Rude-sedski bows out

Greg Rusedski crashed out of Wimbledon amid an ugly stream of expletives after one of the most controversial incidents in the tournament’s history.

The British number two had lost the first two sets of his match against American Andy Roddick.

But he had broken back in the third and was leading 5-2 when at 15-30 a spectator called a Roddick forehand out.

Rusedski hit the ball back but turned away believing the decision to have been called by a linesman and Roddick planted the winner.

The score was called by umpire Lars Graff as 15-40 and an incensed Rusedski called for the point to be replayed.

His appeal was refused and when he lost his serve he turned and smashed a ball into the back canvas, narrowly missing a lineswoman.

He then returned to his chair at the changeover and launched an Anglo-Saxon volley of abuse at the umpire which prompted commentator Barry Davies to apologise for the content to viewers watching events unfold on BBC2.

“I can’t do anything if the crowd ****** calls it,” fumed Rusedski. “It’s ******* ridiculous. A ****** in the crowd changes the whole match and you allow it to happen. It’s absolute ****”.

Rusedski did not win another game as Roddick seized on his loss of concentration to blast his way to a straight sets victory 7-6 7-6 7-5.

At the end Rusedski refused to shake hands with the umpire and strutted off court, still clearly incensed at what he viewed as injustice.

There is no doubt Rusedski was his own worst enemy in allowing his ame to disintegrate just when it looked as if he was getting back into a tight and explosive match.

It was not the reaction of a hardened professional but it was easy to have sympathy for Rusedski’s point of view.

Roddick was clearly confused by the decision of the umpire and it was obvious that the spectator’s call had affected the course of what was a crucial point.

The umpire even appealed to the crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen please make no calls during play.”

But the damage had been done and justice and fairness surely demanded that the point should have been replayed.

“I’ve had things like that in the past,” said Roddick later. “I just tried not to pay attention.”

It was an unseemly end to a match which for large parts lived up to its billing as the great tennis shoot-out.

No, there was no world record serve but Roddick did go some way to proving he is the fastest young gun in world tennis after a heavyweight serving slugfest which would not have been out of place in Madison Square Garden.

Sharper, swifter, brimming with youthful swagger Roddick was too quick too often despite a typically gutsy performance from Rusedski.

And it would be a brave man now who would bet against the brash kid from Omaha, Nebraska, confirming his place as tennis’s most exciting new superstar by lifting his first Grand Slam title a week on Sunday.

There is an energy about Roddick – a strutting arrogance which has seen new coach Brad Gilbert predict he will hit a serve of 160mph by the end of the year.

Today his fastest was 138mph, some way below the world record mark of 149mph mark they share, but there is little doubt Roddick is destined to take over Rusedski’s reputation as the most fearsome server in tennis.

It was never going to be a matter of pretty tennis or cerebral tactics. You don’t come to see Roddick v Rusedski for deft drop shots or imaginative lobs.

Rather it was an afternoon for dodging line judges, huge thuds into green canvas and excited glances at the speed gun. It was always going to be a case of who blinked first.

As it happened it was Rusedski, though so tight was the margin in a first set in which there wasn’t a single break point that the difference between the men was virtually imperceptible.

Roddick, however, squeezed out the tie-break but the action really hotted up in the second set.

At 3-3 and 30-30 Rusedski attempted to enlist the assistance of the crowd, urging them to roar him on. The gesture was not appreciated by Roddick who slammed down a huge serve and mouthed some words in Rusedski’s direction which carried a heavy suspicion of Anglo-Saxon.

For a moment it could have been Jimmy Connors v John McEnroe and how a tennis crowd starved of true personalities these past years loved it. Again, however, it was Roddick’s nerve which stood up to the tie-break, his superior groundstrokes sweeping him to a 7-1 margin and the match looked all but over.

A might effort from Rusedski saw him claw his way back in and when he broke the Roddick service in the third it looked as if an epic was in prospect.

Then came that fateful call from that anonymous spectator – and Rusedski’s Wimbledon was over minutes later in a cloud of red mist.

It means three days into Wimbledon Britain is left with just one player left in the tournament – a pitiful statistic. The nation can only hope that Tim Henman’s shoulders are strong enough to carry the burden of expectation in tomorrow’s second round against Frenchman Michael Llodra.