Wimbledon seeks Graf’s successor

Monica Seles was Wimbledon runner-up to Graf in 1992, but the stabbing 10 months later which put her out of the game for two years, dampened her competitive fire and turned the once-feared player into just another mortal.

Apart from Graf, Conchita Martinez is the only woman still playing on the Tour who has won Wimbledon, in 1994, but a better bet might be fellow Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, the losing finalist here in London for the past two years.

Sanchez, warming up for Wimbledon at the Eastbourne grasscourt tournament on England’s south coast, is feeling relaxed about her chances of the third time turning out lucky.

“I don’t have to prove anything at Wimbledon, just give my best and see if that is enough,” said the former French and US Open champion.

Perhaps this could be the year that American Mary Joe Fernandez, a quarter-finalist 12 months ago, finally claims her first Grand Slam title in her 11th Wimbledon.

But Frenchwoman Mary Pierce’s hopes of doing better than her quarter-final place last year took a knock yesterday when an elbow injury forced her to pull out of the Rosmalen grasscourt tournament.

Third seed Jana Novotna is always capable of great things on grass but sometimes, as the Wimbledon crowd well remember, lets herself down. The Czech, who has made the last eight here five times, is remembered in London for throwing away the lead in the 1993 final against Graf and sobbing on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent at the prize ceremony.

That incident will make her a sentimental favourite among the Wimbledon faithful who, in typically English style, love to support the underdog.

Colourful characters, too, go down well at Wimbledon and the fans who camp out on the pavements all night to secure tickets will be itching to see Venus Williams make her debut at All England Club.

The 17-year-old American has promised to unveil an eye-catching outfit which should raise a few eyebrows at Wimbledon where organisers prefer the women to wear demure, white tennis dresses and where umpires still address the female players as `Miss’ or `Mrs’.

Even the exuberant Williams, who made her grasscourt debut in Eastbourne where she lost in the second round, is awed by the aura of Wimbledon. “I will probably be a bit nervous in the first round but once I have got out there and got some experience I will be fine,” said the 1.86-metre Williams. “Everybody wants to play Wimbledon, from the junior to the club player.”

Frenchwoman Nathalie Tauziat, who beat Williams in Eastbourne and won another Wimbledon warm-up in Birmingham the previous week, firmly believes that she can be the one to succeed seven-times champion Graf, whose knee injury may keep her out of the US Open as well.

“There have been a lot of surprises in tennis so far this year so why not me to make a big surprise at Wimbledon?” she said. “I am going to try to do it.”

Croat Iva Majoli, herself a surprise when she won the French Open title earlier this month and seeded fourth here, has a more modest ambition.“I have completed one dream by winning the French,” she said. “My next goal is to win one match at Wimbledon which I have never done before.”