WIMBLEDON, England -- Things you didn't know about the first week of Wimbledon 2008:

• The tournament doesn't resonate with the tabloids the way it once did. In the 1980s and early '90s, papers like the Sun -- circulation 3.5 million -- and Daily Mirror covered Wimbledon the way television covers Hollywood.

Andy Roddick's departure proves that American men are way behind. (AP)

"YOU TIGHT GIT," was the Sun headline, accusing Becker of being a cheapskate. Hey, maybe he didn't have the money in the pockets of his tennis shorts.

• The game that made Wimbledon famous, serve and volley, has gone the way of the British Empire. All you had to do was look at the yellowed grass on the courts, an indication of where the action was taking place. It wasn't at the net.

The patches, the wear and tear, are behind the baseline, where tennis is played now, even here. A different variety of grass was planted a few years ago, slowing down the pace of the game. You think Marat Safin could have beaten Novak Djokovic on the old stuff?

Pete Sampras, Becker and Stefan Edberg would hammer a serve, race in and thump the feeble return. Whump. Whump. A hitter's paradise, lost.

• Justin Gimelstob got as much attention as anyone, and he's retired. Maybe in an attempt to promote in the United States a mixed doubles match in which he and she are involved, Gimelstob called Anna Kournikova "a b****."

For good measure, he described two French women players, Tatiana Golovin and Alize Cornet as "sexpots," labeled the Czech Nicole Vaidisova "a well developed young lady," and claimed most female competitors "lack the social skills."

There was a bit of outrage from the ladies, as expected, despite a groveling apology by Gimelstob and a promise to donate to the Women's Sports Foundation. However, Venus Williams, who partnered with Gimelstob to mixed doubles wins at the 1998 Australian and French Opens, magnanimously insisted, "We should allow him to move on and contribute to tennis."

• There was only one rain delay the opening six days, for less than two hours on Friday. Every match was played as scheduled, Monday through Saturday.

A few years ago when the rain fell virtually every moment, first-round matches still were being decided on Saturday. Much to the distress of the town of Wimbledon, Borough of Merton, which dislikes the intrusion, play was held on the middle Sunday, "the day of rest."

All this has been tough for the sale of umbrellas at the Wimbledon shop, but there still are seven more days on the schedule.

• Andy Roddick's second-round departure and the universal collapse of the American men were yet another indication the U.S. is behind, way behind, and might never catch up.

Sports, indeed, are cyclical. The Boston Celtics went from bottom to top in a season. But you can't trade Roddick and James Blake for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Or sign Novak Djokovic as a free agent.

We were spoiled by Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang. The misconception was that Gimelstob would step up. Then Roddick, who at least did win the U.S. Open. It's going to be a long while before another American man is a Slam champion.

• Tamarine Tanasugarn made it to the fourth round. Again. She hadn't done it the past few years, mainly because of injuries. But in 2004, '02, '01, '00, '99 and '98, Tanasugarn was playing the second week.

Who is Tamarine Tanasugarn? A 32-year-old women's tour player who was born in Los Angeles, where her parents were living at the time, then grew up from age 5 in Thailand, to where they returned. Tamarine carried Thailand's flag at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and holds dual citizenship.

On Saturday, Tanasugarn was a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Marina Erakovic and now gets to face Jelena Jankovic, at No. 2 the highest women's seed remaining.

• Federer's winning streak on grass grew to 62 with three more victories. More of the same. In the interview room as well as across the net.

He's bored with the media, understandably, who are repetitive in their questions, and the media is bored with Roger, who is repetitive in his answers.

Not until he finally loses at Wimbledon will there be a change on either side, so we'll have to be patient. It isn't going to happen this year.