News and notes from Wimbledon

Sharapova goes for tux: First, there was Roger Federer’s cardigan and Serena Williams’ trench coat. Now, Maria Sharapova has set her own fashion trend at Wimbledon — a tuxedo. “I love men’s wear in general,” Sharapova said Tuesday after beating French qualifier Stephanie Foretz 6-1, 6-4 in the first round. “I love tuxedo jackets.” The 2004 champion played the match in a sleeveless top with a tuxedo-style bib front. She strode onto Court One sporting a single-breasted jacket with gold stitching on the collar lapel and front edge. Sharapova also wore shorts, worn low on the hip with a wide-tailored waistband, pin stripe-effect and gold-stitched buttons. “It’s hard to do things different with white,” Sharapova said, referring to Wimbledon’s strict dress code.

Trouble with birds and bees: There’s a buzz going around about the birds and the bees. Two days after having to deal with a swarm of bees around the player locker rooms, Wimbledon organizers received a letter from an animal rights group condemning the treatment of pigeons at the All England Club. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said it had seen newspaper reports that army marksmen were being used to shoot pigeons around the club. PETA sent a letter to Tim Phillips, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and members of the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit to outline Wimbledon’s “apparently illegal action.” “We believe that the club should be prosecuted for cruelty to animals,” said the letter, which was released to the media Tuesday.

Major moment: Japanese player Ai Sugiyama set a record for most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances — by a woman or man — when she started her 57th with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Belgian Yanina Wickmayer. “I’m very happy. When I heard the number of Grand Slams I played, it’s actually really huge numbers,” said Sugiyama, who will turn 33 next week. “Even here I came 16 times — this is my 16th Wimbledon — it’s been great. I just don’t want to just be here, but I want to perform well as well.” Sugiyama said she has never had a serious injury, and travels with a trainer and has a massage everyday to prolong her career.

Rising toll: Seven men had retired with injuries during matches on or before the second day, on top of the eight who withdrew before the tournament began. American Wayne Odesnik retired with a strained groin after losing the first set to No. 24 Jarkko Nieminen, and Nicolas Lapentti retired with a shoulder problem when down a set and two breaks against Viktor Troicki of Serbia. Odesnik got his start in the main draw when Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withdrew to have knee surgery. Among the others retiring in the first round Monday were 18-year-old Kei Nishikori, Filippo Volandri, Lee Hyung-taik, Sergiy Stakhovskiy and Michael Llodra.

Associated Press