Supporters the real losers as players cast in shadows

In July, my wife fell victim to a serious and chronic addiction. It is said to affect a lot of unsuspecting women at that time of the year.

Fortunately, Wimbledon only lasts two weeks so the obsession was a relatively short-lived affair. But during that fortnight, the compulsion to watchtennis became quite severe.

The last day of mainlining all the action from SW19 was a memorable one. On July 12, Centre Court played host to the men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Shortly before leaving the house to cover a game, I asked Mrs Heaney who she wanted to win.