Movies and TV serials have gone from bad to worse on Channel 5 and 8 these days that I've finally come to a point that I abandon them for sports on Premiere 12; or to be more specific, Wimbledon matches on weekend nights.

Well, Wimbledon'99 has just ended its run and the games have proven to be of great entertainment value. Well, of course, there's the delectable Patrick Rafter and Anna Kournikova, the waifish but extremely talented Jelena Dovic, and it's nice to see players succumbing under the pressure on court; their faces screwed up, their rackets hurled mercilessly onto the ground......heh heh, I'm bit of a sadist, aren't I?

What amazes me though is the determination and grit the players display, how they are able to be on their feet at all times, completely focused and oblivious to the shouts and cheers their opponents are receiving from the crowd (clearly overpowering their own support group). One fine example would be the French player, Cedric Pioline in a quarter-final match against Britain's rising star, Tim Henman. Tim had the upper hand right from the start; this was his homeground and practically all the spectators were backing him. Whenever he scored a point, the applause was deafening. Cedric, on the other hand, faced a cold, stony silence after successfully delivering his aces. Nevertheless, he remained expressionless throughout the game and at one particular point, he forced Tim to a total of FIVE deuces before winning the point he dearly deserved! Though Cedric lost in the end, in terms of fighting spirit, he sure ranks at the top.