Grosjean needs rest

The case for an extra week between the French Open and Wimbledon was eloquently made by the manner of Sebastien Grosjean's defeat in Halle yesterday.

The Roland Garros semi-finalist said he was "saturated with tennis" after his 7-5 ,7-5 defeat to his fellow Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, and said that he was relieved he decided some weeks ago not to defend his title at next week's Nottingham Open.

"I've played too much," Grosjean said. "I'm not going to look at a racket for four days, and then I'll travel to Wimbledon next Thursday to practise."

The Roland Garros finalist Alex Corretja, who won just two games on Wednesday in his first-round match against Jerome Golmard, is another whose fate suggests the French and Wimbledon ­ the two Grand Slam events on the most contrasting surfaces ­ are too close.

Patrick Rafter suggested he will again be a contender at Wimbledon this year with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Andrei Pavel. The Romanian kept attacking the Australian No 2 seed from the back of the court for much of the match, but Rafter had too much experience on grass and might have won within the hour had he converted one of three match points he had at 5-2. In today's quarter-finals Rafter faces the No 6 seed, Roger Federer, who put out the defending champion, David Prinosil, 7-6 7-5.