SUNDAY, JUNE 28 2015 SPORTS Switch off if you’re in a rush, Wimbledon is here : A simple plaque next to Court more than most, with umpires, who since 18 at Wimbledon records the 11 hours 2013 can take away a serve for a second and five minutes it took American John offence, now enforcing it more stringent- Isner to beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut ly. in a three-day epic in 2010. “He touches his ears, he bounces a That record-breaking duel, which certain amount of times. He does the Isner won 70-68 in a deciding fifth set, is same thing every time. The poor guy, he’s unlikely ever to be surpassed but, even driving himself crazy,” three-times without the occasional freak match, Wimbledon champion John McEnroe, watching tennis is becoming an increas- now a commentator with ESPN and the ingly time-consuming activity. BBC, said. The days when players like Pete What annoys players is the often ran- Sampras and Boris Becker served and dom way the time rule is enforced by volleyed and points were over in a blur, umpires-a situation Andy Murray and are no more. When Novak Djokovic others feel could be remedied by a “shot played Andy Murray in this year’s clock”. Australian Open final, the first set alone “How are players supposed to know, took 72 minutes. we can’t know,” Murray, who was warned Some of their rallies lasted longer for slow play at Roland Garros, said. than the time it takes to make a cup of “Because are we supposed to be count- tea. A decade ago the average for a set ing in our head?” was 40 minutes. Even on Wimbledon’s While time between points is some- slick lawns match times have risen in the thing of a grey area, what is clear is that past decade, but it is not just game style tennis matches are stretching. Data com- that is elongating matches-it is also what plied by analyst Jeff Sackmann, who happens when the ball is not even in used match stats from 25 years of men’s play. tennis, revealed that the average point in Fourteen-times grand slam champion a men’s match took 4.6 seconds longer in Rafael Nadal, most often cited for slow 2012 than in 1991. play, is not alone in fussy pre-serve rou- Things have speeded up slightly since tines. Most players seem unable to play then and McEnroe believes that rather two points without towelling down than pick on the likes of Nadal, the ATP while “bathroom breaks” at the end of and WTA should be cracking down on sets have become almost routine, espe- players leaving the court for bathroom cially in women’s tennis. breaks or calling on the trainer for tacti- To think in the 1970s players still did cal reasons. not get chairs to sit on at changeovers, “Why don’t you focus on the people EUGENE: (left) hits the tape ahead of to win the 100-meter final at the US Championships. —AP resuming battle after a swig of water. calling trainers, abusing the rule? To me, Television has played it’s part, with the that’s far worse,” he said. Fellow American 90-second changeover, the perfect time Chris Evert agrees. Speaking on an ESPN to screen commercials. conference call she said: “I have more of a Gay bags 100m title, A more complex and grey area is the problem with ‘I call a trainer because my time taken for players to serve. At heart is beating fast, I’m having a panic Wimbledon players are allowed 20 sec- attack.’ You know what? You’re nervous or onds before serving not long when you you’re out of shape. have to grab a towel, adjust your shirt, “We see this in the women’s game Bowie tops women tweak your shorts, choose a ball, bounce more than the men’s. We see players sit- it numerous times (world number one ting on the side waiting for 10 minutes EUGENE: Tyson Gay is back on top as ment to Saturday’s final. Olympic 200m cham- who had a bye. Hardee piled up 8,725 points Djokovic has been known to reach 15 then they come back and win the match. America’s champion, but he had pion also advanced, running to second placed ’s 8,264. bounces) and finally deliver. “We didn’t even sit down. We didn’t even to run down teen-ager Trayvon Bromell for 50.62. American athletes also produced the Collegian also made the team. Nadal seems to contravene the rule have chairs in the 1970s!”—Reuters the honor at the US world championships tri- best performances of the year in the Sharika Nelvis produced the year’s best in the als on Friday. decathlon and women’s 100m hurdles. women’s 100 meters hurdles preliminaries, The victory, in 9.87 seconds, returned the Trey Hardee, the Olympic silver medallist, pacing a high quality women’s field. She ran 32-year-old Gay to the world championships scored a massive victory in a decathlon that 12.34 seconds in a first round race. The trials Qualified privilege for for the first time since 2009 and fans lauded was minus world record holder , conclude today. —Reuters him with a teddy bear, a book and some high Wimbledon hopefuls fives during a victory lap. Bromell, just 19, clearly had the jump on Gay early in the race LONDON: Melzer beat Melzer, Zhang years after her maiden appearance at the but could not retain the advantage as the faced Zhang, a 44-year-old Japanese All England Club. 2007 world champion powered to the lead returned to a tournament she first played But Date-Krumm’s return was over on and won by almost a tenth of a second. in 1989 while a British girl broke down in the first day thanks to a first-round loss “That kid-he’s tough,” Gay said of Bromell. floods of tears mid-match. And to Olga Govortsova of Belarus who “He got out good, it was just one of those 10 Wimbledon hasn’t even started yet. hadn’t even celebrated her first birthday years of experience, dig-down moments I had A stone’s throw away from the All when the Japanese player first pitched to get him. It felt good though. England Club, where the third Grand up in London in 1989. Maria Sharapova “This win right here may be (my) most Slam of the year gets underway on would have been happy to see Alla important win. I feel like it was the toughest.” Monday, is the Bank of England Sports Kudryavtseva and Michelle Larcher de Bromell clocked 9.96 to become the first teen- Centre. It’s where tennis’s has-beens, Brito fail to make it through. ager to the make a US world championship wannabes and probably never-will-bes Russian compatriot Kudryavtseva team in the 100m. battle over four days for a place in the knocked the 2004 champion out of the claimed third in 9.97 seconds main draw at Wimbledon, desperate to 2008 edition while Portugal’s Larcher de as he also won a ticket to . , get through three gruelling rounds of Brito, ranked 131 at the time, sent her the year’s fastest at 100m, has a bye for qualifying. packing in 2013 in the second round. Beijing in the event and will compete only in In the men’s, 128 players went in Kudryavtseva lost to Zhaoxuan Yang, the 200m at the trials. His first race is on search of 16 places in the draw while one of seven Chinese women to start the Saturday. there were 12 spots on offer for the 96 qualifying round. women who started out on the lawns of One was already guaranteed a spot in BOWIE CLAIM TITLE Roehampton. the second round after Shuai Zhang beat Tori Bowie won the women’s final in 10.81 A place in the first round proper guar- Kai-Ling Zhang. Britain’s world number with the runner-up at 10.86. antees at least £29,000 (40,800 euros), a 272 Katie Dunne probably endured the Gardner had equaled the year’s fastest time in lifeline for some players who spend their most dramatic qualifying tournament the semi-finals, 10.79, but she could not hold careers in the sport’s outposts and on the when she wept on court after fearing a off Bowie when it counted. The third spot for breadline. default for accidentally hitting a ball at a Beijing went to collegian Jasmine Todd in This week’s action saw former world line judge. 10.92. number eight Jurgen Melzer take on his “I was like: ‘Oh my God.’ I dropped my “I for sure think we made a statement (to own brother Gerald in the opening racquet. I told the umpire I didn’t mean the world) today,” Bowie said. “But I am sure round. It was 34-year-old former French to and she said: ‘I know you didn’t but I the other ladies are going to be just as pre- Open semi-finalist and men’s doubles have to call the supervisors’,” Dunne told pared.” champion Jurgen who came out on top, www.wimbledon.com. “For three min- The US had previously never had six 6-1, 6-4. utes we were sitting there waiting to women under 11 seconds in a 100m final. “It’s the worst feeling,” said Jurgen, hear if I could carry on or not.” Thankfully Olympic silver medalist just after his 47-minute win over his 24-year- for Dunne, she was allowed to carry on in missed making it seven. She clocked 11.01 old, world number 169 brother. “My her first-round tie where she defeated and failed to make the US team in an individ- coach was joking about it (before the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina. However, ual event. draw). I hope it never happens again.” she was eliminated in the next round. It London Olympic gold medalist Sanya Melzer senior went out in the next was a familiar tale of home woe for Richards-Ross was another casualty. She came round. In her fourth decade on tour, 44- British players in men’s and women’s fifth in her 400m semi in 50.95, missing the year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, a semi- qualifying where all 15 who entered final by one spot. She could still make the finalist in 1996, attempted to qualify, 26 failed to make the main draw.—AFP team in the 4x400 metres relay. Francena McCorory ran the year’s fastest women’s EUGENE: Tori Bowie celebrates after winning the 100-meter final at the US Track and Field 400m, 49.85 seconds, to lead the advance- Championships. —AP Powell clinches 100m, Fraser-Pryce sets mark

KINGSTON: Former world record holder running very fast so I’m feeling very confi- together,” Fraser-Pryce said, noting that she Asafa Powell surged to the 100 meters title at dent,” he told Reuters. Nickel Ashmeade will now turn her attention to the 200m. the Jamaican national trials on Friday in a leaned at the tape to take second in 9.91 “Physically I’m good ... I’m just looking for- time of 9.84 seconds, while 2011 world while Commonwealth champion Kemar ward to the rest of the championship and champion Yohan Blake failed to make it out Bailey-Cole was third in 9.97. also just try to execute some races and get of his semi-final. Nesta Carter, who won bronze in Moscow, my fitness going,” she added. In the women’s final, double Olympic also dipped below 10 seconds with 9.98 but With Elaine Thompson opting to compete champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce scorched will have to settle for relay duties in Beijing. only in the 200m, Fraser-Pryce’s other train- home in 10.79 seconds, the best in the world Blake, the 2012 Olympic 100 and 200m silver ing partner Natasha Morrison took second in this year, to lay down a marker ahead of her medallist, placed sixth in Powell’s semi-final 11.03 ahead 2007 world champion Veronica 100m title defence at August’s world cham- in a time of 10.36. Campbell-Brown in 11.06. Annsert Whyte pionships in Beijing. Fraser-Pryce executed her trademark rock- captured the 400m men’s hurdles title, tak- In the absence of Usain Bolt, whose deci- et start before powering away to win the ing control with 100m to go and pulling sion not to run in raised fresh concerns women’s final by 24 hundredths of a second away to win in 48.90 ahead of Roxroy Cato about his fitness, Powell pulled away from and told Reuters that the way she ran was (49.09) and Leford Green (49.91). the field in the last 20m to equal his season more important than actually winning. “It Commonwealth Games bronze medallist NEW YORK: In this Sept. 8, 2014, file photo, Marin Cilic of Croatia, reacts after defeat- best. was more about executing a very good race Janieve Russell produced a late burst over ing Kei Nishikori, of Japan in the men’s singles final of the 2014 US Open tennis tour- “I’m still in hard training as we’re really and the fact that I missed a couple races the last two flights to win the women’s race nament in New York. When his dangerous serve and forehand are clicking, Cilic is focusing on the world championships, so this because of my hamstring niggles, I just want- in 55.10 ahead of Shevon Stoddart (55.29) capable of beating anyone on a fast surface. —AP was just me coming off some hard work and ed to come out here and put a solid race and Ristananna Tracey (55.45).—Reuters