
The antics of former champion Goran Ivanisevic, who retired after his third-round loss here to Lleyton Hewitt, not only endeared him to Wimbledon fans but also inspired a tennis generation in Croatia. 8220;Many kids just pick up the racket because of him. He was such a character, everybody adored him,8221; said Mario Ancic, who advanced to the quarterfinals when Xavier Malisse retired in the second set. 8220;That guy has lots of influence on all of us.8221; He8217;s had a big influence on the 20-year-old Ancic, who started hitting with him when he was 10, because his older brother, Ivica, was on Croatia8217;s Davis Cup squad. He progressed from being a ballboy for Ivanisevic8217;s matches to being a teammate. And Ivanisevic is still giving him encouragement. Ancic said the last thing he did before his fourth-round match was check his cell phone, where he found a good luck text message from Ivanisevic.
Sunday trade?
The All England Club hasn8217;t ruled out making 8220;People8217;s Sunday8221; a regular fixture at Wimbledon. The idea will be discussed during a review of the Wimbledon Championships next fall, the club said yesterday. British No. 1 Tim Henman, who has won on the middle Sunday on two of the three times it has been needed, thinks Wimbledon should capitalize on the success of it. 8220;I think it8217;s something that8217;s worked unbelievably well. You know, unfortunately at the moment, it8217;s not for me to make the decision. But 8230; When I8217;m chairman, I8217;ll bring it in,8221; Henman told a news conference after beating Hicham Arazi. 8220;It8217;s absolutely phenomenal!8221; The middle Sunday is usually a rest day at the two-week tournament, the only Grand Slam event that doesn8217;t schedule matches on all 14 days. Only three times in 127 years have Wimbledon organizers needed to stage matches on the middle Sunday because of wet first weeks. Usually, only 500 tickets per day are available for people who camp on the sidewalk, queuing for centre court seats. Other centre court seats are reserved for members, VIPs or are sold via a lottery.