![]() ![]() The British fell in love with a 21-year-old named Tim Henman, a pin-up boy from Oxford who advanced further in this tournament (the quarterfinals) than any Englishman since Fred Perry. "They asked me to hold it tight," Krajicek said, "so I felt like I would hold it like a baby. Krajicek dropped the lid to the treasured Challenge Cup while posing for photographs on Centre Court. ![]() Mary Pierce got grilled about her laundry habits. Becker had to go home after an awkward mis-hit resulted in a severe elbow injury in mid-match. Pete Sampras, the top seed, had his quarterfinal match suspended after a groundskeeper was swallowed by a tarp. Overshadowed by the European Championship soccer tournament on its first week and left with hardly more than a few recognizable names in its second, Wimbledon had more than its share of the unusual this year. Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Boris Becker, Michael Chang and Jim Courier all were gone from the draw before the end of the first week. MaliVai Washington became the first black man to play in the Wimbledon men's final since Arthur Ashe won the cup in 1975, and Washington had to watch his neighbor, Todd Martin, craft a soon-to-be legendary collapse in the semifinals in order to get there. Steffi Graf won her seventh women's championship, but not without a bad knee, a case of the sniffles, and an embarrassing Centre Court whiff. Richard Krajicek, of the Netherlands, won his first Grand Slam by capturing the men's title in a first-ever final between two unseeded players. Johnson's run capped a two-week tournament filled with oddball moments, unexpected names, and more than a little rain. No, this Wimbledon will be remembered for a woman named Melissa Johnson, who streaked across Centre Court on the final Sunday, flashing the players, the crowd and members of the royal box in the process. In all likelihood, Wimbledon 1996 will not be remembered for the emergence of a new men's champion, or the seventh title won by the world's reigning women's player, or even the presence of a black man in the men's final for the first time in 21 years. ![]()
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