8901270929
DETROIT FREE PRESS
890706
Thursday, July 06, 1989
METRO FINAL
1D
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1989, Detroit Free Press
MEN'S FINAL FOURSOME MAKE FIELD OF CONTRASTS
WIMBLEDON, England -- Well, we are down to the final fours here in the
world's most important tennis tournament, and what a field it is! Particularly
on the men's side, where we have three former champions -- John McEnroe,
Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg -- and a two-time runner up, Ivan Lendl, who one
day may get the hang of this grass court stuff, if we live that long.
Four players. Four distinct personalities: Becker, the heartthrob of
teenage Europe; McEnroe, who the press here calls "Mighty Mouth"; Lendl, who
is obsessed with winning this title; and Edberg, who is . . . well, Edberg is
Swedish.
Before they left the grounds Wednesday, all four men were given the
traditional Wimbledon Questionnaire For Semifinalist Players.
Here is how they answered:
1. Why do you want to win Wimbledon?
LENDL: "To prove I can do it once."
EDBERG: "To prove I can do it twice."
BECKER: "To prove I can do it three times."
McENROE: "To get my shoe contract back."
2. If an umpire makes an unpopular call, what is the proper Wimbledon
reaction?
EDBERG: "Be silent and act like Bjorn Borg."
LENDL: "Play with your racket strings."
BECKER: "Serve an ace."
McENROE: "The umpire should be hung by his toes and dogs should eat his
flesh."
3. Please write below the first verse to "God Save The Queen."
LENDL: "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of what I see, of her I know."
EDBERG: "I do not realize this question."
BECKER: "God save the Queen, for us, and may she come, for us, and see us
play."
McENROE: "You got to be kidding me."
4. What is your favorite breakfast at Wimbledon?
BECKER: "I am, how you say, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs."
EDBERG: "Cream of Wheat."
LENDL: "High grade protein shake, mixed with amino acids, liquid starch and
complex carbohydrates."
McENROE: "Breakfast is for wimps."
5. List, in order, your best shots:
EDBERG: "1. Serve 2. Forehand 3. Volley."
LENDL: "1. Forehand 2. Backhand, 3. Serve."
BECKER: "1. Serve 2. Forehand 3. Volley."
McENROE: "1. Hey, moron, if you had eyes you'd be dangerous. 2. You are the
pits of the world! 3. There are 1000 umpires in the world and I get a dip-head
like you!"
6. The proper way for players to address the Royal box is:
EDBERG: "Curtsy."
LENDL: "If you let me win, I will drop to the ground and kiss the earth with
my lips."
BECKER: "Hey, Queen, how is it hanging?"
MCENROE: "Personally, I was planning to drop my pants at Centre Court,
although this may not be the correct answer."
7. If you could not win Wimbledon, who would you like to see win it?
EDBERG: "Mats, Anders, Jonas or Henrik."
LENDL: "If I cannot win it, I would like to pay whoever wins it to let me win
it, and then I would fall to the ground and kiss the earth with my lips."
BECKER: "Vell, this is a hard question, no?"
McENROE: "Tatum O'Neal."
8. Have you ever knowingly insulted an opponent, yelled at a line judge, or
cursed in the presence of Her Royal Highness?
EDBERG: "You mean like John McEnroe?"
LENDL: "You mean like John McEnroe?"
BECKER: "You mean like John McEnroe?"
MCeNROE: "You mean like Jimmy Connors?"
9. What can you tell us about the Prince?
EDBERG: "He is a very nice man."
LENDL: "If he lets me win, I will drop to the ground and kiss his shoes with
my lips."
BECKER: "I think it is good his new album, 'Batman', yes?
McENROE: "If he hired the umps, he's a jerk."
10. What do you do for relaxation in between the tennis matches?
EDBERG: "I think I sleep, perhaps?"
LENDL: "I have my dogs."
BECKER: 'Count my endorsements."
McENROE: "I teach my kids the game of tennis. My oldest one, Kevin, can
already throw his racket into the stands."
11. Who should win the Women's title?
EDBERG: "Lindqvist. She is Swedish."
BECKER: "Graf. She is German."
LENDL: "I would be happy to win the women's title, if you would let me."
McENROE: "Do women play here?"
12. Finally, what has been the highlight of your Wimbledon experience this
year?
EDBERG: "I go to the movies, I think."
LENDL: "Winning my two tiebreakers."
BECKER: "On Monday, it was Monica. On Tuesday, it was Sheree. On Wednesday .
. . "
MCENROE: Well, let's see. There's this guy that keeps phoning your office and
threatening to kill me. That's been a real hoot. And then there's that moron
who sprayed my face with air-freshener. I plan to party with him later on.
Also your fine British press corps, which ran my picture yesterday under the
headline "BRAT OUT OF HELL." I enjoy that. So does my wife. We plan to frame
it. Thank you so much for having me here. You pea-brains."
TENNIS