28th June - Little Consolation
Despite having played only 2 and a half sets at this years Wimbledon Greg still holds the record for the fastest serve after the first week. He hit 134mph in his match against Mark Draper.
24th June - The Day it all fell apart
As suspected by many Greg pulled out of the remainder of his first round match after he considered his ankle hadn't improved sufficiently enough for him to merit competing. He had hoped for an improvement overnight but it hadn't materialised.
This was only the start of an amazing day in his camp though as it later became apparent that relations between Greg and his coach Tony Pickard had become so strained over the last 10 days that they were splitting. Much has already been said about the ugly situation and much more will be. All I want to add is that as far as I could see their personalities were simply not as well matched as they need to be for two people who spend much of their lives with each other.
Greg will now take a month off while he recuperates and looks for a new coach. He will be on BBC as a commentator for the rest of the championships.
24th June - Living Dangerously
I was lucky enough to be on Court One as Greg walked out yesterday to face Mark Draper after numerous rain delays. As I'm sure you all know by now the result of the match was not decided with a further rainstorm taking the players off in the third set, delicately poised at one set all.
The main talking point though both inside the arena and in the papers is his ankle. It is clear that Gregs stubborn streak alone has driven him to start this tournament. Although he clearly wasn't running to lost causes I felt he was confident of the support it was giving him. The main concern is his reluctance to volley, settling instead to rally from the baseline. It should be said though that at times he succeeded superbly with this ploy, considering how others have struggled. You do feel though that to complete a victory he will have to move into the net a little quicker.
On another note he seemed in very high spirits, frequently communicating with the crowd who responded superbly when prompted. In fact considering the weather frustrations of the day a near full house gave him a rousing reception when he finally walked out. Let's hope today's fans are as sympathetic if and when Greg walks out.
21st June - Fit for Battle
Greg Rusedski has declared himself fit to compete at The All England Club. After a fitness battle lasting 10 days he successfully completed a training session earlier today. He will play his first match on Tuesday against Draper, luckily not Scott but a qualifier. Personally I hope to see this match scheduled for Court One. (Guess who has tickets ...!?)
17th June - Decision delayed
Greg has delayed his decision on playing at Wimbledon until the weekend. Coach Tony Pickard said daily bulletins would not be made. The fact that Greg is still possibly considering playing must surely be good news.
16th June - Qualifier Awaits
If Greg can win his battle for fitness he will play a Qualifier in the first round of Wimbledon. He takes another MRI scan tomorrow to see how he is progressing.
15th June - Make or Break day nears
Greg should have a good idea in the next 48 hours whether or not his fight to be fit for Wimbledon will be successful. He has embarked on an extensive physiotherapy programme and hoping the hard graft will pay off. Meanwhile he has maintained his 4th place in the rankings despite his premature exit from Queens. If he was to play at Wimbledon this would ensure him the 4th seeding slot. The draw for Wimbledon is to be made Tuesday Morning. It can be heard live on the Wimbledon website.
12th June - Race Against Time
Greg is rated as less than 50-50 for being fit in time for Wimbledon this year. News of the scans taken at Cromwell Hospital in London reveal Greg has seriously sprained ligaments on the outside of his ankle. Asked about his chances the ATP doctor said "it was going to be quite a fine call". It brings to an end a hectic day for the British number one as we describe below. It really was the afternoon where it all went wrong for the British No. 1.
We join Tim Henman in sending our sympathies to Greg, he said "I am very sorry to hear about Greg. I hope it proves nothing serious and we will see him at Wimbledon". Greg will now rest for three days and wait for the swelling to die down before re-assessing his chances. His Nottingham title defence is definitely out of the question. He will not have to make a decision until 15 minutes before his first match, which he can choose to have scheduled on Tuesday 23rd if he wishes. 10 days and counting...
12th June - Injury Shocker
Greg has suffered a horrific injury in the last few minutes. He limped off court with the help of two doctors after going down screaming with pain just 4 games into his third round match. The ankle injury must surely pose a serious threat to his Wimbledon challenge with withdrawal a real possibility. BBC reports unofficially that it is a left ankle strain. Davis Cup Captain David Lloyd reported that the ankle didn't seem to swell up as quickly as it might have done suggesting some hope for a quick repair. In the short term though it ends his chance of any success at Queens and Nottingham resulting in a huge loss of points.
11th June - 3 hour Break put's Greg in Round 3
It was windy it was wet and it all looked a bit bleak for Britain's Greg Rusedski as he left court at around 3pm. Play had been suspended and Greg was trailing by a set and 4-3. Although he was looking steady from the back of the court his usual sharpness around the court was not evident.
Over three hours later though Greg and Golmard returned and Greg was to win 9 of the next 10 games to put him through to round three. In the next round he plays L Tieleman. The tournament is now exactly one round behind schedule so the players will be expected to play twice in one day again. (That was the plan for today but it never quite happened!)
Without being too patriotic Greg's quarter of the draw looks top heavy with good grass court players compared to the rest. The 3rd Round so far.
9th May - Back on Track but some fell out
The tournament got back on track with a full day's play allowing the first round to be completed after yesterday's virtual washout. Several seeds fell including Mark Phillipoussis, Jason Stoltenberg and Todd Martin. From Greg's point of view he now knows he plays Jerome Golmard in Round 2 with a possible meeting with Teen sensation Lleyton Hewitt in Round 3, now Stoltenberg has departed. Anyone wanting to win the tournament will now have to play a match a day through to Sunday. So Greg is expected to play on Centre Court on Wednesday. BBC coverage will be limited due to the opening ceremony of the World Cup. (Good luck to Scotland!).
Click here TO SEE 2nd ROUND DRAW .
7th June - Full Draw for Queens Club now Available
Greg has a bye in the first round this week as he is seeded 2nd behind Sampras. In the second round he will meet either Jerome Golmard of France or Kenneth Carlsen who he recently beat in an Exhibition Match. Click here TO SEE FULL DRAW .
6th June - Early Queens Club News
Early draw news from this weeks tournament is that Greg is due to play either Tim Henman or Goran Ivanisevic ... but not till the last 8 !!! More news when available.
5th June - Surbiton Success (at last..)
The seemingly ill fated Surbiton Exhibition matches finally happened today with Greg seeing off his substitute opponent Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark in straight sets. The score of 6-3 7-6 (7-5) will have been satisfying for Greg and a good start to his Grass Court season. The tournaments start in earnest next week with the Stella Artois from Queens Club, London.
4th June - Byron match Surrendered
Todays planned exhibition match between Greg Rusedski and Byron Black was called off due to bad weather. Although it did not actually rain this afternoon the tournament is well behind schedule and the courts are not in the best state. It was with this in mind that the match was called off with the mutual agreement of all parties.
2nd June - Boris Struggling with Illness
Boris Becker has pulled out of this weeks Surbiton Exhibition event due to illness. He was due to play Greg on Friday. A replacement is being sought.
On another note, anyone going to see Greg play over the next few weeks feel free to e-mail me a report of your day out / thoughts on Greg's match and I will gladly put in on the site. Ideally I would like to built up a collection ....