News | Pictures << Back to index Tirade of abuseBy Guardian Reporter There is no bigger fan of Greg Rusedski than Greg Rusedski himself, the saying goes.
Which might explain the tense and strangely muted atmosphere among the thousands of fans on Henman Hill or Rusedski Ridge as it became known yesterday, watching his second round match with the American Andy Roddick.
Even before Rusedski�s tirade of abuse at the umpire during the eighth game of the third set, before he collapsed losing the last five games on this way to a 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 defeat, there was very little between the two fastest servers of all time.
Roddick won the first set tie-break after a missed forehand volley by Rusedski and a slight wobble on his first serve, but then ran away with the second set tie-break 7-1. The game was still close, balancing on a handful of mistimed shots and unforced errors.
"I never thought Rusedski had the bottle for the big matches. And now he is just proving it again," said fan John Whiley at that stage, of the British player�s Wimbledon record which has seen him reach the quarter finals only in 1997.
But Rusedski fought back and to an enormous roar from the crowd, broke Roddick�s serve for the first and only time in the match at the beginning of the third set and led 5-2 with the American serving to stay in the set at 30-15.
Then chaos descended. A Roddick forehand landed on the baseline. "Out" someone clearly cried from the Centre Court crowd. Rusedski returned the ball and turned away thinking the call was from the line judge. Roddick kept it in play.
The Swedish umpire Lars Graff allowed the point to stand and refused Rusedski�s calls for the point to replayed. His concentration destroyed, the British player then lost his serve to love before launching into a volley after volley of abuse at Graff at the change over.
"I can�t do anything if the crowd f****** calls it," he raged. "Absolutely f****** ridiculous. At least replay the point," reverberated around the Hill.
He went on: "Some w***** in the crowd changes the whole match and you allow it to happen. Well done, well done, well done. Absolutely s***."
The match was lost minutes later, leaving BBC TV to apologise for the foul language.
Fan David Jacobs, watching on the Hill, said: "He is a silly man. He shouldn�t have lost his cool and he should have shaken his opponent's and the umpire�s hand. He could have taken it into a fifth set but he let himself down."
But another supporter Rebecca Taylor said: "At least he showed a bit of passion and fight," an observation at variance with his subsequent collapse.
At the after-match press conference, Rusedski was contrite.
"Your emotions can sometimes take control of you because you want it so badly, you�re fighting out there, you�re trying everything you possibly can. I could have served for it and still been in a fourth set.
"I just asked [the umpire] if it�s a let.
"He said �Because the crowd called it out, you lose the point,� which usually it�s a warning in most cases.
"I was desperate to go as far as I could in these championships. The nine months I�ve been through, you can�t imagine what it�s like."
"If you�re not totally distraught or upset about it, then why play tennis? Because if you�re not passionate about it, then its time to find a new job."
11:20am Friday 27th June 2003
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