WE’RE nearing the end of day eight at Wimbledon and hopes are high of finishing the tournament by September.
The players long ago lost track of which round they are in, who they are playing next and, in some cases, their own names.
In the absence of prolonged spells of tennis between the scheduled rain, thoughts turned to the state of play in Andy Roddick’s marathon locker room card game with his coach Jimmy Connors.
Sadly, coverage is not available via the red button
Every umbrella in the south east of England has been sold, and most of them are here inside the grounds.
Even the newspaper vendors outside are offering a free rain mac with every edition.
Sometimes you have to look fairly hard to find it, but every cloud does indeed promise a silver lining.

SERENA Williams woke today to accusations of gamesmanship in her dramatic victory over Daniela Hantuchova.
Those of us who witnessed her collapse on Centre Court and attended her subsequent press conference were left in no doubt about Serena’s injury.
To suggest – as the BBC has done – that she might have been putting it on flies in the face of all the evidence.
Former Wimbledon champion Michael Sitch, working here for BBC Radio Five Live, said he felt Serena made the most of her injury.
“I thought she was overreacting a little much, which she tends to do, having this injury.
“Not saying she wasn’t in pain or anything.
“But for me, it was like, when you’re injured, you get up, it hurts, you get treatment.
“Either you keep on playing or not. But there’s nothing inbetween being injured or not being injured.

IT only takes a minute for your world to change on Centre Court.
A tearful Serena Williams said she was saved by the rain after collapsing, screaming in pain from a calf muscle spasm.
Her agony against Daniela Hantuchova was hard to watch, especially for father Richard, mother Oracene and sister Venus.
With his daughter limping back into action, Richard pointed to the sky and shouted at the umpire to cover the court. He got his wish a few minutes later.
Returning after the showers, Serena fought like a wounded animal to stay in the Championships.
Roared on by the late evening crowd, she clinched a memorable third set victory, blowing a kiss to the heavens at the end.
“I’ve never dealt with such pain. I can’t believe I won,” she said a few minutes ago in the press interview room, as dusk fell over SW19.
“When I went down, I didn’t expect to be able to get up.
“I thought about not finishing, but very briefly.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hadn’t at least tried.”

DAWN today revealed a ring of concrete around Wimbledon.
As reported in last night’s blog, security has been increased in a bid to thwart a possible car bomb attack on the grounds.
Dozens of concrete blocks are now in place around the site, including main vehicle gates.
Extra police were on duty with spectators warned to expect even more intense security checks.
While there is not thought to be any specific threat to the Championships, the All England Club is regarded as a vulnerable target.
Surrounded by public roads, in some areas the crowds watching tennis are just metres away from perimeter walls.
Supt Pete Dobson is the officer in overall charge of policing at the 2007 Championships.

A sign of the times tonight with further increased security measures at Wimbledon.
In a statement issued at 7pm, the All England Club announced it is taking extra steps to enhance security at the 2007 Championships.
Vehicle blockers will be installed at the gates to the club “with immediate effect”.
The statement explained: “The move comes on the advice of the police following recent events in London and Glasgow.”
Chief executive Ian Ritchie said: “As a result of recent events in London and Glasgow, and further to our own discussions with the police and other authorities, as well as taking into consideration the generally higher security alert level in London and across the country, we have been advised by the police to adopt extra security measures to protect the areas at most risk.

AFTER yesterday’s ducks, we had a swan on Court One this afternoon.
Or rather Maria Sharapova in her pleated white dress inspired by Swan Lake.
The 2004 Wimbledon champion beat both Japan’s Ai Sugiyama and the rain to glide into the second week.
But the 20-year-old Russian was almost culled by the court coverers at the end of a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
With rain falling and play suspended on all the other courts, Maria was forced to replay a winning point at match point after a bad line call.
“The guy called it out. The umpire overruled it. The match could have been over,” she said.
“It’s just a weird situation because you know the rain is coming.

ANDY Roddick always has something interesting to say in his post-match press conferences.
It was no different late last night after he defeated Spain’s Fernando Verdasco just before 9pm, with play about to be called off due to the fading light.
Now the last American in the men’s singles draw, Andy has lost twice in the Wimbledon final – both times to Roger Federer.
If all goes to plan, the two are due to meet in the semi final next Friday.
Andy is a huge favourite here, and not just among the Americans, thanks to his fighting spirit and sense of humour.
“I’ve always just been annoyingly competitive,” he explained last night.
Asked if he ever played other sports, like golf, he replied: “Every time I play golf, I got to buy a new set of clubs.
“It’s not relaxing for me. I go mental. The ball’s not even moving and I can’t hit it right.

THE Americans have had enough of the British weather.
After yet another heavy rainstorm over Wimbledon, one visitor from the USA suggested it was time to move the Championships to somewhere drier
Like Monte Carlo.
As the covers came off, the wetlands of SW19 played host to a family of ducks, who landed on Court 5 and decided to stay.
Displaying more court coverage than many of Britain’s tennis failures, the mother and her four chicks waddled from baseline to baseline, until a man with a large net – not of the tennis kind – appeared.
Mum escaped, flying off to an awning by Centre Court, but her tiny ducklings were captured.
To the relief of all, the RSPCA promised to reunite the family before the end of the day.
With extra security checks in place after the foiled car bombing just a few miles away in central London, Wimbledon needed a few smiles between the showers.

EXTRA security at Wimbledon this morning after the discovery of a car bomb in central London.
Police have already banned vehicles from parking near the grounds of the All England Club.
Everyone entering the site is subject to bag searches and random checks.
Those in the daily queue for tickets are also subject to airport-style security.
In addition, the hi-tech photo-passes worn by all staff and members of the press are scanned by special readers and checked against a police database.
Sniffer dog patrols on site were more evident today with security staff even more throrough in their checks.
Police also confirmed security had been stepped up.
On the first day of the Championships I attended a security briefing led by Supt Pete Dobson, the officer in overall charge of policing at Wimbledon 2007.

SO, no Brits left at Wimbledon. At least in the singles.
Just a few hours before Tim Henman’s exit, British fans gathered out on Court 3, in the shadow of Centre Court.
Blessed with a distant view of the traffic on Church Road, it’s a show court in all but name, thanks to a small stand stuck on one side.
It’s here that spectators can get up close and personal with the players, who have to be escorted through the crowds to reach the playing arena.
First into these humble surroundings was British No 1 Katie O’Brien to play her second round match against Dutch No 31 seed Michaella Krajicek.
The last surviving British player in the ladies’ singles, you may remember Katie, 21, from the year she played at Wimbledon while taking her A-levels.