Wimbledon to open balls on courtReuters


PARIS, May 25 -- Wimbledon hopeful Tim Henman has pinpointed a reason why he has so far failed to win his home Grand Slam -- flat tennis balls.

Four times a semifinalist at the All England Club but yet to win a grand slam, Britain's top player says he has finally got to the bottom of an issue which has been irking him for some time.

"Wimbledon said they open all the balls 'about' a week before the tournament," Henman said. "I think that might have a part to play in why you feel like you're using flat balls after four or five games," said the attacking serve-volleyer.

"It's obviously one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard of. But they said certainly for the last couple of years there they've opened the balls, you know, a couple of weeks before the tournament.

Organizers said on Thursday they would be scrap their policy of opening tennis balls from their containers before the tournament after Henman's complaint.

On Thursday Wimbledon chief executive Chris Gorringe said: "Tim Phillips, the Chairman of the Club, and I have had a number of discussions with Tim Henman over the last couple of years during which we have discussed various issues, including the preparation of the courts and the specification of the ball, which itself has remained unchanged since 1995.

"More recently, we discussed the practice of opening the cans of balls a short time ahead of the matches.

"This practice has been carried out for over 10 years and was certainly not a couple of weeks in advance, as has been suggested.

"Although we have continually been advised by [manufacturer] Slazenger that this not would make any difference to the balls' playing properties, we had nevertheless decided in April this year that we would adopt the policy of opening the cans of new balls on court."

The news will be music to Henman's ears.

"When I'm on the court and they crack the can, then that will be a good sound again," he smiled.

Wimbledon starts on June 20.


Source.



^^^ Damn, hahahaha. Theres an interesting fact/issue Id never contemplated before for tournaments.

~Jem~

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Safin lost today in a marathon...fcuk...but Sharapova keeps rolling nice

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quote:

Originally posted by starsearcher Safin lost today in a marathon...fcuk...but Sharapova keeps rolling nice

I have a hunch my girl Henin-Hardenne is gonna fucking stop her rollin' streak tho....

...or atleast I hope so! I'll be sad/upset if Sharapova can somehow defeat Justine!

No way!

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FEDERER SUCKS!























*waits for TheVrk's angry reply*

this could be his year...seeds have been dropping left and right.

quote:

Originally posted by Jem_hadar I have a hunch my girl Henin-Hardenne is gonna fucking stop her rollin' streak tho.... ...or atleast I hope so! I'll be sad/upset if Sharapova can somehow defeat Justine! No way!

I had to leave the Justine / Maria match to go to work. I left around 8:40 and Justine was KILLING HER.

Normally Id be sad to see Sharapova not doing so well, but she's up against my favourite player Henin-Hardenne so I am actually quite stoked!

Justine is a fantastic clay court tennis player! She can move so bloody quick and Sharapova simply cant get in her killer winners neraly as well on clay. Even the ones that would normally be winners on clay, I was watching Justine chase them down, pretty effectively telling Maria that she wasnt gonna be getting ANY easy points... you could see it affecting her mood/game.

Hehehe, justine was really wrecking Maria's mental game out there today!

I dont know who won the match yet, but I had it on tape this morning when i left, so ill be able to watch it when i get home tonite! Cannot wait!!!

Ive beeen await this match up for a longass time....... and boy it was good (too bad it wasnt more competitive)

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OH< just also have to add,

I havent been able to see Justine Henin-Hardenne in action on the courts in more than 6 months. Either bc she hasnt been playing in the grand slams (injuries) that I get coverage of, or the crappy timings of when they air (since in dif countries in dif timezones), so I was never able to watch the times she was playing.

Anyways, the point, this morning was the first time in more than 1/2 a year that I've seen my girl moving on the courts and using that STELER backhand of hers.

OMG, watching it, serious was like a religious experience for me. It is awe inspiring! I really dont know how to put it into words how simply gorgeous her backhand is. Honestly, its perfect, so fluid, so smooth. words dont do it justice.

Justine is the reason I got hooked on tennis so intensely about 3 or so years ago. I always watched, but not nearly with the passion I do now, and it all really started after witnessing Justine for hte first time with that lovely backhand of hers.

-jem-

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE FOREVER.

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go federer! best player i've ever seen, technically and mentally. i've been playing tennis for 15 years. played for my high school and for my college in uni. haven't really watched women's tennis after hingis retired. she had amazing court sense, not like today's game. haven't watched hardenne enough to see how technically sound her backhand is.

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quote:

Originally posted by MarkT FEDERER SUCKS! this could be his year...seeds have been dropping left and right.

What you mean this could be his year? Isn't every year HIS year??
I think Rafael Nadal has a good chance of upseting Roger this time around. Federer has never won the French Open, meanwhile Nadal is a clay court specialist and he's young and hungry to prove the world. On the women's side, Go Sharapova Go!!

Federer vs Nadal would be an awesome match to watch, two spics going at each other

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quote:

Originally posted by Tiesto4Life What you mean this could be his year? Isn't every year HIS year?? ...

"This year" meaning his year at the French Open...he's never won it

quote:

Originally posted by kwongandy go federer! best player i've ever seen, technically and mentally. ...

I'd put Ivan Lendl in his prime against Federer, from a technical standpoint...that would be one hell of a match.

I don't think I've seen anyone with better form than Lendl...evidenced by the teeny racquet he used, lol...he didn't need a massive sweet spot with his near-flawless technique.