday. At that point, the clouds opened and a rain delay forced the players off court for nearly two hours. When they returned, Henman was feeling even worse. "I took things to settle my stomach during the rain delay, but during the break I just felt more and more tired -- and I wasn't even doing anything," a pale and weak-looking Henman said afterwards. "To be honest, I don't know how I got through the match ... I kept saying to my coach (Larry Stefanki), 'I can't quite understand how I won it'. "But a combination of my feelings for Wimbledon, and the crowd, helped me out I think."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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