Czech men shine at Wimbledon

London

The two leading Czech tennis players, Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek, were rejuvenated by the Wimbledon tennis championships, both getting to the fourth round before falling June 29 to American Andy Roddick and Australian Lleyton Hewitt, respectively.

Entering the second week of the grass-court tournament, Berdych was the only male in the draw not to have dropped a single set. Struggling this season, Berdych hopes Wimbledon turns things around.

"Maybe here's the start of the way back for me," Berdych said moments after outclassing Russian star Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets June 27. It was the Czech player's first win over the Russian in their nine matchups on the professional tennis circuit.

This is the first time in three years that two Czech men survived the first week of a Grand Slam event. Štěpánek needed five sets to end the challenge of Spain's David Ferrer June 28. Fans at Wimbledon were hoping to see his trademark worm dance had he qualified for further rounds.

"I could break it out later," Štěpánek said of his writhing celebratory dance after his third-round victory. However, fans will now have to wait until the Davis Cup against Argentina starting July 10 in Ostrava.

Navrátilová still shines

The Czech men overshadowed their female compatriots at Wimbledon. Twenty-four-year-old Lucie Hradecká was close to causing an upset in her debut in women's singles at Wimbledon. She took former No. 1 player Ana Ivanović of Serbia to the brink of defeat in the first round. Ivanović, who is recovering from injuries after falling from her top ranking, had to save two match points before clinching victory 5-7, 6-2, 8-6.

"These kinds of matches - coming back from match points down - give me confidence. I just want to keep building on that," Ivanović said. "I feel I'm a better player than I was when I was No. 1."

Czech-born Martina Navrátilová did not need to do much to overshadow other Czech female players at Wimbledon. The nine-time Wimbledon champion in women's singles arrived as an honorary guest. When asked her opinion on why British players - with the exception of Andy Murray, who is a hopeful to challenge victory in men's singles - did poorly at Wimbledon, Navrátilová said they were simply "spoiled," and she recalled the early stages of her own career in Prague.

Navrátilová said that too many British players had coaching and facilities presented to them on a plate without enduring the hardships that make champions. She compared the British players' situation with her own upbringing in Prague, where she would reportedly travel across the city by public transport to get valuable practice.

"I used to catch a train and a tram and then walk for half a mile with all my tennis gear and school books just to hit for one hour," Navrátilová recalled. "And then it would take me another hour to get home."

Birds of prey

For the first time ever, a retractable roof has been constructed over the Centre Court. But sunny, untraditionally warm and dry weather in London during the first week has made the roof redundant.

In another debut, a young lady named Eskial - a gyrfalcon - has been introduced to the All England Club's surroundings. In the years to come, she is destined to become a scary addition to proceedings for the pigeons that habitually plague Wimbledon. The 1-month-old Eskial was sampling the atmosphere before taking up training for her future job. Eskial is being drafted to pigeon patrol because the Harris hawks that have previously carried out the job are in danger of losing their deterrent effect. Harris hawks reportedly rarely prey on other birds, preferring rodents and squirrels. Pigeons at Wimbledon have adapted to the fact that Harris hawks do not pose a major threat to them.

František Bouc can be reached at
fbouc@praguepost.com