Wimbledon Diary: Murray hits bum note but he's no match for Jelena

Tuesday 01 July 2008 00:00 BST
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Jelena "sicknote" Jankovic was at it again yesterday, calling the trainer during play, as did her opponent, Tamarine Tanasugarn, in an admirable bout of "I'm more of a crock than you".

The Diary needs no better reason to count down five of our favouriteinjury-related anecdotes. 5) Andre Agassi: while playing recreational racquetball in October 2005 (to relieve boredom while wife Steffi Graf was away), he knackered his ankle so badly he missed the 2006 Aussie Open.

4) Andy Murray: has puked at the USOpen during play, missed Wimbledon with a wrist problem and pulled out of Queen's with a poorly thumb. Yet the injury he moaned about the most, at Indian Wells last year after hip and ankle knocks, was a tiny 5p-size scab on his knee.

3) Goran Ivanisevic: dropped a dumbbell on his own head, cutting his scalp badly enough to need a plaster.

2) Roger Federer: slipped on some spit on the court in practice in Basle and did his leg in.

1) Jankovic: strained her bum at the Australian Open. A sinus problem somehow led to her hurting her back, and that led to a gluteus maximus strain. "I have a big butt and now I have an injury in the butt," she said.

Big brother's DIY job all the buzz on court

Jamie Murray turned up here for doubles yesterday with a freshly shorn barnet but it had nothing to do with a calculated change of image. It was a spur of the moment decision to cut his curly locks, and he did it himself in his flat on Sunday, before turning up for dinner with his mum Judy, brother Andy,and Judy's parents, Roy and Shirley Erskine. "His grandparents were the reason he did it," The Diary was told. "They've been telling him to get it cut for ages." Judy thinks he now looks like a squaddie.

LTA's top aide keeping mum about Church

The LTA is in danger of an exodus beyond coaches like Brad Gilbert. Top press officer Rhian Evans is a rare Brit tennis winner: voted LTA "Colleague of the Year" in 2007. She has a degree in archaeology from Cambridge (a love of ancient history attracted her to Brit tennis). But it is her "firefighting" skills that are attracting suitors, in top-level rugby. Evans is staying schtum, but then she's known for discretion. She was once Charlotte Church's tennis coach, but won't betray a word about the singer, now a serial baby machine. Unfortunately.

First in the Queue

Sleeping on the pavement is part of the whole Wimbledon experience. Each day we'll bring you an interview with the first person in the queue for the day's play.

Name Johnray Milano.

From Oxnard, California.

Age 36.

Occupation Accountant.

Arrived in the queue 11.45 Monday. For Tuesday's play.

Who are you here to see? It was Sharapova but she's gone, so I'll take what I can get.

Why Sharapova? Cos she's hot.

Are you clinically insane? I've always wanted to watch Wimbledon and this is my first time. I'm on my way to Italy and Spain, where I'll run with the bulls in Pamplona, which is more insane.

Today's random question: Where do you find more sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, Glastonbury or this Wimbledon queue? I haven't found it here, so that'd be Glastonbury.

If the All England Club served a feral pigeon that has been slaughtered at The Championships, would you eat it, if it was prepared well, perhaps in a rogan josh? Definitely. Count me in. I tried cuy al horno, which is roasted guinea pig, in Chile, so pigeon would be no problem.

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