Fuente : Wimbledon
http://www.wimbledon.org

WIMBLEDON: Rusedski in the Twilight Zone

/noticias.info/ Wednesday, 22 June, 2005

Greg Rusedski may have said his last farewell to the Centre Court of Wimbledon. He was defeated in fading light by 11th seed Joachim Johansson of Sweden in the second round of the Championships.

Rusedski always knew that his 13th appearance in The Championships would be a tough haul, simply because he had not been winning enough matches on the tour to gain the protection of a seeding, even a low one, at Wimbledon.

He avoided a seed in the first round but Johansson stood there in the second. Rusedski had played Johansson before, but never on grass. His defeat, on what counts as one of his favourite surfaces, must have hurt.

Before evaluating whether Rusedski will return to Wimbledon next year at the age of 32, or not, it is worth spelling out what he has achieved for himself and for British tennis in his 13 successive appearances, more than any other player in the 2005 field.

He made his debut at the 1993 Championships, losing in the first round, and reached the second round in 1994. By 1995 Rusedski had chosen to play for Britain rather than Canada, the country of his birth. He celebrated at Wimbledon that summer by reaching the fourth round, where he fell to Pete Sampras in straight sets.

In 1997, when Rusedski became the first British player to finish in the top 10, he had his best Wimbledon with a run to the quarter finals where he was beaten by the eventual runner up, Cedric Pioline, of France.

Rusedski's ability to make an impact then began to decline. After two fourth round appearances in 2001 and 2002 - Goran Ivanisevic beat him in the first year and Xavier Malisse in the second - he has had to face defeat in the second round in the past two years. And again tonight.

Rusedski has always loved Wimbledon and the fans have loved him. He can rightly claim to have won their appreciation and respect.

Rusedski has taken over from Tim Henman as Britain's senior Davis Cup player. He won two singles matches in the important victory over Israel in the Euro/African zone Group One tie in April.

Whatever else happens with Rusedski's career on the world circuit, clearly he has a role within the Davis Cup team where the other players are so much younger and consequently lacking in international experience. Rusedski has a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the game to pass on to them. That could come in useful - especially with a tie to be faced against Switzerland and Roger Federer in Geneva in September.

Written by Barry Newcombe notas_de_prensa_archivo