WIMBLEDON: DAY 6

Goran's going away party; Sharapova hisses with confidence
Connors returns: 'It's very lonely at the top but I got the best view'

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

The last Goran waves goodbye to the Wimbledon crowd.

FROM WIMBLEDON – It's hard to gage the size of Goran Ivanisevic's impact on the English speaking tennis world, but without question, the Croat has been the most delightful Eastern European to be around in the Open era.

Please don't bring up Illie Nastase, because as entertaining as he was, he was far too nasty.
Even though Ivanisevic underachieved as a player, the '01 Wimbledon champion always put on a high-octane show during the latter years of his career. Who would have thought in '92 Wimbledon final against Agassi that the brooding beanpole from Split would develop such an intense and close relationship with sometimes-staid Wimbledon crowds? Certainly not Goran, who learned almost a little too late that smiling on court can be contagious.

After being predictably punched out by Lleyton Hewitt in the third round on Friday, Goran is gone as competitor (except for a potential appearance in Croatia's Davis Cup tie against Belgium).

His sense of humor, his rambling reflections on his tortured psyche and his ability to turn a mundane match into a rock festival will be missed. He added bright color in the sport that is too often shrouded in gray. He thinks he's replaceable, but he's way too unique of a character to be cloned.

"Another Goran is going to come," he said. "Every generation has it's own Goran. So I was the Goran of this generation. [Marat] Safin is close. But I don't understand him sometimes. He's Russian. You know, Russians are …
I always say what I mean in that moment. Sometimes is bad. But, who cares? I said lot of stupid things in my career that cost me. But that's me. That's why a lot of people like me. A lot of people didn't like me. But I stay the same. Nothing changes me. Even when I won Wimbledon, I stay the same. I was same before and probably when I'm 50 I going to be same. It's me. I like myself."

What always amazed me about Ivanisevic's run to the title here was he was brought up as clay courter, but has enough savvy to adjust to grass. Yes, he had the most mind-numbing lefty first serve in history. But recall what a terrible volleyer he was when he first started on tour and remember that he never moved particulary well. But, he became a competent volleyer, developed a nice backhand slice to go along with his two-hander and calmed his erratic forehand down. He had enough game to have won another couple Slams, but didn't quit have the head to do it. But if he were able to focus like a Pete Sampras, we would have never experienced his cacophony of zany outbursts. And where would the sport be without them?

We will miss him as much as he will miss being a part of the fabric of competitive play.

"I going to miss everything," he said. "I'm going to miss the guys that I spent so many years with. I going to miss serving aces on 15-40, 30-40. I'm going to miss talking to the umpire … sometimes bad, sometimes good. I gave my life to this sport. I still I don't understand that it's finished."

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Robby Ginepri took out Ferrero.

Goran watched Hewitt quick-hand his blasts past him all day long. Do not doubt for a moment '02 champ Hewitt's ability to win this tournament. However, the Aussie has a very tough task ahead when he'll face Carlos Moya in the fourth round. My friend Miguel Luengo, tennis dean of the wire service EFE, says that Moya is pumped up for this match, which he sees as a completion of the never-played fifth and deciding in the Davis Cup final last December. Recall that Moya had downed the Scud on Day 1, but Hewitt beat Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Aussies won the dubs and then Mark Philippoussis beat Ferrero to clinch it 3-1. Moya felt like had it come down the finale, he would have been the man.

GINEPRI LOOKS SHARP
Responding to a reader's query, yes, I am stunned by Robby Ginepri's revival here. Obviously, the chronically exhausted Ferrero was pooped in their contest, but Ginepri really took it to the Spaniard in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory. After a terrible four-month stretch, Robby is moving forward with tremendous confidence. However, he has a hellacious fourth round coming up against France's Seb Grosjean, who took care of Jan Michael Gambill and hasn't loss a set all tournament. Grosjean will give Ginepri a lot more looks than JC did.

So much for the Argentines on grass. Guillermo Coria was taken down in four sets by Germany's Florian Mayer, leaving ferocious Fernando Gonzalez as the only Latin American left in a draw of 28 remaining guys. … Mayer will play Slam record breaker Wayne Ferreira, who's played 55 straight majors and will end his career at the US Open. … Top seed Roger Federer has a curvy road ahead with Thomas Johansson next, followed by the winner of two huge servers, Feliciano Lopez and Ivo Karlovic. Then it's Hewitt or Moya. The Swiss will really have to earn this title defense. … Nice win by Henman Hell over Ivo Heuberger 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. Now the real work begins with Hicham Arazi, followed by a possible rematch with Philippoussis, who first has to discover what's been in the air this fortnight for Fernando (Abba reference).

RUSEDSKI WON'T BE RUSHING OUT
So Greg Rusedski is going to give it another year at least. Fine, but Greg, you are a long way from being competitive. Yes, he admirably pushed Rainer Schuettler in 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2 loss on Friday. But had that match been played on hard courts, where Rusedski is headed after Newport, he would have been lucky to get nine games. Other than his serve, the rest of his game is very vulnerable … Grinning Greg's pick for the title? Not Trembling Tim. "Federer has got to be the clear favorite. I practiced with him before the Championships started. He's impressed me the way he's playing. He's playing very, very well. Roddick's playing very well. Those are the two favorites. Tim's got a good section to be in the semi." So much for patriotism.

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Greg Rusedski isn't backing Britain's favorite son Tim Henman.

And to now Russia, whose athletes leapt over the Berlin Wall must faster than many folks anticipated. If you are Roland Garros champ Anastasia Myskina and are sitting in your hotel today, imagine the type of personal turmoil you would be going through knowing that your took out Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati back to back at the French and then was upset by 31-year-old Amy Frazier 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 at Wimbledon.

Sure, Myskina is tired after RG, but then why in Yeltsin's name did she decide to play doubles? Moreover, why not feed the always predicable American more low and short balls? Amy is all about slugging and the Russian gave her exactly the type of match she was looking for.

Like Smokin' Joe, Frazier is a terrific clean hitter when she connects. But, if she has ever added a few more elements to her game and learned to think her way through matches, a few Slams finals may have happened for her. But she simply does not think well. Example – here's her response to letting go of a few match points – "Right. I mean, maybe I, you know, tricked my own mind." Question: Do you still want to be that math teacher? "Definitely." Unless I'm mistaken, instructing higher calculus is not in her future.

Maria's Growing Confidence
But the geometry of Maria Sharapova is very oblong and do not rule out an upset here. Sharapova was as sharp as a razor in overpowering Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1 but can be beaten when she's off stride. Sure, she's serving with much more authority than she ever has and is even cracking her second serve in the low 90s. She has rediscovered her confidence in her bullet return and seems to have few problems bending for low balls.

"I kind of like a snake tried to find my way in there," she said. Hissss. Sharapova's a big-time threat to reach the final and by all rights should be meeting fellow Robert-Lansdorp student, Lindsay Davenport, in the semis. But let's not forget what happened in Paris, when she pulled off a huge win over Vera Zvonareva and the couldn't deal with the vagaries of Paola Suarez in a drizzle. Maria is still very much a work in progress, even though there's no question that she punches the clock.

"I really think it's the hard work. I don't think there's anything else to it," Sharapova said. "I don't think anything in my game's really missing at this point. It's just the experience, it's just getting stronger. I don't think I have something that's so weak that I need to work on it. I've been really focused this year. I know what it takes to achieve winning a Grand Slam and be No. 1 in the world. It takes a lot of hard work, and that's what I'm prepared for."

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Maria is merry after her victory € but not during matches.

There are serious efforts being made trying to turn the Siberian-American into a glamour girl. She's good in front of the cameras, but she doesn't love that kind of attention. You can tell that in matches, when she leaves her charm in the locker room and will only bust out with joy after a win is completed.
"I would smile [on court]. I would do anything," she said. "But I try to keep my concentration. I'm an outgoing person. I don't really want to let my focus go. Sometimes I do want to smile, but then I think to myself, 'Maybe if you do smile, maybe your concentration will go off a little bit.' I don't want to let that happen."

Sharapova already has a champion's desire and hates losing points, loudly slapping her thigh when she misses a makeable groundie.

"I'm a tough girl," she laughed. "I don't want to give my opponents any chance. I fight for every ball because I know that every ball is important. It shows my desire to be the best."

For someone with very little formal education, the tall blonde is bright. Sharapova has a pretty evolved outlook on life for someone so young, but maybe that's what happens when you are plunked down in a foreign land at the age of seven without too many rubles in your pocket. It's hard to shock Maria.

"Life takes you by surprise," she said. "I think you just have to just live the day. There's going to be a lot of surprises, good and bad. You just have to go through those moments, enjoy the good moments like I did today and just toughen it up when you have a bad moment. It's just the way life is."

While a Davenport-Sharapova semis is the most probable scenario, Lindsay could be chopped down in the fourth round by No. 12 Zvonareva, who hasn't lost a set in the tournament and loves to slapshot with the big hitters. But Vera hasn't scored a huge win at a Slam in more than a year. …How's this for a Wimbledon fourth round: Japan's Ai Sugiyama v. Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn. Asian tennis continues on the upswing.

If Amelie Mauresmo doesn't reach the semis here, she needs to reconsider her raison d'etre. She's the only real serve-and-volleyer left in the draw and there's no one in her quarter who can take her down on a good day. Both Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade have tabbed her to go all the way. "I'm feeling pretty good on the surface. I like coming in," she said. "I'm really enjoying myself doing that. So it's good for me to know that those kind of players that have won this tournament and that know how to play on grass are saying that. … I felt I could do it two years ago when I was in the semis, but didn't happen. I have some chances to go until the end."

Unlike Sharapova, French glam girl Tatiana Golovin does crave the cameras. She can also play and should be facing Serena in the fourth round. Then the cameras will really be clicking. … Should it occur, Jennifer Capriati v. Nadia Petrova (a Roland Garros '03 rematch) would be very enticing.

CONNORS DOESN'T REMEMBER HOW TOUGH LENDL WAS
Jimmy Connors is at Wimbledon for the first time since 1992. He did a well controlled interview with Sue Barker on the BBC. So much insight, so much BS. Can't wait for our friend Joel Drucker's book, "Jimmy Connors Saved My Life" that will come out next month. Connor's best comment, "It's very lonely at the top, but I got the best view." I bet Ivan Lendl was thrilled to hear that Connors said that Pancho Gonzalez, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg were the best players he faced. How's that record against Lendl looking, Jimmy? (Lendl was 22-13 over Jimmy.)