Game, set and grunt - Wimbledon faces noise pollution

By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - Martina Navratilova thinks it is cheating, Serena Williams does not even know she is doing it and now there is a Portuguese teenager who appears to cry out in agony when she hits the ball.
Grunting is back on the tennis agenda at the world's most famous tournament, which starts on Monday, and the big noise at Wimbledon could be 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito.
At the French Open, her opponent Aravane Rezai complained about the racket across the net, telling the umpire it was distracting her.
Unrepentant as she heads into Wimbledon's first round as a wild card, Larcher de Brito has said grunting is "just something I have done always since I started playing tennis. I am going to keep on doing it because it is really part of my game."
Nine-times Wimbledon champion Navratilova, who found the grunting of Monica Seles off-putting, feels tennis officials should take a stand.
"The grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating pure and simple and it is time for something to be done," she said at an awards ceremony in Paris earlier this month.
Jimmy Connors grunted his way to eight grand slam victories in the 1970s and 80s. Ivan Lendl complained that Andre Agassi's grunting put him off. Today female players are under the spotlight as "decibel demons."
SEX APPEAL
A lion's roar is reckoned to reach 110 decibels. Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, who says she grunted since the age of four and cannot help it, has been measured at 101.
At her pre-Wimbledon news conference on Saturday, the first question to Sharapova was about grunting.
She was asked to comment on former champion Michael Stich saying that women players should not grunt because it was not sexy and sex appeal was the main attraction of women's tennis.
"No, I don't have an opinion on that," she replied crisply.
Also probed about her grunting, which has been measured at 88.9 decibels, 10-times grand slam champion Williams said it was "definitely not conscious. Sometimes I am so zoned I don't grunt, sometimes I'm so zoned that I do grunt."
Larcher de Brito was trained at the Florida academy of Nick Bollettieri, who nurtured such grand slam champions as Sharapova, Seles and Agassi.
He says his academy has never encouraged grunting but argues that it does help players to release energy and stay focused. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Early slip costs Barnes outright lead

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - Americans Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover held a share of the lead after one hole in the U.S. Open final round on Sunday as the weather-delayed tournament spilled into a fifth day.
PGA Tour rookie Barnes, surprise pacesetter after the second and third rounds at Bethpage Black, bogeyed the par-four first after driving into the left rough to join playing partner Glover at seven under, five ahead of the chasing pack.
The duo then teed off at the second, Barnes again ending up in the left rough while Glover found the fairway, before the siren sounded to end play for the day in fading light.
Although they had the option to complete the hole, the co-leaders decided to leave the course and will return for the resumption of the final round at 0900 local time (1300 GMT) on Monday.
Former world number one David Duval, making a popular return to form after spending most of the last eight years in the golfing wilderness, was among their closest challengers, bogeying the first to lie two-under overall after two holes.
Level with Duval in a four-way tie for second were fellow Americans Hunter Mahan and three-times major winner Phil Mickelson, plus Britain's Ross Fisher.
Mahan and Bethpage crowd favorite Mickelson, playing his first major since his wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer last month, had 16 holes remaining while Fisher was yet to complete the second.
"I feel like if I can get a hot round going, I can make up the difference," left-hander Mickelson said of his bid for a first U.S. Open title.
Triple champion and holder Tiger Woods, who won the 2002 Open at Bethpage, was seven shots off the pace, having knocked in a six-foot birdie putt at the par-four seventh shortly after play was suspended for the day.
For much of a marathon day at Bethpage, the long-hitting Barnes was in firm control in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title, forging six shots clear midway through the third round.
AFTERNOON WOBBLE
He became only the fourth player to reach double digits under par at a U.S. Open when he rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt at the fourth but he began to wobble in the late afternoon.
"If you don't have a little bit of nerves when you're in the heat of competition, and especially in the last group, you're not human," the 2002 U.S. amateur champion said.
Glover, a more experienced campaigner than Barnes, liked his own position atop the Open leaderboard but felt a five-shot cushion could be easily overhauled at Bethpage.
"There are too many great players and the golf course is too good," said the 29-year-old who clinched his maiden victory on the U.S. circuit at the 2005 Disney Classic. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Early slip costs Barnes outright lead

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - American Ricky Barnes became only the fourth player to reach double digits under par at a U.S. Open when he eagled the par-five fourth hole at Bethpage Black on Sunday.
A stroke in front after the rain-delayed second round was completed the previous day, the PGA Tour rookie drained a 25-foot putt to get to 11 under in the third round.
He then narrowly missed a birdie attempt at the par-four fifth to stay three ahead of his compatriot and playing partner Lucas Glover.
Canadian left-hander Mike Weir, the 2003 U.S. Masters champion, was a further shot back in third at seven under after five holes.
Only three other players had previously reached double digits under par at a U.S. Open.
World number one Tiger Woods clinched the 2000 title at Pebble Beach with a 12-under total of 272 and fellow American Gil Morgan got to 12 under at the same venue during the third round in 1992.
Jim Furyk of the U.S. reached 11 under at Olympia Fields in 2003 before winning the tournament with an eight-under aggregate.
ATTACKING PINS
Although Bethpage Black at 7,426 yards is the second longest layout to stage a U.S. Open, rain-softened conditions this week have allowed the players to attack the pins with impunity.
Barnes, who grabbed the overall lead by firing a five-under-par 65 on Saturday for a record 36-hole total of eight-under 132, took advantage early in round three with a birdie at the par-four second.
That put him two strokes clear of the chasing pack before his spectacular eagle at the fourth.
While Barnes relished the low-scoring conditions, three-times champion and holder Woods failed to make any headway on Sunday.
Having started the third round a distant 11 strokes off the pace, he bogeyed the par-three 14th, his fifth hole, after taking two shots to escape thick fescue grass on the edge of a greenside bunker.
Although Woods chipped in from greenside rough to birdie the par-three 17th and get back to three over, he trailed the pacesetting Barnes by 14 strokes.
The 109th U.S. Open was heading for a Monday finish at the earliest after heavy overnight rain delayed the resumption of the third round by 4-1/2 hours on Sunday morning.
(Editing by Sonia Oxley)

Source: Reuters

Federer steps in for absent Nadal

By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer may well feel like an imposter when he steps out to open Center Court proceedings at Wimbledon on Monday.
The 27-year-old Swiss has been given the honor usually bestowed on a reigning champion after his great rival and title holder Rafael Nadal pulled out of the grasscourt major with a knee injury before a ball had even been struck.
That left officials in no doubt about who should step in for the Spaniard.
"I shouldn't deserve it this year because Rafa deserves it but am obviously very honored that the championships chose me again to open the tournament," Federer, whose five-year Wimbledon reign was ended by Nadal in a spectacular five-set final last year, told Reuters.
The newly-crowned French Open champion, who became only the sixth man to complete a career grand slam, will begin his pursuit of a record 15th grand slam title against the only Asian man in the draw, Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan.
While British fans have already started anticipating a Federer-Andy Murray final on July 5, they will have to wait until Tuesday to catch a first glimpse of the third seed.
Instead, local supporters can exercise their vocal chords by cheering on 15-year-old grand slam debutante Laura Robson, who earned a wildcard thanks to her run to the junior title 12 months ago.
She and her opponent Daniela Hantuchova have been given the honor of contesting the first ever match on the new 4,000-seater Court Two.
QUICK WORKOUT
Should Robson need any tips on how to deal with the pressure at such a young age, she could ask Serena Williams who has been making headline news since her teenage years.
U.S. and Australian Open champion Williams, who has contested three of the last four grand slam finals, should enjoy a quick workout against Portuguese qualifier Neuza Silva.
The only real threat lurking in Williams's quarter of the draw is Maria Sharapova, who has been bumped up to 24th seed despite being ranked 60th following a nine-month injury layoff.
The Russian showed that her patched up shoulder could take the strain after she survived four successive three-setters to reach the last eight on her least favorite surface in Paris.
Now she is eager to do well on the lush green turf, where she won the first of her three grand slam titles in 2004, and will begin her account against Ukrainian Viktoriya Kutuzova.
"When I look back to where I was say, 10 or 11 months ago, or even three months ago ... to be here I guess is already an accomplishment in itself," the 22-year-old told reporters. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Upton powers Rays to rainy win over Mets

NEW YORK (Reuters) - B.J. Upton drove in four runs as the Tampa Bay Rays pounded the New York Mets 10-6 in a rain-delayed interleague game on Sunday.
Upton, who had four hits and scored three runs, leveled the score at 2-2 with a two-run double in the fifth inning. He then put Tampa Bay ahead to stay with a two-run homer in the seventh.
"It's starting to come around, slowly but surely," Upton, who tied a career high with his four RBIs, told reporters. "Just have to stick with it and keep doing what I'm doing."
Tampa Bay claimed the series by winning their second consecutive game over the Mets.
"When B.J. gets going -- leadoff hitter, whoever's in the spot -- when they get going early, it gives the guys a little more confidence," said Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria, who also had four hits.
The Rays, the defending American League champions, shelled seven Mets pitchers for 17 hits in a game delayed by rain for 34 minutes in the seventh inning.
Tampa Bay scored four runs to take the lead in the fifth inning and tallied four more in the seventh after the National League Mets had taken a 5-4 lead on Brian Schneider's three-run homer in the sixth.
"After we gave up the homer to Schneider and put them back on top, our guys really responded well," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "And B.J.'s home run was magnificent."
Maddon said he thought another big moment was Willy Aybar's pinch-hit single in the fifth, when the Rays trailed 2-0.
"That turned the tide right around," Maddon said of the hit, which loaded the bases. "That gave us a strong sense of believing right there and it put them in a totally different mindset."
Upton followed with his two-run double to tie the score.
Carl Crawford added three hits for the Rays, while David Wright collected three of New York's 10 hits.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina)

Source: Reuters

Washington finally to get 2003 world 400m gold medal

By Gene Cherry
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - American Tyree Washington is finally going to get the 2003 world 400 meters gold medal draped around his neck, the retired sprinter told Reuters on Sunday.
USA Track & Field (USATF) will present Washington with the newly cast medal at this week's U.S. championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Athletics officials confirmed he would be recognized and an announcement will be made on Monday, USATF spokeswoman Jill Geer said.
Washington, now 32, said he had mixed emotions about the presentation, which is scheduled for Saturday after the men's 400 meters final.
"Getting the medal will be part of my peace, but it is not going to be all of my peace," said the Californian who began pursuing the gold after 2003 winner Jerome Young admitted in 2008 to using prohibited substances and agreed to return the medal.
"I have been treated poorly," said Washington, the 2003 runner-up. "The IAAF gave Jerome Young a lifetime ban (for a doping positive in 2004) ... so they knew I was going to be the world champion yet they held on to that (the gold)."
Young received a lifetime ban after a 2004 positive test for the banned blood booster Erythropoietn (EPO), his second doping offense, but he was not stripped of all results subsequent to 1999 until 2008.
Washington, though, has been recognized in International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) publications as the 2003 outdoor champion since 2005.
"I was their role model," said Washington, the 2003 world indoor champion. "But when I wanted to get help (in procuring the medal) from my federation, USATF, and the IAAF, they turned their backs."
RECORD HOLDER
Many thought the headband-wearing Washington would be world record holder Michael Johnson's successor before injuries slowed his career. He retired in 2008.
Washington said he was upset the presentation would be in the U.S. and not at the IAAF world championships in Berlin in August.
"That is not where I won the world championship," he said. "If they are going to give me my medal ....why isn't the IAAF sending me to Berlin?"
Washington also said he was owed the $30,000 first-prize money from the 2003 championships, adding he had proof Young was not paid.
IAAF spokesman Nick Davies disagreed. Continued...
Source: Reuters