NOTEBOOK

Lawns don’t suit Blake: Slumped in his seat, James Blake struggled to explain another quick exit from Wimbledon. Then he offered a suggestion — perhaps it was the grass court. Americans just aren’t comfortable on grass courts, he said. Or clay, for that matter. Pete Sampras won seven Wimbledon lawn courts, but Blake was speaking about the current crop of players. “A lot of it has to do with the footing,” Blake said. “I’ve realized I’m not the same player when I don’t have my feet under me. Some of these guys are much better at keeping their balance and not thinking about the pushing off and the turning.” Blake, who has never advanced beyond the third round, lost to 32-year-old German Rainer Schuettler 6-3 6-7 (8-10), 4-6 6-4 6-4 Thursday in the second round. Blake said the slipping and sliding causes self-doubt. “It just causes a little bit of a tornado in my head, where I’m playing just not aggressive enough,” he said.

Williams sisters final? NBC analyst Mary Carillo likes the odds of a Williams sisters final at Wimbledon. Venus Williams is the defending champion and four-time winner, while Serena is a two-time champ. “Jocks win Wimbledon, and those are clearly two of the best athletes in the game,” Carillo said Thursday. “They can make the adjustments. They can play physical tennis. They can think on the move.” Venus Williams, who is seeded seventh, had 26 unforced errors but still won Thursday against Anne Keothavong of Britain, 7-5, 6-2.

Superstitious siblings: Dinara Safina doesn’t want to jinx her brother’s Wimbledon run after Marat Safin ousted No.3-seeded Novak Djokovic in the second round. “I’m superstitious, so from the first match I didn’t watch him,” she said. “I wasn’t even following the score because I was practicing at that time, and suddenly I finished the practice and I was walking and one girl goes, ‘Yeah, your brother is winning.’ I’m like, ‘Winning what? Like a set?’ She said, ‘No, two sets to love and break up in the third.’ Suddenly I went on court, and it was already 5-2 and match point. It was a nice surprise, so I don’t want to watch him.”

New dawn breaks: Mark Knowles made it to Wimbledon after the birth of his second son. Brody Knowles arrived three weeks early, allowing the former top-ranked doubles player to be with wife, Dawn, for the birth in Dallas last week before jetting off for the All England Club. Dad’s timing wasn’t as good. The fourth-seeded Knowles and Mahesh Bhupathi lost 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (4) Thursday to Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Peya in the first round. Knowles, a doubles winner at the Australian, French and U.S. Opens, reached the final at Wimbledon in 2002.

Costly conduct: Former champion Lleyton Hewitt was fined $1,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct during his first-round victory over Robin Hasse. The 2002 Wimbledon winner sent a ball skidding off court after a game in which he’d complained about being called for foot-faults.

Associated Press