Friday, June 25, 2010 | 2:21 p.m.
LONDON — We’re heading toward the end of the first week of the Wimbledon Championships.
Time flies when each day provides excitement in one form or another. The initial week featured defending champions on the verge of going out on the first Monday, players not content with leaving a court until they’ve notched up a 70-68 final set (no that’s not a typo!), former champions spending time learning how to bow and curtsy the Queen, who paid a visit to the Royal Box for the first time in 30 years.
No wonder today seemed flat. Ground staff, spectators, players all looked exhausted.
Certainly that’s how John Isner obviously felt today when facing Thiemo de Bakker after his 138 game epic yesterday.
A clearly exhausted Isner (complete with painful blisters) looked totally listless in the first set which he lost 6-0. He needed medical assistance for his neck on court. The second set slipped by 6-3 and the final set went 6-2. The Marathon Man clearly had nothing left in the tank after his historic 11-hour match.
“I was low on fuel out there,” he said. “I really didn’t have a chance.”
American Andy Roddick, fresh from his meeting with the Queen yesterday, advanced to the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber. He had 28 aces in the win.
Roddick, who has three times been a runner-up at Wimbledon, has received whole-hearted support from the British public. With the support, he looks to be a man on a mission — that mission beating Roger Federer, who defeated him in last year’s finals.
James Borg has reported on the Wimbledon Championships over the last 30 years. He has worked in Las Vegas and regularly writes travel articles about the area. He lives in London
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