Krajicek surprising everyone - including himself - at Wimbledon

Posted 8:34AM on Thursday 4th July 2002 ( 23 years ago )

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - Richard Krajicek had planned to go on vacation this week. The dates were set, the flights booked, the house rented. His wife's already there waiting for him. But Krajicek has an unexpected conflict: He's in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Playing his first major tournament since career-threatening elbow surgery two years ago, the big-serving Dutchman has gone further than he or anyone else could have imagined. Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon winner and only former champion left in contention, is now a very real contender for the championship. ``I felt third round was the maximum,'' he said after beating Mark Philippoussis in a fourth-round match that was scheduled for Monday but finished at dusk Wednesday. ``And suddenly I'm in the quarterfinals. ``It's unbelievable. I never could have expected this. I booked my holiday house for today. My wife is already at the holiday house. That just shows the trust I had in my ability to reach the second week.'' Krajicek was to play again Thursday in what, weather permitting, shapes up as one of the busiest days in Grand Slam tennis. Following three days of rain delays and interruptions, organizers have been forced to schedule all four men's quarterfinals and the two women's semis on the same day. The start of play on Centre Court and Court 1 was also moved up an hour to try and get in all the matches. Scheduled first on Centre Court was Tim Henman vs. Brazil's Andre Sa, with the British player leading 6-3 after play was suspended Wednesday. The women's semis were to follow: two-time champ Venus Williams vs. Justine Henin in a rematch between last year's finalists, and Serena Williams vs. Amelie Mauresmo. On Court 1, top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt was paired against Sjeng Schalken, followed by Krajicek vs. Belgium's Xavier Malisse. The all-South American quarterfinal between Argentina's David Nalbandian and Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti was relegated to Court 2. The 30-year-old Krajicek was accepted into the draw on a protected ranking after being off the tour since November 2000. He had surgery on his right elbow in March 2001 and made his return two weeks ago, losing in the first round at a tournament in the Netherlands. But Krajicek benefited from a favorable draw and a rash of upsets to make it to the second week at Wimbledon. Then he came up against Philippoussis, another huge server who missed most of last year following knee surgery. The match never got started Monday and was suspended by rain Tuesday at two sets apiece. After more delays and interruptions Wednesday, Krajicek broke in the first game of the fifth set and held the rest of the way to win 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (5), 6-4. The match finished at 9:11 p.m. Actual playing time was 4 hours, 6 minutes. There were only three breaks of serve the entire match - two for Krajicek and one for Philippoussis. The Australian finished with 27 aces while Krajicek had 24. ``The way he played in my match, I think he can do some damage,'' Philippoussis said. ``Seeing the way he played, I wouldn't have imagined he was injured or this is one of his few times back. I'm sure he's feeling good.'' Two women's quarterfinals were also completed during Wednesday's on-again, off-again proceedings. Amelie Mauresmo dominated No. 3 Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 6-2, ending the American's streak of six consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. It's the best Grand Slam showing by the Frenchwoman since she made the Australian Open final in 1999. ``At least on this surface, I think I've never played better tennis than I played today,'' Mauresmo said. More predictable was Serena Williams' 6-3, 6-2 rout of 19-year-old Daniela Hantuchova. A win Thursday would ensure that Serena Williams overtakes her sister as No. 1 in the next WTA Tour rankings. Even if Serena loses, Venus needs to win the title to retain the top spot. Venus Williams is 5-1 against Henin, including five wins in a row. But the Belgian, with her one-handed backhand and flowing game, has been playing inspired tennis.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/7/192827