Sports Calendar

The Net Post was delighted to see Lars Graff, the Swedish umpire, given the opportunity to take charge of the Wimbledon men's singles final. Graff is the outstanding official on the world tour, an ATP man who, given the splenetic political relationship between the ATP and the ITF (forget all this 'tennis family' guff when such appointments are made), might have missed out had darker forces been allowed to prevail.

The ITF were pushing for one of their leading men, Pascal Maria (who umpired the men's final last year and the French Open final last month), Carlos Ramos (who made a couple of major errors in the Andy Roddick/Lleyton Hewitt quarter final), or Enric Molina of Spain to be given the chair; but Andrew Jarrett, the Wimbledon referee, stucks to his guns and made absolutely the right call. The final was impeccably handled, as one knew it would be. Graff deserved his moment of distinction and around the world, those who umpire week in and week out on the tours, were celebrating a significant milestone for their kind. If the Wimbledon finals are all about being the best in the business, then the best umpires should umpire them. It is as simple and straightforward as that.

Mutual admiration society

Roger Federer was interviewed by Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United and England defender, in the wake of his Wimbledon triumph, courtesy of Nike, his clothing company. The two hit it off famously, Ferdinand showed an excellent appreciation of the sport, he is clearly a tennis fan, had the champion right at ease and remarked fulsomely on Federer's single handed backhand and how impressed he was with the stroke.

RIP Montcourt

It has been a truly awful few days for those deeply connected with French tennis or who, like the Net Post, admire for their abiding love of the sport. Richard Gasquet, the 23-year-old 2007 Wimbledon semi finalist, was suspended after traces of cocaine - a banned substance - were discovered in an out-of-competition doping sample before the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami three months ago. Gasquet, in a fearful state since, has only just picked up a racket again after all this time, for he does not know whether or when he will be free to play. He was in London last week seeking to prove his innocence. Gasquet needs someone to come forward willing to testify that they attended a party in Miami the night it is alleged the substance found its way into his bloodstream and may be able to shed light on the matter. Unless such a person is found, Gasquet's career will be two years in limbo.

And then, last Thursday, the death was announced of Mathieu Montcourt, a 24 year old from the outskirts of Paris, the world No 119, a player of tremendous talent and elan, on whom the Net Post had commentated during the French Open. The latest medical reports indicate that Montcourt, who had spent that evening at the home of Patrice Dominguez of the French Federation and his family, watching movies, suffered a cardiac arrest as he entered his apartment.

We mourn his loss. As did the world No.2 Rafael Nadal who, on his website, cherished the memory of a player with whom he had several battles as a junior.

Israel shows LTA the way

All hail Israel. Was it only four years ago, with Andy Murray making his Davis Cup debut in the doubles, that Great Britain went to Tel Aviv and landed a remarkable 3-2 victory? Yesterday, Israel celebrated a first in reaching the semi finals of the World Group - something Britain has not achieved since the old Inter Zonal Round in 1978 (when we defeated Australia at Crystal Palace) - as we prepare for a match against Poland in Liverpool in September that will determine if we remain in Euro-Africa Zone Group 1. Where has it all gone wrong?

The Israeli team in 2005 was Harel Levy, Noam Okun, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram; their team in 2009 is Levy, Erlich, Ram and Dudi Sela. The British team in 2005 was Murray, Greg Rusedski, Alex Bogdanovic and David Sherwood; our team in September will be Murray (if available for selection) and you take your pick.

I don't know how much the Israel Tennis Federation pockets in a year but I would hazard a guess that it is substantially less than the average £25 million that Wimbledon annually pumps into the LTA. It is another shameful reminder of the wastage that goes on, year in year out.