After the French Revolution, It Is Up to Wimbledon to Restore Order

By JULIE CART

June 23, 1997 12 AM PT

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WIMBLEDON, England — Anarchy has ruled the tennis scene this spring, with the results at the French Open standing as testimony to the overthrow of the ruling powers. Gustavo Kuerten, a happy-go-lucky beach bum from Brazil, won the men’s title. Among the women, Iva Majoli did what no one had been able to do this year, defeat Martina Hingis.

Wimbledon has a way of restoring order. Perhaps it’s the tradition that oozes from the ivy-covered walls of the All England Club that makes it so difficult for unseeded players to run through a field as they did at

Roland Garros.

One caveat is that the top players have to show up to be seeded. Seven-time Wimbledon champion Steffi Graf is the tournament’s most glaring absentee, and its most troubling. Graf had surgery to her left knee soon after the French Open and will be unable to defend her titles either here or at the U.S. Open.

There have been mixed signals about her return. Graf issued a statement in which she said she was confident she would return to tennis; her surgeon said he was hopeful.

The men’s side has been stripped of several top players, for various reasons.

Thomas Muster, who was seeded No. 6, withdrew because of a sore right hip. It was his feelings that were sore last year, when he objected to his No. 1 seeding. He has never won a match at Wimbledon.

Muster’s spot in the draw was taken by Jonas Bjorkman, who will be seeded--as per Wimbledon policy--No. 17.

Another clay-court specialist, Sergi Burguera, took the traditional Spanish pass at the grass, as did Andre Agassi, who will miss his third Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Agassi’s withdrawal under the guise of a wrist injury is no surprise. He hadn’t played in seven weeks and watched as his ranking fell to No. 29, his lowest since 1994. Agassi has played one round of Davis Cup but precious little on the ATP Tour, where he is 6-6.

Todd Martin and last year’s finalist, MaliVai Washington, also are out because of injuries. Jim Courier is here, but grass is his least-favorite surface.

That leaves top-seeded Pete Sampras and No. 5 Michael Chang as the two seeded American players, the fewest since the introduction of the 16-seed system in 1975.

Three-time winner Sampras lost in the quarterfinals at Queens, and that, coupled with his third-round loss at the French Open, has many questioning if he has lost his way.

“I’m not in a panic,” Sampras said last week. “I know I can get better before Wimbledon. If I worried about all my defeats, I’d be in an institution by now.”

Sampras began the year by going 17-0 but has a 6-7 record of late. Sampras opens against Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden.

Like Sampras, Chang started the year well, winning four titles. He has since lost in the first round of three of his last four tournaments, including the Wimbledon warm-up at Queens. Chang lost in the first round here last year.

His draw is not easy. Should he get by his first opponent, Todd Woodbridge, Chang is scheduled to meet another Australian, the very hot Pat Rafter.

The defending men’s champion is only a distant blip on the screen. Since his surprise win last year, Richard Krajicek lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, had knee surgery in December, didn’t play Davis Cup, didn’t play at the Australian Open and lost to Pat Rafter in the third round at the French Open.

Krajicek’s most consistent feature has been his inconsistency. He’s in for a rough draw. He may face the young British hope, Tim Henman. If he gets past Henman, the wayward Goran Ivanisevic is next. The Croatian is talented but erratic. Still, Ivanisevic is ranked third but seeded second, acknowledgment of his ability.

Another player who might do damage is Michael Stich. Stich, who won in 1991, will be playing his last Wimbledon. Kuerten has been seeded No. 11 by virtue of his rapid rise in the rankings, but has played only two matches on grass in his career and has never played at Wimbledon.

The best match of the first round should be Mark Philippoussis and Greg Rusedski, two big servers. Rusedski’s serve has been recorded at 139 mph and Philippoussis’ at 142.

Form has been the operative word for the women at Wimbledon. In 15 years, there have been only three women’s champions. With the loss of Steffi Graf, Conchita Martinez is the only former champion in the draw.

Unless her play rises to her ability, the 10th-seeded Martinez is not likely to win again.

Hingis has been given the top seed, but the Swiss teenager is not altogether comfortable on grass, although she won the junior title here. Hingis’ game is not about power, which gives bigger, stronger opponents an advantage on grass. Nor is her serve much of a weapon.

Still, Hingis is confident and knows how to win, two attributes that will carry her far.

Jana Novotna wishes she could say the same. The one player here perfectly suited to the conditions, Novotna is always a question mark. Her natural serve-and-volley game depends on her fluctuating emotions.

Second-seeded Monica Seles would be more of a favorite if she could manage to pull herself back into her former, aggressive state of mind. At the moment, her mind is understandably on her ill father.

* TODAY’S FEATURED MATCHES, C12

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

WIMBLEDON ’97

Today--July 6

Top-seeded players for the singles championships

MEN

1. Pete Sampras, U.S.

2. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia

3. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia

4. Richard Krajicek, Netherlands

5. Michael Chang, U.S.

WOMEN