Grand Slam presence in Wimbledon

Actually, I was surprised to catch the presence of four of the best players of the world playing on Center Court at Wimbledon. I wondered. It was May. The French Open. I quickly called Chief to watch. And sent an sms to Jovy Mamawal.

And I asked myself, what was Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Tim Henman and Kim Clijtsers doing on Center Court in front of 15,000 spectators who paid £35 a head for tickets. I wasn’t sure which tournament this was until the commentator described this as a mixed double exhibition game for the inauguration of the new retractable roof of Wimbledon! Wow. A new multi-million-dollar retractable roof over Centre Court, the world’s premier tennis grand slam tournament!

We all have sat through delays and non-sense commentaries at Wimbledon because of the rains. This new roof will bring continuity to the matches! When it was used for this game, fans all tilted their heads back in unison as the 1000-tonne concertina structure over Centre Court started unfurling at eight inches a second. It actually just took a little over 7 minutes… and Center Court became an indoor arena, complete with a translucent roof and bright floodlights. However, two pigeons were trapped as the north and south sections of the roof locked together.

This game was played last May 17 and was billed as “A Centre Court Celebration.” Well, seeing Andrei kiss Steffi several times on center court is a celebration indeed. Chief and I can’t forget that marathon men’s final match between Agassi and Pete Sampras in 2002. We were still living and working in Saigon and stayed up all night to watch the game. It would be the last competitive game for Sampras and for me, the best tennis match I have seen.

Steffi Graf has not played in public since she retired from the game in August 1999. She has won 22 grand slam singles titles. She last played the mixed doubles with John McEnroe at Wimbledon in 1999.

Of course, I am assuming that she and Andrei play on their own tennis courts. Agassi used to be married to actress Brooke Shields. How many grand slam titles for the couple? 30! Yup, that much trophies at their home.

Andrei and Steffi got married in October 2001 and have a son, Jaden Gil. Yup, Gil. My nickname!

“It sure has lived up to the beauty that has existed here for a long time. It’s an exciting change, it’s an addition for the players and the fans,” Agassi said.


Wondering who won that exhibition match?