WIMBLEDON Defending champ loses

Lleyton Hewitt is the first defending men's singles titlist to lose in the Open era.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt became the first defending men's champion at Wimbledon since 1967 to lose in the opening round, beaten by the tallest player in tournament history -- 6-foot-10 qualifier Ivo Karlovic.
Karlovic, a 24-year-old Croat playing his first Grand Slam match, won 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-4 on Monday.
In Wimbledon's 117-year history, the only other defending men's champion to lose in the opening round was Manuel Santana, who fell to Charlie Pasarell 36 years ago -- one year before the Open era began.
Karlovic, playing just his seventh tour-level match, achieved the upset on the sport's grandest stage. In keeping with tradition, the defending champion played the first match of the tournament on Centre Court.
Subdued celebration
Karlovic looked nervous at the start but poised at the finish. He served out the final game at love, hitting a 119 mph second serve for a winner on match point. The Croat raised his long arms and threw a fist, but that was the extent of his celebration.
No. 5-seeded Andy Roddick had a less eventful day as Wimbledon began its two-week run on a sunny and mild day. He hit 14 aces and 21 service winners to beat Davide Sanguinetti 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Among those eliminated on the first day were two other Americans, No. 31-seeded Vince Spadea and Robert Kendrick.
Hewitt and Karlovic walked onto the immaculate Centre Court lawn side by side but hardly shoulder to shoulder, since the Croat is 11 inches taller. There were no bows to the Royal Box, a tradition eliminated this year.
At first, the match went as expected. A shaky Karlovic double-faulted twice to lose the first game, then double-faulted twice more in his next service game to fall behind 3-0. He dropped the first set in 19 minutes.
But the momentum turned when Karlovic hit two big serves and a forehand winner to take the final three points of the second-set tiebreaker. When he reached break point for the first time, Hewitt double-faulted to fall behind 3-1 in the third set, and soon the fiery Australian was on the ropes.
No Sampras
Pete Sampras hasn't played a match since winning his 14th Grand Slam title last September by beating Andre Agassi in the final of the U.S. Open. At 31, Sampras has stopped short of announcing his retirement but is 95 percent certain he won't play again.
"You don't win a tournament again and again without there being some meat to the bone," Agassi said. "It's not like it's smoke and mirrors. You have to go out there and earn it.
"If you've done that a few times, there's a heck of a chance that the environment itself really lends to your game in a certain way that makes you pretty darn tough to beat. Pete at Wimbledon is a great example."
Before winning the U.S. Open last summer, Sampras went more than two years without a Grand Slam title. The slump included upset losses at Wimbledon to two Swiss players, Roger Federer in the fourth round in 2001 and George Bastl in the second round in 2002.
Because of the less-than-regal sendoff last year for Sampras -- a defeat against a player ranked 145th on tiny Court 2 -- it was widely anticipated that he would make another try at Wimbledon. But for now, at least, Sampras says he lacks the motivation to train as necessary to play another major.
Should be entertaining
Change at Wimbledon is regarded with the same disdain as rain, but the transition to the post-Sampras era should be entertaining. In his absence, the list of title candidates is longer than usual and includes Agassi and Tim Henman, two perennial contenders who never beat Sampras at Wimbledon.
Agassi won the first of his eight major championships at the All England Club in 1992 but has reached only one final since, losing in 1999 to -- you guessed it -- Sampras. Henman, seeking to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936, has reached the semifinals four of the past five years but lost every time, twice to Sampras.
Other contenders include the erratic Federer and American Andy Roddick, who hired Brad Gilbert as his coach after the French Open and then won his first career grass-court title at Queen's Club.
A first-time champion is a possibility, especially given the recent unpredictability of the men's game. Grand Slam finalists since the beginning of last year have included Thomas Johansson, Rainer Schuettler, David Nalbandian and Martin Verkerk.
The women's side
A surprise is less likely on the women's side, where the Williams sisters remain the players to beat, even though both were beaten at the French Open. Venus won Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001, and Serena won in 2002.
The most likely candidates to prevent an all-Williams final are Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, who staged an all-Belgian final at Paris two weeks ago. Henin-Hardenne ended Serena Williams' one-year domination of major events by beating her in the French Open semifinals, then defeated Clijsters in the final for her first Grand Slam title.