No close shave for new-look Murray
WIMBLEDON is set to abandon building their controversial new ‘space-age’ player facilities area whose design has proved unpopular with some prominent All England Club members, believed to include seventime winner Roger Federer.
The huge pod-like structure was due to be built opposite the Centre Court, but is now expected to be abandoned as part of a new development strategy entitled Wimbledon 2020. An announcement was made a year ago that it was to become a striking feature of the iconic sporting venue in time for next year’s Championships, and plans had gone so far as for a section of the pod to have been constructed offsite, ready for installation.
Because of that it is believed that the Club may have to swallow a substantial loss that, according to one member, could rise to seven figures in the likely event of it being mothballed.
The rethink will please traditionalists like Federer who were unimpressed with its futuristic design. A high-profile Wimbledon
EXETER personality described the facility, which has been compared to the Media Centre at Lord’s, as ‘hideous’.
It is ironic that the project was likened to a feature at Lord’s, where chaotic and strife-ridden attempts at redevelopment have been in sharp contrast to the slickly- executed rebuilding of Wimbledon, for whom this could be seen as a rare slip-up in 15 years of substantial remodelling.
The pod was to have been built over a lawn on the roof of the main media area that is sited opposite the side of the Centre Court where the umpire sits, and a widely-held view was that it would be out of sympathy with the All England Club’s understated feel.
The Club’s hierarchy realise they still need to expand their indoor facilities for players on a site where space remains at a premium, and architects have been engaged to come up with a more popular solution. Another move likely to
KEMPTON ANDY MURRAY made a flying start to his clay-court season with a straight-sets dismissal of Serbia’s Viktor Troicki at the Monte Carlo Masters. The world No 4 needed only 67 minutes to settle a one-sided second-round encounter, winning 6-0, 6-3 to set up a meeting with Julien Benneteau or Jurgen Melzer. Murray, who had a bye in round one, looked confident as he entered Court Central wearing a pair of blue headphones over his newly-shaven head, and his early play reflected his mood as he raced to the first set in 27 minutes. emerge next week when the All England makes its preview presentation of the 2012 Championships is an improvement in the prize money for early losers in the singles, reversing the trend of recent years when their proportion of prize money has shrunk compared to the stars.
In 2011 first-round losers made £11,500, a rise of just 2.2 per cent from the previous year amid what
AP ‘Normally it has taken a few matches to get used to the clay but I moved well from the start and that is important,’ Murray (left) told Sky Sports 2. ‘I used a lot of variety in my shots. Confidence is a big thing in tennis and I came in feeling more comfortable. ‘It’s a different game on clay. You need patience. Sometimes you need to play three or four great shots to
win points.’ was an average increase of 8.5 per cent from 2010.
Following protests from the Association of Tennis Professionals that too small a slice of Grand Slam profits is going on prize money — the word ‘strike’ has even been used on occasions — a healthy rise for the rank-and-file can be expected to help alleviate those concerns.
m.dickson@dailymail.co.uk GLOUCESTER threatened legal action against Sale last night following the resignation of head coach Bryan Redpath. The former Scotland scrum-half is expected to join his old club next season — and the two teams meet in a crucial Aviva Premiership match at Kingsholm this Saturday. Ryan Walkinshaw, a Gloucester director, said he was investigating whether Sale had ‘manufactured’ Redpath’s decision as he had two years on his contract to run. ‘If we find evidence to increase our suspicions that Sale might have manufactured this we’ll fight back with a legal attack,’ said Walkinshaw on Twitter. Redpath resigned yesterday after intense speculation about a move to Sale, who sacked head coach Tony Hanks last month. He had said he wanted to see out his contract at Gloucester but that failed to stop the speculation and he was summoned to a board meeting on Monday. Sale chief executive Steve Diamond insisted yesterday he had not spoken to Redpath, but added: ‘If he becomes available we would be interested as would other clubs like Bath who are after a new coach, because he’s done a good job at Gloucester.’ Redpath also tried to play down the speculation by saying his decision had come because of poor results. ‘It’s a results-driven business and I hold my hand up and take full responsibility,’ he said, reflecting on a season in which Gloucester have slumped to seventh place after finishing third last May. It is also understood that he had fallen out with the club’s board members after they refused to give former England captain Mike Tindall a new two-year deal. Tindall was looked upon as a figurehead for a group of young players who have failed to play consistently this season. Over the past month, results included a 36-3 thrashing at Leicester and a tame 29-20 home defeat by bottom-placed Newcastle last Saturday.