Winnings: pounds 7.4m.Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1989), 3, W, QF, QF, 1.Made miserable exit from Court Two last year, losing in straight sets in first round when seeded two. Lost in five sets to Todd Martin in the last eight a year ago. Though surprisingly defeated by Derrick Rostagno in the third round at Queen’s less than a fortnight ago, he will be determined to impress in Agassi’s quarter of the draw.9 Michael Stich (Ger)Born: Pinneberg, Ger; 18 Oct 1968 Home: Salzburg 6ft 4in 12st 5lb Right-handed. Winnings: pounds 2.56m.Wimbledon record: 2nd rd (1990), 2, 4, 4, QF.Won his first singles title at Queen’s Club in 1992 and has made steady progress on Wimbledon’s lawns.
Gained valuable grass-court experience in reaching doubles semi-finals with Marc Goellner.7 Wayne Ferreira (SA)Born: Johannesburg, SA; 15 Sept 1971 Home: Johannesburg 6ft 12st Right-handed. Lost in five sets to Daniel Vacek in the third round on first appearance last year, having defeated the Czech on an indoor court in March. Winnings: pounds 1.29m.Wimbledon record: 3rd rd (1994).Has continued to advance after ending last year by helping Russia reach the Davis Cup final against Sweden in Moscow. Entertained for three sets against Sampras in last year’s quarter-finals.6 Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Rus)Born: Sochi, Russia; 18 Feb 1974 Home: Sochi 6ft 3in 12st 3lb Right-handed. Takes heart from David and Goliath, but does not slay many giants on grass. Added inch to handle of his racket, and has shown improvement in serving power. The man was made for Wimbledon, but not all the constituent parts are guaranteed to synchronize for seven matches played over the best of five sets.
If he gets it all together, watch out.5 Michael Chang (US)Born: Hoboken, New Jersey; 22 Feb, 1972 Home: Henderson, Nevada 5ft 9in 10st 7lb Right-handed. Winnings: pounds 6.58m.Wimbledon record: 2nd rd (1988), 4, 4, 1, 1, 3, QF.Lost to Thomas Muster in French Open final a fortnight ago. Winnings: pounds 5.73m.Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1988), 2, SF, 2, F, 3, F.Beaten by the flick of a wrist against Agassi in 1992, and lost heart after losing consecutive tie-breaks against Sampras a year ago. Only twice since 1985 (Peter Doohan, 1987, and Goran Ivanisevic last year) has he lost to anyone other than the eventual champion.4 Goran Ivanisevic (Croa)Born: Split, Croatia; 13 Sept 1971 Home: Split and Monte Carlo 6ft 4in 12st 8lb Left-handed. Winnings: pounds 10.93m.Wimbledon record: 3rd rd (1984), W, W, 2, F, W, F, F, QF, SF, SF.Ten years on from causing a sensation at 17, the former champion is seeking his first Grand Slam title since 1991 Usually the man to beat on the lawns. Confidence is the key.3 Boris Becker (Ger)Born: Leimen, Ger; 22 Nov 1967 Home: Munich and Monte Carlo 6ft 3in 13st 3lb Right-handed. Winnings: pounds 11.45m.Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1989), 1, 2, SF, W, W.Aiming for three in a row, but appears more vulnerable than last year, having lost the United States and Australian titles and the world No 1 position, all to his chief rival, Agassi Affected by the illness of his coach, Tim Gullikson Still the outstanding grass-court player.
Could upset the big servers, as in 1992, provided a hip injury does not flare again.2 Pete Sampras (US)Born: Washington DC, US; 12 Aug 1971 Home: Tampa, Florida 6ft 1in 12st 2lb Right-handed. Winnings: pounds 6.3m.Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1987), – , – , – , QF, W, QF, 4.Seeded 12 a year ago, which in itself was encouraging as he missed the early season. Since losing to Todd Martin in the fourth round here, has won the US and Australian titles and become the world No1. MEN
1 Andre Agassi (US)
Born: Las Vegas, US; 29 April 1970 Home: Las Vegas Height: 5ft 11in Weight: 11st 7lb Plays: Right-handed. “On clay you can tire yourself out before a big tournament but here I’ve had match practice and, because the points and matches are shorter, I feel very strong.”Not strong enough to go anywhere near winning the tournament, of course, but he will be worth watching Can you always say the same about the top seeds?. The Australian repeatedly attacked Frana’s weaker backhand but apart from saving two set points to take the first into a tie-break, he found he was outgunned and by the end had been comprehensively outplayed”It has been a good preparation for Wimbledon,” Frana said after a 1hr 22min work-out.
