Head of the Class

The Rivalry: With Novak Djokovic out of the way, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal once again have Wimbledon to themselves. Federer looks like a lock for the final, despite one column this week--"Fed Express Hits the Buffers" (in the Daily Mirror) -- that declared he looked vulnerable and was "a champion waiting to be beaten." This after the five-time defending champ dismissed Marc Gicquel in straight sets, losing a total of seven games. Boy, he was lucky to win that one! Nadal, meanwhile, has lost one set, but he's looked better by the round and is playing with incredible determination. Will this be his year?

The Heavens: A week at Wimbledon without rain? OK, there were a few showers on Thursday, but mostly sunny skies otherwise and few articles about Centre Court needing a roof (which it will get in 2009). Am I jinxing the tournament by pointing out that this is Wimbledon's last chance for a Monday men's final?

Skipping a Grade

We've had a long look at the next generation of women's tennis at this tournament, which includes Caroline Wozniacki (age 17), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16), sisters Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska (19 and 17, respectively), and Alisa Kleybanova (18), who next plays Venus Williams. Any future Wimbledon champions among them? Right now, I'd say Wozniacki, the Dane who flirted with an upset of Jelena Jankovic on Saturday, looks like the best bet.

Honor Roll

Venus Williams: Despite a few sloppy games, Venus looks to be in fine form-which is awful news for everyone else in the draw. Another title here and she establishes herself as far and away the best grass court player of her generation.

Mighty Marat: The supremely talented and volatile Safin seemed to have an easier time against Novak Djokovic-when nothing was expected of him-than he did against Italian Andreas Seppi (it didn't help that much of the fourth set was played in darkness). But Safin survived and now finds himself in the second week at Wimbledon for the first time since 2001. Can he survive to face Federer in the semifinals? First, he'll have to beat Switzerland's second man, Stanislas Wawrinka (he's on a roll again and deserves a mention for his efforts).

Janko Tipsarevic: The literature loving Serb backed up his upset of Andy Roddick with a straight sets dismissal of Dmitry Tursunov and now has a great chance for his first major semifinal.

Alla Kudryavtseva: We all know how Russian tennis has been struggling of late, so it's nice to see the 20-year-old Kudryavtseva reach the fourth round of a major for the first time. How could the country survive with only 1,500 top players? And you feel bad for American tennis.

Zheng Jie: Zheng has won Wimbledon before-in doubles, that is. Now she's given China a pre-Olympic boost by knocking off the newly minted no. 1 player in the world and French Open champion, Ana Ivanovic. She owes a big thank you to the All England Club for her wild card.

Mario Ancic: With the way the Croat has been playing lately, I don't think his law degree is going to come in handy anytime soon. Ancic is the last man to beat Federer at Wimbledon (six years ago). They could meet again in the quarterfinals...

...If Ancic can beat Fernando Verdasco, who along with Feliciano Lopez has showed that Rafael Nadal isn't the only Spaniard who can play on grass.

Bethanie Mattek: In 2006, Mattek sent the London tabloids into overdrive with her loud outfit in round one (she won just one game against Venus Williams). This year, she's toned down the fashion but gotten more attention for herself with three impressive wins. She plays Serena Williams next.

Shahar Peer: It wasn't pretty, but Peer persevered against Dinara Safina on Saturday (cramping muscles had Safina serving lollypops and shedding tears by the end of the match).

Tamarine Tanasugarn: The 31-year-old from Thailand has now reached the fourth round at Wimbledon seven times, but never farther. Will this be the first time she does?

A's and B's

Andy Roddick: Why does Roddick deserve a good grade for a second-round loss at the tournament he covets most? Because honesty should be rewarded. "By no means am I going to complain about anything that I've been blessed with, but it's almost at this point, 'Win another slam or what,'" he said after losing to Tipsarevic. "It's a tough thing to kind of deal with. Either you win a slam or what, you're disappointing?"

Serena Williams: She still seems out of sync and isn't moving well, but there's time for her to pull things together.

Slump Sisters: Nicole Vaidisova and Anna Chakvetadze are winning again. So is their brother in slump, Marcos Baghdatis.

Richard Gasquet: For all his flaws (and there are many), the Frenchman has showed us again how effective his high-risk game is on grass.

Rainer Schuettler: It's been a long, long time since Schuettler, once an Australian Open finalist and top five player, felt this good.

Bobby Reynolds: The last American man standing (until Friday) deserves some love.

In Need of a Tutor

Jelena Jankovic: She has survived. Barely.

Lost My Homework

Tomas Berdych: We'll cut him a little slack since he's recovering from an injury. Nonetheless, the powerful Czech shouldn't lose a love set at Wimbledon under almost any circumstances. It seems like he'll never get his game together.

Isabella Holland: When the Australian junior took the court on Saturday, she was surprised to find that she accidentally brought someone else's racket bag. A 15-minute delay ensued as a ball girl took the bag back to the locker room and retrieved the correct one.

Stand in the Corner

Lleyton Hewitt: He's playing well and he's riled up about foot faults and a $1,000 fine for giving an official a piece of his mind.

Caught Cutting Class

Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova: Both women have been ranked no.1 one this year, and now both lose to women ranked lower than 130 in the world? Ivanovic seemed spent from her French Open title. Sharapova, who lost in fourth round in Paris, has no excuse for showing up unprepared at the home of her first major title. Why not play a warm-up tournament on grass?

Novak Djokovic: The young Serb has talked some big talk about five-time defending champion Roger Federer. His reward? A generous helping of humble pie.

Ivo Karlovic: The 6-foot-10, hard-serving Croat, who once upset defending champion Hewitt, has lost in the first round at Wimbledon four straight years.

James Blake: It's a radical thought, but I'll dare to think it: James Blake should consider skipping the French Open next year to practice on grass for a month. His shots are perfect for the lawns; only his footing is holding him back.

David Nalbandian: The best (current) player to never win a major is suddenly no longer a very good player. A first round loss to Frank Dancevic? Pathetic.

Expelled

Justin Gimelstob: His ugly remarks on a D.C. radio program (which seem to have been removed from station's web site but are mostly transcribed by this blog) have inspired rebukes from all corners of the tennis world and a one-game suspension from World Team Tennis. Not the behavior you would expect from a television announcer and, as of last week, ATP board member.

Dispatches

From the Department of Revisionist History: Sampras wins French Open!
If this article in The Guardian is true, Andre Agassi ought to file a police report.

From the Glad It's Not Me Department: Are you depressed about the state of tennis these days? Cheer up! At least you're not a fan of weightlifting.

Quotes of the week: Co-Winners: Alla Kudryavtseva, for her remarks on Maria Sharapova's shorts, and Jelena Jankovic, for her dramatic updates on the state of her bandaged left knee.

Kudryavtseva: "It's very pleasant to beat Maria."
Q. "Why?"
K: "Why? Well, I don't like her outfit. Can I put it this way?"

Jankovic, after the trainer finishes wrapping her leg:

"I cannot bend all the way down."
A game later: "My knee is numb."
On changeover at 3-2 in third set: "Look, look, look it's blue! Take it off!"

For more Wimbledon coverage, including daily previews, predictions, analysis and a look back at the history of the tournament, go to Tennis.com.

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