Sharapova cruises to victory in her Olympic debut
WIMBLEDON, England -- Olympic tennis became deafening yesterday. Under Wimbledon's roof, the sound of pelting rain nearly drowned out Maria Sharapova's piercing shrieks.
The event moved indoors for the first time since the 1912 Games, and Sharapova made her Olympic debut amid a din, beating Israel's Shahar Peer, 6-2, 6-0.
"You hear a little bit of it, but it's not a big distraction," Sharapova said. "When you see the schedule and you see your name on Centre Court, you know that your match is going to get done. Knowing what the weather forecast was going to be like today, I was pretty happy."
Play on other courts was curtailed because of rain, with 32 matches postponed before they started and four suspended in progress.
Only 12 matches were completed. One took place on Court 1, where 2008 bronze medalist Novak Djokovic endured two long delays en route to a win over Fabio Fognini of Italy, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2.
Other winners under Centre Court's retractable cover were Julia Goerges of Germany, who upset recent Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, British hopeful Andy Murray and No. 5-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
Sharapova completed a career slam last month by winning the French Open, and now hopes to add an Olympic medal. She missed the 2008 Games because of a shoulder injury. "It took many years to get here, so it's pretty special," she said.
