Sports

Wimbledon a warmup? What a Djok

WIMBLEDON, England — The question drew a chuckle from Novak Djokovic.

Could the prestigious Grand Slam tournament Wimbledon, officially called simply The Championships, which begins today, be thought of as a dress rehearsal this year?

After all, the tennis portion of the London Olympics will be held on the same grass courts at the All England Club, starting July 28, three weeks following the end of Wimbledon.

“I don’t believe that Wimbledon can be rehearsal for anything,” Djokovic said yesterday, gently tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him. “It’s [the] most respected, most well-known, most valuable tennis tournament in the world. This is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of our sport. Of course, Olympic Games are something [beyond] comparison with any other tournaments.”

OK, so forget the notion of Wimbledon-as-tuneup. Still, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic and others are excited about the prospect of playing at their sport’s most hallowed ground for more than one prize this season.

Serena Williams explained: “As a tennis player, you get to play Grand Slams, which you get to play every other week, it seems. You don’t think about the Olympics. It’s just an added bonus.”

Djokovic begins the defense of his Wimbledon title today, playing the first match on Centre Court. He’ll face Juan Carlos Ferrero, who won the French Open in 2003 and briefly held the top spot in the ATP rankings that year.

Others scheduled to play on Day 1 include No. 3 Roger Federer, a six-time Wimbledon champion, against 43rd-ranked Albert Ramos; No. 1 Maria Sharapova against 133rd-ranked Anastasia Rodionova; and five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams against 79th-ranked Elena Vesnina.