Mac backs Ivanisevic

LONDON, JULY 2. The volatile Croatian Goran Ivanisevic could conquer his inner turmoil and win Wimbledon 2001, says former champion John McEnroe.

``There's a mountain to climb but it's not impossible,'' said McEnroe, currently delighting British and American audiences with his acerbic and astute television commentaries.

Reflecting on the renaissance of the booming server who has been a Wimbledon finalist three times, McEnroe said: ``don't bet against Ivanisevic to complete a surprise salvation.''

``Only now he is getting over what happened against Pete Sampras in the final three years ago, something that crushed him completely. He has been shell-shocked all that time,'' McEnroe wrote in his Sunday Telegraph column.

The daughter's turn

Jennifer Capriati is the first to pay tribute to her mother Denise for helping her to climb back to tennis stardom after the teenage burnout years of drugs and shoplifting. Now she is returning the favour.

Denise Capriati will be eternally grateful for her daughter's help in conquering thyroid cancer. ``She has become my inspiration,'' Denise said of her daughter.

``I'm so proud of her. When I was feeling down, she just said Mom, we have fought a lot of battles and we have come through them. We can fight anything.''

At Jennifer's matches, Denise has been sitting with her estranged husband Stefano. ``People ask why the parents are still around but we always will be. It's important for Jennifer.''

Richard Williams has his hands full

It is a miracle that the effusive Richard Williams has time to catch his champion daughters Venus and Serena.

He is busy preparing his own internet site, making a documentary and writing a book about the rise to stardom of his two daughters.

``I am now an internet provider building internet sites and to build an internet you have to pay people for all the pictures,'' he said as he scurried round Wimbledon snapping shots of his daughters.

``Trying to get a picture of Venus and Serena at the Olympics in Australia cost so much I thought I would do my own pictures to save myself some money,'' he told the Independent on Sunday.

He even has his own mineral water called Serven Rich and a sport energy drink called Smash that will be released at the U.S. Open.

Parents, the motivating factor for Lina

New Russian star Lina Krasnoroutskaya says her mother and father drove her to tears making her a champion but she doesn't mind.

From the age of seven she recalls, ``every day they were asking me to do my best. I was young and I didn't understand and it was a hard moment in my life.

``I was crying and screaming I cannot do anymore. And they were saying yes, you can, you are too lazy.'' But at the age of 17 she now understands why. ``I feel glad that my parents asked that from me. If they did not, I don't know what opportunities I'd have,'' she told The Mail on Sunday.

No coverage for Canas

Guillermo Canas may be the first Argentine to reach the last 16 of the men's singles in almost a quarter of a century - but he's not getting the coverage he deserves back home.

The 23-year-old from Buenos Aires has now emulated Jose-Luis Clerc's performance of 1979 and he admitted to being very emotional after beating seventh seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the third round.

The only trouble is, some of Argentina's newspapers have been on strike this week, putting a dampener on coverage of his achievement.

Canas has dreamed of doing well at Wimbledon since he watched compatriot Gabriela Sabatini lose to Steffi Graf in the 1991 women's final.

Rewarding days for McEnroe

He may not be playing at the top level any more but three-time men's champion John McEnroe is in line for one of his biggest ever tennis pay days here this year.

McEnroe's analytical skills have made him a top target for broadcasters and his work with the BBC and NBC, as well as British paper the Sunday Telegraph means he will go home at the end of the fortnight some $400,000 richer.

That's more than the beaten men's singles finalist will pocket this year.

Cowan not good enough for Anna

British wildcard Barry Cowan the only man to give Pete Sampras a scare so far after taking the legend to five second-round sets, will have to keep on dreaming as not even his new found fame will unlock some doors.

Asked by a British admirer if he might now try asking glamour- girl Anna Kournikova to play doubles with him, Cowan showed he hasn't let last week's exploits impinge on his modest outlook on life. ``No, I'm not good looking enough'' he smiled.

Get the tin hats out

No, nothing to do with Greg Rusedski's fourth-round meeting with Goran Ivanisevic in the battle of the serve machines.

More to do with the abysmal state of tennis in Britain. Although the country hosts the world's premier tournament Britain only has Rusedski and Tim Henman through to the last 16 and they are the Nation's only top 100 players.

The Lawn Tennis Association's chief executive John Crowther caused a ripple at the weekend by admitting British tennis is pathetic and has been for decades.

And as the LTA council attempts to produce a blueprint for the sport ahead of a September congress one member, who did not want to be named, muttered: ``they'd better have tin hats ready at that meeting.''

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