Sport

It's game, set, match 'Ovics' and 'Ovas' in seedings game

John Watterson  reports on how Serbians and Russians have come to dominate the top end of the women's draw at Wimbledon

Sat Jun 21 2008 - 01:00

John Watterson reports on how Serbians and Russians have come to dominate the top end of the women's draw at Wimbledon

THE QUESTION: what goes, "Serbia, Serbia, Russia, Russia, Russia"?

The answer: the Wimbledon seedings for next week's championship.

This year you don't meet a Serena or a Venus Williams until six and seven. Venus, a four-time winner and the holder of the women's title, is ranked seventh by the All England Club committee as the "Ovics", "Ovas" and "Evas" continue their dominance.

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This year more than ever the Serbians and Russians have pitched camp at the top end of the women's draw and it is the first time in the tournament's history two Serbs have settled into the one and two positions.

With French Open champion Anna Ivanovic ranked as favourite and her compatriot Jelena Jankovic second placed, that leaves the injury-struck Maria Sharapova as the third-best bet to regain the title she won in 2004 as a 17-year-old.

Factor in Novak Djokovic, one of the top players in the men's draw and the current Australian Open champion, and Serbia has not only top seeds but two Major title holders at SW19 for the first time.

Doubtless the bombing of Belgrade by Nato in 1999, and the laughable conditions under which 20-year-old Ivanovic and 23-year-old Jankovic were forced to practise, has added to their allure.

The converted swimming pool in which they trained has gone down in tennis folklore and despite this, or because of it, they have prospered.

Jankovic, who comes from a family of academics, found her way to the Bollettieri Academy in Florida as a 12-year-old. She then almost gave up the game after losing in the first round of nine out of 10 tournaments in 2006.

Ivanovic's salvation came at the hands of a Swiss businessman, Dan Holzman, who had heard of her ability and offered to finance her resettlement from Belgrade to Basle. Reputedly, he invested €316,000 in the youngster.

"For so many kids in Serbia now, carrying a tennis racket has become a fashion statement," said Ivanovic. "I am so happy to have helped make that happen."

The main cloud on the horizon is the Americans. The Serbs will remember that Venus won last year's title having been seeded 23, the lowest seed ever to win the aptly named Venus Rosewater dish.