Edberg

NEW YORK -- At times, Stefan Edberg couldn't believe how his forehand volley deserted him, couldn't fathom why his timing was off.But as his match with England's Tim Henman moved through its second and into its third hours, Edberg's 30-year-old body loosened up, his volleys hit their marks, and the man who has been on the verge of saying farewell to his pro tennis career here for more than 10 days showed that his desire to put off his departure is strong.The...

WASHINGTON -- Why, it seems reasonable to ask, would a sellout crowd of 7,500 people drag out in the midday sun and watch two men slap away at a tennis ball for more than two hours?(Agassi vs. Edberg).Chances are patrons at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic yesterday and all week purchased tickets well in advance, say in January when things weren't quite as tepid in these precincts.(Agassi vs. Edberg).Still, it's a good bet that most of them have lingering memories of tournaments past, which have contributed toward the D.C. stop becoming known among players as the precursor event for a huge tourney that's being planned for Hell.

WIMBLEDON, England -- The game of tennis is so refined. Men and women dressed in white, stroking yellow tennis balls back and forth on manicured green grass, in front of respectfully silent crowds.Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras fit right in.Of course, there have been players to throw in a wrench-- Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and even Boris Becker, when he arrived at Wimbledon, a brash, go-for-the-grass-stain 17-year-old.But none took on the persona of a rock star the way Andre Agassi has.The defending Wimbledon champion thrives in the glare of fame, seemingly leaving his rivals in the dark.

NEW YORK -- Richard Krajicek's first serve in yesterday's match was supposed to send Stefan Edberg a message. Instead, it was Krajicek who got the message."

WIMBLEDON, England -- The first rally of the men's semifinals at Wimbledon was sighted at 6:32 p.m. yesterday.It was also the last.On a grass court transformed to dirt and rubble by a scorching sun and 11 days of play, Wimbledon was turned into a serve-and-volley pit. Four players, armed and dangerous with mid-sized rocket, uh, racket launchers, held a serving exhibition. Approach shots were verboten. Lobs were useless. This was three swings and you're out, the tennis equivalent of watching two pitchers throw one-hitters.

WIMBLEDON, England -- This is John McEnroe 'round midnight of a tennis career, when the light is flickering and the room is emptying. The hands still make the beautiful music, but the legs keep him from reaching the high notes, the ones he used to play a long, long time ago.He's 32 and strictly playing the middle range, a headliner looking for a curtain call but slipping into the lounge.Yesterday, on the greatest stage in tennis, he came out flat. He hit the turf. He punched his racket in despair.

NEW YORK -- Stefan Edberg made a glorious run to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, but last night he had to say goodbye.However, Edberg, playing in his last Grand Slam tournament before retiring, gave the fans at the Stadium Court a little something to cheer about when he rallied to take the third set to a tiebreaker before bowing out to No. 4 seed Goran Ivanisevic, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9)."I was hoping for a good U.S. Open," said Edberg. "As the week has gone on, I played good, solid tennis and that was the goal.

NEW YORK -- They were in the runway, now, and here was Jimmy Connors walking with his bodyguards, trying to keep up with this freckle-faced kid with the white baseball cap and the strawberry blond hair and the smug, sideways grin.Later, the kid would say there was nothing special about hitting the stage first for this tennis revival show at Louis Armstrong Stadium. But for 2 hours and 6 minutes on a bright, blue late-summer day, there was Connors huffing and puffing, his hair mussed, his face shining with sweat, following this kid around the court.

NEW YORK -- There were two guys. Two tired guys.One was bouncing on his toes, trying to shake off the stiffness from a 5-hour, 26-minute tennis match turned marathon. The other was wobbling from side to side after staying up nearly half the previous night recovering from stomach cramps.But this was the U.S. Open. The tournament hunkered down in a stadium that resembles a factory under construction. The event witnessed by spectators so obnoxious they head for the exits during tiebreakers. The Grand Slam that hands over the schedule-making to a television network.

PARIS -- He never has won a French Open championship, and if he doesn't win this year's, he never will.Stefan Edberg, unseeded for his final try at the only Grand Slam event to elude him, took a never-say-never attitude into his match with Michael Chang yesterday and turned a gloomy afternoon incandescent with his serve-and-volley artistry."