Associated Press
The tennis notebook …
WIMBLEDON, England ó Defending champion Serena Williams was bumped up to No. 7 in the Wimbledon seedings ó 19 places above her world ranking ó on Wednesday, a position that will allow her to avoid playing the highest-ranked players until at least the quarterfinals.
Williams won her 13th Grand Slam title last year at the All England Club, but stepped on broken glass and needed two foot surgeries. She later had blood clots on her lungs, and missed nearly a year of competition.
Wimbledon starts Monday. The draw is scheduled for Friday.
On the menís side, defending champion Rafael Nadal was seeded No. 1, followed by Novak Djokovic at No. 2, Roger Federer at No. 3 and Andy Murray at No. 4 ó in line with their rankings.
Federer and Nadal have combined for the past eight titles at the All England Club.
CONNORS ON RODDICK
NEW YORK ó Andy Roddickís former coach, Jimmy Connors, says that for the American to win another Grand Slam title, ěheís going to have to come up with something spectacular, and I donít know if he can do that now.î
The 28-year-old Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 and played in four major finals from 2004-09, but has fallen to No. 10 in the rankings. Connors coached Roddick for two years before resigning in 2008.
ěI think for him to win one, heíd have to come up with something very, very special now,î Connors said. ěHe certainly has the weapons. I think heís lost a bit of confidence.î
Roddick now heads into Wimbledon, where he has lost in the final three times to Roger Federer, most recently in a marathon five-set match two years ago.
ěGrass is certainly a different animal to where things can happen in a hurry with his serve and his game,î Connors said. ěIt might fit him a little bit. But heís not 23, 24 years old anymore.î
Connors, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles as a player in the 1970s and ë80s, recalled how it became harder to maintain his focus as he got older. He noted that Roddick got married in 2009.
ěThereís other things on his mind probably that are taking up space,î Connors said. ěTennis is a 365-day-a-year job. If youíre not willing to put in that time and make that happen over the course of that year, other things creep in there, they take your mind off your business, and all of a sudden tennis is not the most important thing.î