A LOT of the world’s best tennis players will be kicking themselves this morning: Andre Agassi, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Jim Courier As for what poor Boris Becker must be feeling. This was the year that will haunt them, the year when they will feel that if they had been able to raise their game – or in Becker’s case had some luck – a wonderful chance to win Wimbledon would have beckoned. “He has to be more professional and hide his emotions,” he said.In truth, Ljubicic outplayed Lee with a powerful serve and smooth backhand that betrayed his 17 years and caused one of the British camp to suggest that he must be at least 22. During this defeat he was concerned that his son was showing too much negative emotion as he frequently crashed his racket into the grass. Overcoming disappointment is as much a part of succeeding as is coping with success. Martin, last year’s Wimbledon junior doubles winner with James Trotman, has enjoyed plenty of the latter, but will undoubtedly encounter deeper lows on the senior circuit.It is a fact that Lee’s father, Brian, a full-time coach who taught his son before handing over to Barclay, is aware of. I have been trying to lift him out of the doldrums and get him fired up with all the answers, but I couldn’t get him fired up at all.”It’s an everlasting effect.

He has done everything he could by getting to No 1 in the world, but he still couldn’t get in to the main draw. It has been very rough for him, but he tried his guts out in this match and I can’t ask for any more. I’m sure he will get through this and he will bounce back.”He will have to. But Lee’s 7-5, 6-4 defeat in the Boys’ singles by the Croatian Ivan Ljubicic was not the main cause for his disappointment.

The Worthing 18-year-old rightly felt that this was the year when he should have been given a chance, via the All England’s wild card entry system, to test his powers in the men’s event.
Lee was named as the world No 1 junior in both singles and doubles shortly before the Championships began almost two weeks ago, but that was not enough to elevate him from the kids to the adults’ table at Britain’s annual tennis feast.Lee’s coach, Ian Barclay, the silver-haired Australian who guided Pat Cash to the men’s title here in 1987, explained: “Martin has been so down in the dumps since not getting a wild card. A chance, too, to look back finally at the newspaper cuttings It made for some nice reading.. Martin Lee followed in Tim Henman’s footsteps yesterday and became the second Briton to fall in the quarter-finals of a singles event at Wimbledon. I had a few drinks as at last I could reflect on a successful 10 days.Friday 5 July: To Warwickshire for the wedding of my Davis Cup team- mate Mark Petchey, and not a tennis ball in sight.

I didn’t feel I had anything to celebrate because I’d lost to Todd but I went into Wimbledon for a meal with David, his wife Jan and Bill Ryan, my agent at IMG. I brought my preparations forward, but did not change anything. I do not mind early starts because we often begin at 10.00 on the tour, but I was a bit surprised so few people were there for the start of the match It soon filled up and did not have a bearing on the outcome. By 7.00pm we discovered that we wouldn’t be playing as the rain had set in again.Thursday 4 July: An 11.00am start. Todd and I get on well and we just chatted away, and watched the match between Sampras and Krajicek on television We spoke about everything except our own match.

I came to Wimbledon to practise and watched a few matches but did not feel the need to get away from it all. I was left to my own devices for most of the day and spent the bulk of it at my flat, relaxing as much as possible.Wednesday 3 July: I was due to face Todd Martin today, but spent the entire time in the locker-room waiting for the rain to stop. The No 1 locker-room is for seeds and British Davis Cup players and is a marvellously relaxed place. Paris St-Germain face the longest journey in Super League this weekend when they travel to Workington Town for today’s fixture. And once they get there, they might find themselves staring into the abyss. My preparations were similar to the Kafelnikov game in that Magnus is ranked above me But this time I could feel that I was expected to win.