Word: wimbledonized
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This week Navratilova, 33, begins what seems to be her last plausible quest to win the 106-year-old Wimbledon ladies' title for a record ninth time. If she does so, or if she loses in a fashion that convinces her that another victory is an impossible dream, many of her peers expect her to retire. Perhaps she will linger a season or so to surpass her longtime rival Chris Evert's record total victories in matches (1,309) and tournaments (157). But in 1985, after winning Wimbledon over Evert, Navratilova said, "Whenever she retires, I'm sure...
...record 74 consecutive victories in singles and 109 straight in doubles ensure a place in history. She has earned tens of millions of dollars in endorsements, appearance fees at tournaments and exhibition matches, and prizes. What drives her is the desire to be the winningest ever at Wimbledon: "It is the thing I want to win more than anything else in the world. It has nothing to do with money. It's the best tournament...
...almost an obsession. Since Graf wrested away the No. 1 ranking three years ago, they have met only five times, and Graf has won the last four. Twice Navratilova was within shouting distance of victory only to lose through what looked like sheer nerves. If she can couple a Wimbledon victory with a vindicating triumph over Graf, the temptation to do what almost no athlete ever does -- win the last one and depart -- may prove irresistible...
...future countryman Lendl is similarly closing in on Jimmy Connors' record for most tournaments won. He already holds records for prize money won in a season, $2,334,367, and in a career, $16,282,293. But the only goal he speaks of with affection is to win Wimbledon for the first time. To achieve that, he has invested ten weeks in unpaid practice on grass courts on three continents. He wants to become the fifth man ever, and the first in more than two decades, to complete a career Grand Slam. (Wimbledon and the Australian, French and U.S. Opens...
...Already these fresh-faced youths show signs of ennui. Says Arthur Ashe, the former everything of U.S. tennis: "Half a dozen 20-year-olds are playing now with net worths around $15 million to $20 million. It's natural their desire will drop." Billie Jean King, who competed at Wimbledon until age 39, partly because the big-money days came along late in her career, agrees about the prevalence of burnout: "Graf has lost her intensity, and emotionally she's not there. Becker seems to be just going through the motions. Edberg...