Sweeping along on off-court controversies, the first week has been both kind and unkind. Martina Hingis, Jelena Dokic, Alexandra Stevenson and Jennifer Capriati were all contestants in Wimbledon's other sporting event surrounding parents and locker rooms. Anne-Galle Sidot was accused of assaulting Stevenson's mother Samantha while her compatriot Amelie Cocheteaux was called a racist by the same family. Both girls denied the charges.
While the players invariably twist and squirm as answers are demanded about their private lives, there have been numerous attempts by Wimbledon officials to curb questions that are perceived to be unrelated to tennis. In that impossible task they have suffered complete failure.
When Dokic's father Damir was led drunk from the media bar by the police Jelena was asked about it after she had advanced to the third round to face American Brie Rippner. An official tried to intervene on the basis that the questions should be tennis-related. He didn't stand a chance. How does a controversial father impact on the preparation of a 17-year-old's fourth-round match? A valid question?
In essence most inquiries have been broadly relevant. It is how the answers have been treated that has been occasionally shocking. We ask Jennifer Capriati about her weight. We ask the Williams sisters why no one else appears to like them. We ask Hingis whether she and her mother intimidate players in the locker room and whether the WTA ban on mothers in the locker room is as a direct result of their behaviour. We ask Sidot whether her friend and colleague Cocheteaux is racist. We ask Capriati does she give Dokic advice because she too was "victimised" by her father Stefano.
On Saturday, Dokic, Capriati, Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport were asked what they thought about personalised questions. The Williams and Hingis had been asked before. They all deferred.
Right now most of the players involved, despite the inquisitions, can take some solace from the fact that they are still in the tournament, Hingis advancing without yet breaking sweat. Of the names expected to make it to the brink of the quarter-finals, only Mary Pierce has departed prematurely. Compared to the men's draw the seeds have survived incredibly well.
On Saturday Seles came through at a canter 6-0, 6-3 in 50 minutes against Sarah Pitkowski. Dokic destroyed Rippner in 46 minutes 6-2, 6-1. Venus Williams took a more scenic route than usual beating Nathalie Dechy 60, 7-6 in 75 minutes.
Capriati started slowly, complained bitterly to the referee about the music from Centre Court where the All England Club were holding a parade of former champions, then walloped Yayuk Basuki 7-6, 6-0.
Of all of the named players, it was reigning champion Davenport who looked out of sorts on Court One against the unseeded Paola Suarez. A back injury claimed her at the French Open and fitness has been a problem. Relying on elegant ground strokes and a big serve to follow into the net, the 6 ft 2 ins Davenport has, unlike Pierce, always been able to bend well and has naturally good timing. Facing a rejuvenated Capriati will be her toughest match so far.
"Jennifer hits the ball a lot harder, is a lot more aggressive than this girl I played today," said Davenport. "It's (confidence) not as great as it was last year. Finally the last two, three days it's clicked a little better. I think I know where she (Capriati) likes to go. On grass they're not long rallies. It's the one who hits the best shot first."
While the questions will continue to delve into issues surrounding tennis as much as the matches themselves, the line-up for the coming week is such that the competitive nature of the tournament will be cranked up a gear.
Hingis should meet Venus Williams in the quarter-finals and if Serena Williams wins her next two matches against unseeded opposition, she could face her sister in the semi-final.
Davenport, Capriati, Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario are locked together at the bottom half of the draw with Dokic hoping to emulate last year's run to the quarter-finals and looking quite comfortable, a swathe of similarly unseeded players around her.
So this week tennis will take the front seat - the all-round game of Hingis, the athleticism of Venus, the power of Serena, the feisty nature of Dokic, the back court game of Seles and the power and accuracy of Davenport.
But are we interested in sibling rivalry and the eccentric Williams father Richard? Do we think Hingis' mother Melanie will stay away from the locker room? Would a Wimbledon title finally bury the memories of the lunatic knife attack on Seles in 1993? Would a win over Davenport by Capriati re-ignite her dreams? We'll just have to ask.
