We can’t say this much, but we Americans could use a sports boost. Our World Cup team got ousted by Ghana and left us all wondering why we invested so much of our time in a game most of us care nothing about. A Northern Irishman won our nation’s golf championship.

With the summer settling, and the sporting events being few and far between, it seemed Wimbledon might be the place to land our red, white and blue fix. See, when it comes to men’s tennis, we have one name and one name only; Andy Roddick. He’s the guy we root for because he’s the only guy we are allowed to believe in. A Grand Slam champion back in 2003, Roddick has put himself in the position to win another big one so many times that you feel he’d breakthrough eventually.

Sadly, tennis gives you just a few years to do so, and Roddick isn’t exactly in his rookie season anymore. A pro since 2000, the 27-year-old American has only a few more chances at a legitimate slam to add to his U.S. Open title. Wimbledon seems like the place it could most likely happen, but Andy lost to a rather unknown on Monday in a year that saw a lot of promise.

This event was the last one Andy wanted to lose before he had to, mainly because the draw seemed favorable. After 2009, it seems he deserves one here.

Andy couldn’t get past Yen-Hsun Lu. If he would have, Andy would have faced Novak Djokovic, a man that Roddick has taken down three times in a row, and seems to be completely comfortable facing at this point in his career. After that, Roddick would have most likely gone up against Roger Federer in a year that he has looked beatable on all surfaces. An early exit at Roland Garros, Federer nearly lost his first round match at Wimbledon before coming back to win a five-setter. It took the nearly flawless Federer four sets in his second round, and although he’s rolled in the last two matches, you can sense a letdown year for Roger. If Andy would have moved on to that point, it seems that 2010 would have been his best shot at moving past Roger at Wimbledon.

The defeat all but summarizes Andy’s career at the All England Club. He has come in with plenty of game, but can never finish when he needs to. Asked after his match if he would wake up on Tuesday pissed off, Andy looked at the reporter, rolled his eyes and answered how any athlete in the world would answer – "Of course I’m going to be pissed off when I wake up tomorrow. If you got fired from your job, you probably wouldn’t wake up the next day in a good mood."

With that, Andy left the interview room disgusted, as he should be, after a bad day of tennis cost him another shot at this great title. Andy is better than the way he played on Monday, and had a great shot at advancing deep into this tournament.

It’s sad that we will have to wait another year to see if he can finally do on grass what we’ve expected him to do. For the first time in Roddick’s career, it seems very likely that we will never seem Andy leave Wimbledon with a smile on his face.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Three-time finalist Andy Roddick was stunned in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday by an 82nd-ranked Taiwanese player who hadn’t won a match here the past four years.

The fifth-seeded American was ousted 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 9-7 by Yen-hsun Lu in a match that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours.

Lu sealed the victory in the 16th game of the fifth set with his only service break of the match.

The 26-year-old Lu had lost in the first round at Wimbledon four straight times and failed to win a match at the past five Grand Slams.

He’s the first Asian man to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam since Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan did it at Wimbledon in 1995.

Roddick had 38 aces, but converted only one of eight breakpoint chances. Lu finished with 22 aces.

“I thought he served better than he has against me before,” Roddick said. “That being said, I had shots. I didn’t take advantage of them.”

Lu’s win overshadowed victories by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on the men’s side, and the Williams sisters and Kim Clijsters among the women.

Before Monday, Lu was 9-18 in Grand Slam matches, 11-17 on grass and 2-10 overall against top-10 ranked players. It was his first win over a top-10 player since he beat Murray in the first round of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, has lost three times to Federer in Wimbledon finals, including last year’s epic match that went to 16-14 in the fifth set. He had beaten Lu in straight sets in three previous meetings.

Roddick evened Monday’s match by serving a 126 mph ace on the final point of the fourth-set tiebreaker, and had a chance for a decisive break in the fifth. But, on break point at 4-4, Lu came up with a perfect backhand volley and went on to hold serve.

Serving with Lu ahead 8-7, Roddick hit a forehand long at 30-all to set up match point. Lu converted by hitting a running forehand passing shot down the line.

“Through three sets I was playing horrendously, I mean really, really badly,” Roddick said. “I was trying to think of how to put balls in the court. I think the fifth set was probably the best set that I played … but when you dig yourself a hole, it’s tough to get out.”

Lu said he didn’t believe he could win but told himself to keep fighting.

“I just told myself, ‘If I can stay longer, longer, longer, then probably something happens’,” he said. “And finally then I waited for the last chance to close the match.”

Lu, who held up a finger to the sky, dedicated the win to his father, a chicken farmer who died in 2000.

Earlier, defending women’s champion Serena Williams overcame Maria Sharapova 7-6 (9), 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals and avenge her loss to the Russian in the 2004 final.

Clijsters rallied to beat Justine Henin 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-Belgian duel between former No. 1-ranked players making Wimbledon comebacks after returning from retirement.

Defending champion Federer, 2008 champion Nadal, third-seeded Djokovic, No. 4 Murray and five-time women’s winner Venus Williams also advanced on an action-packed day featuring all remaining 32 men’s and women’s players in fourth-round matches.

Serena Williams served 19 aces for the second straight match—taking her total to 63 for the tournament—and held off the resurgent Sharapova in a tight battle on Centre Court.

“I don’t serve like this too often,” Williams said. “I don’t know what it is about this court that makes me serve well.”

In 2004, Sharapova—17 years old at the time—stunned Williams 6-1, 6-4 for her first Grand Slam title.

“That was so long ago that I don’t think it gives me any more added or any less satisfaction,” Williams said after Monday’s match. “We’re both different players. She’s obviously improved. Hopefully I’ve improved since six years ago.”

Williams finished with 31 winners and 17 errors, while Sharapova had 14 winners and 18 errors.

“I had a few looks at her serve, but even when you had a good look and the ball’s coming at you in 120s (mph), it’s pretty tough to do much with it,” Sharapova said.

Clijsters came from a set down against Henin and is 13-12 in career meetings against her compatriot.

Henin received treatment on her right elbow on three changeovers after slipping and falling to the turf as she charged to the net at 2-1 in the first set. She said the elbow was “quite painful” and bothered her on her serves and backhands, but didn’t know the extent of the problem.

“I don’t really know how it affected (the match),” said Henin, who has seven Grand Slam titles but has yet to win Wimbledon. “We’ll see in the next few days.”

Henin seemed in complete command after easily winning the first set, but Clijsters—a two-time U.S. Open champion—lifted her game in the second. Clijsters made the decisive break in the eighth game of the final set, and the two exchanged kisses on the cheek at the net.

“I can’t believe we’re back to this after so many years of battling against each other,” Clijsters said.

Federer, chasing a record-tying seventh Wimbledon singles title, swept past 16th-seeded Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to reach his 25th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal.

“I thought I played great,” said Federer, who next plays Tomas Berdych. “Aggressive right from the start.”

Nadal, forced into five sets the previous two rounds, needed only three Monday to beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, and showed no sign of the right knee trouble which bothered him.

Nadal faces sixth-seeded Robin Soderling, the Swede who beat him in the fourth round at the French Open last year. Nadal beat Soderling in last month’s French Open final.

Soderling, who hadn’t dropped a set until Monday, needed five sets to beat No. 9 David Ferrer 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to make the quarters for the first time.

Djokovic beat 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Serb received medical treatment in the third set for stomach cramps, but regained the advantage in the fourth with two service breaks.

Murray beat American Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final eight for the third consecutive year. He’s the only player in the men’s draw who hasn’t lost a set.

Murray, seeking to become the first British player to win the men’s singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, will next meet 10th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Venus Williams pulled out a tough 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Jarmila Groth of Australia, the lowest-ranked player left in the draw at No. 92.

Third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki lost 6-2, 6-0 to unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova.

Also making the quarters were No. 9 Li Na of China, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and qualifier Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Third-seeded Novak Djokovic has beaten former champion Lleyton Hewitt to reach the quarterfinals of the men’s singles at Wimbledon.

The Serb won 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a match Monday that lasted almost three hours.

Djokovic, who eliminated Hewitt at this stage in 2007, required just a single break of service to win each of the first two sets.

Leading 2-1 in the third set, Djokovic had a medical timeout for an abdominal muscle problem as the 15th-seeded Australian rallied to take the set.

Hewitt faced two break points to go 3-0 down in the fourth but fought back to draw level. He was then broken again in game nine, allowing Djokovic to serve out the match.

Djokovic’s best Grand Slam performance so far was to win the 2008 Australian Open.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Defending champion Serena Williams overcame Maria Sharapova 7-6 (9), 6-4 on Monday to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals and avenge her loss to the Russian in the 2004 final.

In another marquee women’s matchup, Kim Clijsters rallied to beat Justine Henin 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-Belgian duel between former No. 1-ranked players making Wimbledon comebacks after returning from retirement.

Defending champion Roger Federer, third-seeded Novak Djokovic and five-time women’s winner Venus Williams also advanced on an action-packed day featuring all remaining 32 men’s and women’s players in fourth-round matches.

Serena Williams served 19 aces for the second straight match—taking her total to 63 for the tournament—and held off the resurgent Sharapova in a tight battle on Centre Court.

Williams, who hit four aces in the opening game, saved three set points in the tiebreaker to stay in command.

“I played really well and I thought I had my chances,” said Sharapova, who hurt her own cause with seven double faults. “If it was not for her really great serving, I certainly had a real good look at winning the match.”

In 2004, Sharapova—17 years old at the time—stunned Williams 6-1, 6-4 for her first Grand Slam title.

“That was so long ago that I don’t think it gives me any more added or any less satisfaction,” Williams said after Monday’s match. “We’re both different players. She’s obviously improved. Hopefully I’ve improved since six years ago.”

Sharapova came back from 3-1 down in the first set and had Williams on the ropes in the tiebreaker, but failed to convert. Leading 6-4, she hit a forehand into the net before Williams smacked a forehand winner to make it 6-6.

With Sharapova up 8-7, Williams hit a service winner to save another set point. At 9-all, Sharapova double-faulted. Williams then converted her third set point with her 13th ace.

Serving for the match in the second set, Williams hit another ace and a service winner. She finished with 31 winners and 17 errors, while Sharapova had 14 winners and 18 errors.

“I had a few looks at her serve, but even when you had a good look and the ball’s coming at you in 120s (mph), it’s pretty tough to do much with it,” Sharapova said.

Clijsters came from a set down against Henin and is now 13-12 in career meetings against her compatriot.

Henin received treatment on her right elbow on three changeovers after slipping and falling to the turf as she charged to the net at 2-1 in the first set. She said the elbow was “quite painful” and bothered her on her serves and backhands, but didn’t know the extent of the problem.

“I don’t really know how it affected (the match),” said Henin, who has seven Grand Slam titles but has yet to win Wimbledon. “We’ll see in the next few days.”

Henin seemed in complete command after easily winning the first set, but Clijsters—a two-time U.S. Open champion—lifted her game in the second.

Clijsters made the decisive break in the eighth game of the final set after Henin sailed a forehand long, then served out the match. The two exchanged kisses on the cheek at the net.

“I can’t believe we’re back to this after so many years of battling against each other,” Clijsters said. “I think this was our 25th battle, so we go way back but we play really good tennis and I think we showed some good stuff out there today.”

Federer, chasing a record-tying seventh Wimbledon singles title, swept past 16th-seeded Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The top-seeded Federer, who was broken once but lost only 15 of 63 points on serve, has now reached the quarterfinals at 25 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.

“I thought I played great,” he said. “Aggressive right from the start.”

Djokovic beat 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Serb received medical treatment in the third set for what appeared to be an abdominal muscle problem, but regained the advantage in the fourth with two service breaks.

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray, seeking to become the first British player to win the men’s singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, beat American Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final eight for the third consecutive year. Murray will next face 10th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Sixth-seeded Robin Soderling, who hadn’t dropped a set until Monday, needed five sets to beat No. 9 David Ferrer 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to make the quarters for the first time. Soderling, a French Open finalist the past two years, will play either 2008 champion Rafael Nadal or Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu for a berth in the semifinals.

Venus Williams overcame a tough challenge from the lowest-ranked player left in the draw. The second-seeded Williams broke back twice to stay in the second set, then escaped in the tiebreaker to complete a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory on Court 2 over 92nd-ranked Jarmila Groth of Australia.

“There wasn’t a lot of room for error for either one of us against each other’s serve,” Williams said. “She played really well today. I didn’t think she made too many errors. Just really played some smart tennis and took advantage of opportunities. I played well at the end to close it out.”

The victory sent Williams into her 31st Grand Slam quarterfinal and improved her record to 12-0 in fourth-round matches at the All England Club. She could potentially face Serena in Saturday’s final.

Vera Zvonareva advanced when fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic retired with a back injury while trailing 6-1, 3-0. It’s the fourth time the Serb has gone out in the fourth round here, while the Russian made it to the quarters for the first time. She will next face Clijsters.

Third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki lost 6-2, 6-0 in just 46 minutes to unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova. The 19-year-old Dane, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, was overwhelmed by the 62nd-ranked Kvitova, managing just four winners to her opponent’s 23.

Also making the quarters were No. 9 Li Na of China, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and qualifier Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—One day after winning the longest tennis match in history, John Isner lost the shortest men’s match at Wimbledon so far this year.

It was back to normal, meanwhile, for defending champion Roger Federer, who showed he was back at the top of his game by sweeping Arnaud Clement in straight sets to reach the fourth round in his bid for a seventh Wimbledon crown.

Marathon man Isner looked weary from the outset Friday, required treatment for a neck injury and was beaten by unseeded Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.
 
The second-round match was over in just 1 hour, 14 minutes, and the five games won by Isner is the fewest by a male player this week.

It was a complete turnaround from Isner’s epic three-day victory over Nicolas Mahut, which lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes and went to 70-68 in the fifth set.

What’s more, Isner served no aces Friday after hitting a record 112 against Mahut.

“I’ve never been this exhausted before,” Isner said. “Mentally and physically, I was obviously a bit drained. I just didn’t have much in the way of my legs. I was just low on fuel out there. Didn’t really have a chance.”

Starting shortly after noon in warm sunshine, Isner received a standing ovation when he walked onto court. He immediately lost his serve—something that didn’t happen once in his never-ending fifth set against Mahut.

“The turnaround time—he just didn’t have enough time to get his body right,” said Isner’s coach, Craig Boynton. “He’s one tired boy.”

Federer looked perfectly fresh as he demolished Clement 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, playing like the old grass-court master himself after being stretched to five sets in his first-round match and four in the second.

Federer saved the only break point against him, hit 29 winners, made only 12 unforced errors and left Centre Court to a rousing standing ovation.

“I get standing ovations 99 percent of the time—doesn’t matter if the performance was great or not so great,” he said. “I think they’re happy to see me, and they love tennis. … But of course, when I end up winning, and they give me a reception like this, it feels good at the heart.”

Federer will next play 16th-seeed Jurgen Melzer, who beat Feliciano Lopez in four sets. Federer and the Austrian played doubles together as juniors but have never faced each other in singles on the tour.

“I’m excited about having a weekend off, because it’s been a tough first week,” Federer said. “Not as tough as Isner and Mahut, of course, but still somewhat tough mentally. So I’m looking forward to Monday.”

The man Federer has beaten in three Wimbledon finals, Andy Roddick, served 28 aces in a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber to make the round of 16.

The fifth-seeded American broke four times and saved all seven break points against him.

Roddick missed his first match point at 5-2 when he dove head first in vain to reach a drop shot and landed face first on the grass. In the next game, he saved a break point and then finished with an ace down the middle on his third match point.

Roddick next faces Yen-Hsun Lu, who became the first Taiwanese man to make the fourth round of a Grand Slam. He was leading Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-4, 2-1 when the German retired injured.

In women’s play, five-time champion Venus Williams moved into the fourth round by beating Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova 6-4, 6-2. Williams was down 3-1 in the first set before taking control with her power game as both players went for big shots from the baseline.

Williams took a tumble in the last game as she slipped on the grass, but appeared unscathed. The No. 2-seeded Williams next faces Australian Jarmila Groth, and could eventually meet top-ranked sister Serena in the final.

Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters—two Belgians making Wimbledon comebacks— won in straight sets to set up a fourth-round showdown Monday.

Clijsters, seeded eighth, beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3. Henin, seeded 17th, defeated No. 12 Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-4.

Clijsters and Henin will play each other for the 25th time, but the first time in a Grand Slam since 2006. Their rivalry stands at 12-12 and has become friendlier over the years.

“It’s obviously not the same as in the beginning,” Clijsters said. “We’ve definitely grown up. We’ve had great times together playing Fed Cup and just messaging each other on phones, teasing each other, fun, you know, relax. I think that’s how I would have liked it to have always been.”

Both Belgians have mounted career comebacks from retirement. Clijsters last played at Wimbledon in 2006, Henin in 2007. Henin has seven Grand Slam titles and Clijsters two, but neither has won the Wimbledon crown.

Clijsters won their last previous meetings this year in Brisbane and Key Biscayne.

No. 4 Jelena Jankovic beat No. 28 Alona Bondarenko 6-0, 6-3. No. 11 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up, defeated Greta Arn 6-3, 6-4.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic reached the round of 16 by beating No. 28 Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

That sets up an intriguing fourth-round battle against 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt. The 15th-seeded seeded Australian, enjoying a resurgence after returning from hip surgery, advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-4 win over Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Hewitt saved three set points in the second-set tiebreaker, and pumped his right arm four times in celebration after closing out the set. Monfils fought back to stay close in the third but double-faulted to end the match.

In a minor upset, 13th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia was ousted by Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Isner didn’t warm up before taking the court and showed up unshaven. He dropped the first set in 16 minutes, winning only nine points while committing 11 unforced errors.

“It was brutal,” Isner said. “Things were looking pretty bleak right from the get-go.”

After the set, he took an injury timeout and received a neck massage from a trainer. Boynton said Isner’s neck began to stiffen after the Mahut match.

Following the loss, Isner pulled out of doubles before his first-round match with partner Sam Querrey, citing fatigue and a blister on his small left toe.

“Your body’s like, ‘Hey, what are you doing to me here?”’ Boynton said. “I mean, that match seemed like it was two weeks long.”

The crowd roared on Court 5 when Isner finally won a game after 32 minutes to trail 2-1 in the second set. His shots began to show more zip, but his movement remained sluggish. Several times he didn’t even pursue shots, and when he buried a forehand in the net in the third set, he bent over with his hands on his knees.

Seeing the toll the marathon took on Isner, de Bakker said he felt sympathy.

“Of course,” de Bakker said. “I mean, 70-68, it’s pretty sick. People at home who didn’t know it, watching it, I mean, they’ll probably think it’s a mistake. It’s unbelievable.”

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Third-seeded Novak Djokovic has reached the fourth round of Wimbledon after a straight-sets victory over Spain’s Albert Montanes.

The third-ranked Djokovic dominated the 28th-seeded Montanes, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in just over 1 hour, 45 minutes on Friday.

The 23-year-old Serb, who has not dropped a set since going to five in the first round against Olivier Rochus, did not offer Montanes a single break-point opportunity.

The 2008 Australian Open champion, into the second week of Wimbledon for the fourth time in his career, will play the winner of the match between Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and Frenchman Gael Monfils for a berth in the quarterfinals.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—One day after winning the longest tennis match in history, John Isner lost the shortest men’s match so far at this year’s Wimbledon.

The marathon man looked weary from the outset Friday, required treatment for a neck injury and was beaten by unseeded Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

The match was over in just 1 hour, 14 minutes, and the five games won by Isner is the fewest by a male player this week.
 
It was a complete turnaround from Isner’s epic three-day victory over Nicolas Mahut, which lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes and went to 70-68 in the fifth set.

What’s more, Isner served no aces Friday after hitting a record 112 against Mahut.

“I’ve never been this exhausted before,” Isner said. “Mentally and physically, I was obviously a bit drained. I just didn’t have much in the way of my legs. I was just low on fuel out there. Didn’t really have a chance.”

Starting shortly after noon in warm sunshine, Isner received a standing ovation when he walked onto court. He immediately lost his serve—something that didn’t happen once in his never-ending fifth set against Mahut.

“The turnaround time—he just didn’t have enough time to get his body right,” said Isner’s coach, Craig Boynton. “He’s one tired boy.”

In women’s play, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters—two Belgians making Wimbledon comebacks—won in straight sets to set up a fourth-round showdown Monday.

Clijsters, seeded eighth, beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3. Henin, seeded 17th, defeated No. 12 Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-4.

Clijsters and Henin will play each other for the 25th time, but the first time in a Grand Slam since 2006. Their rivalry stands at 12-12 and has become friendlier over the years.

“It’s obviously not the same as in the beginning,” Clijsters said. “We’ve definitely grown up. We’ve had great times together playing Fed Cup and just messaging each other on phones, teasing each other, fun, you know, relax. I think that’s how I would have liked it to have always been.”

Both Belgians have mounted career comebacks from retirement. Clijsters last played at Wimbledon in 2006, Henin in 2007. Henin has seven Grand Slam titles and Clijsters two, but neither has won the Wimbledon crown.

Clijsters won their last previous meetings this year in Brisbane and Key Biscayne.

No. 4 Jelena Jankovic beat No. 28 Alona Bondarenko 6-0, 6-3. No. 11 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up, defeated Greta Arn 6-3, 6-4.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic reached the round of 16 by beating No. 28 Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Isner didn’t warm up before taking the court and showed up unshaven. He dropped the first set in 16 minutes, winning only nine points while committing 11 unforced errors.

“It was brutal,” Isner said. “Things were looking pretty bleak right from the get-go.”

After the set, he took an injury timeout and received a neck massage from a trainer. Boynton said Isner’s neck began to stiffen after the Mahut match.

Following the loss, Isner pulled out of doubles before his first-round match with partner Sam Querrey, citing fatigue and a blister on his small left toe.

“Your body’s like, ‘Hey, what are you doing to me here?”’ Boynton said. “I mean, that match seemed like it was two weeks long.”

The crowd roared on Court 5 when Isner finally won a game after 32 minutes to trail 2-1 in the second set. His shots began to show more zip, but his movement remained sluggish. Several times he didn’t even pursue shots, and when he buried a forehand in the net in the third set, he bent over with his hands on his knees.

Seeing the toll the marathon took on Isner, de Bakker said he felt sympathy.

“Of course,” de Bakker said. “I mean, 70-68, it’s pretty sick. People at home who didn’t know it, watching it, I mean, they’ll probably think it’s a mistake. It’s unbelievable.”

Isner’s average first serve was 115 mph (183 kph), well off his normal pace, which often tops 130 (209 kph). He won less than half his service points and never reached break point on de Bakker’s serve.

“I wouldn’t have bet a lot of money on him today,” said Isner’s mother, Karen. “But he did his best.”

Isner said he plans to head home to Tampa, Florida, for a well-deserved break. What will he do?

“Really just anything but tennis,” he said. “I’ll watch sports. I’ll take in the World Cup. I’ll go fishing. I’ll do whatever. Just anything away from the tennis court.”

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Top-seeded Roger Federer survived another tense early-round match at Wimbledon when he overcame the tricky Serbian qualifier Ilija Bozoljac 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday.

By comparison, Federer had only a light workout. John Isner of the United States and France’s Nicolas Mahut walked off their court nearly two hours later without a result for the second day in a row, immersed in the longest match in history.

The two players managed weary smiles when their unprecedented first-round marathon match was called because of darkness for the second night in a row, tied at 59-all in the fifth set.

The match remained undecided after 10 hours of play, including 7 hours, 6 minutes in the fifth set alone. That was enough to break the full-match record of 6:33, set at the 2004 French Open.

Six-time champion Federer, who escaped from a two-set deficit in his opening match, had trouble putting Bozoljac away in their second-round match, converting only three of 13 break-point chances.

“I wish they were straight sets, obviously,” Federer said. “But as long as you’re moving on, especially at Wimbledon, I’m a happy man.”

Federer was never broken, won 75 percent of his service points, and committed only 13 unforced errors. He won the final three points of the match, one with a bold drop shot when trailing 5-4 in the tiebreaker.

The defending champion, Federer seeks a record-tying seventh men’s Wimbledon title. He has reached the final each of the past seven years.

Both Isner and Mahut dominated with their serves. Isner had 98 aces and Mahut 95, both surpassing the previous record for the sport. After play resumed Wednesday at the start of the fifth set, there were no service breaks.

The drama drew an overflow crowd on Court 18, and others players watched the telecast in fascination.

“I have almost no words anymore watching this,” Federer said. “It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen and could imagine. I don’t know how their bodies must feel the next day, the next week, the next month. This is incredible tennis. For them to serve the aces they served and stay there mentally is a heroic effort.

“As we know, we have no draws in tennis, so there will be a loser. But I guess in this match, both will be winners because this is just absolutely amazing.”

Three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick dug himself out of an early hole and beat Michael Llodra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (2). Seeded fifth, Roddick began playing serve and volley more as the match progressed, and he won 34 points at the net.

“That was as tough of a second round as there is,” Roddick said. “I had to make an adjustment. Off my serve, I had to start coming in and serving and volleying behind it.”

Playing the first match on sun-drenched Centre Court, Roddick hit 25 aces, lost serve just once, and committed only 11 unforced errors.

No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic beat American Taylor Dent 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-4. Dent served at up to 148 mph but lost 25 of 54 points at the net.

In the women’s draw, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams lost only 11 points on her serve and beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 6-4. Williams is seeded second behind her sister Serena, who won when they met in last year’s final.

Justine Henin was twice broken serving for the victory, then regrouped and beat Kristina Barrois 6-3, 7-5. Fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters defeated Karolina Sprem 6-3, 6-2.

Clijsters and Henin, both back at Wimbledon after coming out of retirement, could meet in the fourth round.

Umbrellas were out—not for rain, but as shields from the sun on the hottest day of the tournament. Williams rubbed a cold water bottle across her face during a changeover.

With temperatures heading into the low 80s, the All England Club’s public address announcer advised spectators to make sure they had skin protection, head wear and water.

“All are vital necessities,” he said.

No. 15 Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, advanced when Evgeny Korolev retired trailing 6-4, 6-4, 3-0. American Mardy Fish had 30 aces but went 0-for-9 on break-point chances in the final set and lost to Florian Mayer 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

No. 13 Shahar Peer lost to Angelique Kerber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Defending champion Federer was three points from defeat Monday against Alejandro Falla, and he was two points from being forced to a fifth set against Bozoljac, who is ranked 152nd.

“People maybe got a little bit spoiled and thought the early rounds are not even a competition any more,” Federer said. “It just shows how deep the men’s game is at the moment. People think they’re all scared of me. I always think they actually play better matches against me because they have nothing to lose.”

Roddick won his only Grand Slam title with an overpowering serve and forehand at the 2003 U.S. Open, and he’s now a much different player, using a wide variety of shots. He showed the broad repertoire down the stretch against Llodra, feathering a slice forehand for one key winner, hitting a loopy topspin forehand for another and dropping a pinpoint lob into the corner to take the lead for good in the tiebreaker.

Roddick converted all three of his break-point chances. He also erased two break points in the opening game of the second set, a pivotal moment in the match.

He broke for the first time at love in the final game of the second set to even the match, then won five consecutive games in the third set to take control against Llodra.

“He was playing flawless tennis,” Roddick said. “He played an almost perfect first set. It took some of my best stuff today to get through that. I thought I played really well. I think I had to.”

Henin built leads of 4-1 in the first set and 5-1 in the second. Serving for the win at 5-2, she double-faulted on consecutive points and lost the game, then lost serve again for 5-all.

But Henin broke back and served out the victory at love. She exhaled in relief after winning the final point against the German.

“I was sometimes too much in a rush to finish, probably because she gave up at that time and my intensity really dropped down,” Henin said. “I had a good reaction to the situation.”

Henin won 21 points at the net and hit 38 winners. The seven-time Grand Slam champion seeks the only major title she has yet to win.

“That remains a dream for me,” she said. “I just see myself as an outsider this year, because I don’t know how I’m going to deal at a very high level. So it’s very hard to predict what could happen, but I really don’t see myself as one of the favorites.”

Seeded 17th, the Belgian is playing at Wimbledon for the first time since 2007. She retired in 2008 and rejoined the tour in January.

Clijsters committed just 13 unforced errors against Sprem and erased the only three break points she faced. The No. 8-seeded Clijsters, who returned from retirement last year, is playing at Wimbledon for the first time since 2006.

She has reached at least the third round at her past 16 Grand Slam tournaments.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—The roof over Centre Court at Wimbledon was closed for the first time at this year’s tournament Monday—not because of rain, but because of fading sunlight.

The retractable cover, first used in 2009, was shut and the stadium’s artificial lights were turned on after the third set of No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic’s 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Olivier Rochus of Belgium in the first round.

Play resumed after a delay of about 35 minutes, and was able to continue past 10 p.m., while the rest of the All England Club’s courts were shrouded by darkness. The match ended at about 11 p.m.

It was the third match on Centre Court on the first day of the tournament.