The Hindu : Rain good for business

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 04, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Rain good for business

WIMBLEDON JULY 3. Rain or no rain, Wimbledon fans are used to buying wet-weather gear.

Just ask Charlotte Pavry, a vendor who was selling plastic rain capes alongside Court No. 1 on Wednesday.

``We sell many of them even when it's dry,'' she said. ``Because people think it's going to rain. And that's the British sense of humour.''

It did pour on Wednesday, and Pavry said she sold about 150 capes — at £3.50 ($5.60) each — in the span of a few hours.

The rain may be bad for players and fans, but it's good for business.

Waterlogged fans jammed The Wimbledon Shop tucked under Court No. 1 to stock up on a few souvenirs — all carrying the Wimbledon logo.

So soaked fans could only read the prices and weep.

DOMINATING RUSSIANS: Shamil Tarpishchev is predicting great things from his young Russian women.

Five Russians made the final 16 this year: 21-year-old Elena Dementieva, 21-year-old Anastasia Myskina, 16-year-old Maria Sharapova, 18-year-old Svetlana Kuznetsova, 18-year-old Vera Zvonareva.

``I you think it marked a great success for our tennis,'' said Tarpishchev, who heads the Russian Tennis Federation, ``just wait until next year. They will have matured by then and that is why I believe they will win Wimbledon. We're going to dominate women's tennis in the future.''

FROM HENMAN HILL: Two of Wimbledon's most dominant themes over the last few years came together on Wednesday on Henman Hill. First, sporadic rain stopped play three times.

Second, Tim Henman was playing for the seventh time in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon as he tried to become the first Englishman to win the men's title in 67 years.

Fans huddled under umbrellas, flipped up the hoods on their ponchos and sipped warming drinks to fight off the wet weather. And most seemed to enjoy it.

NUMERO UNO: Serena Williams is the WTA Tour's No. 1-ranked player. But that may change by Saturday's women's final. If Kim Clijsters loses in the semifinals, Serena will retain No. 1 no matter what she does in the final.— If Serena plays Clijsters in the final, the champion will be No. 1.

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