Shales ready to set record

Britain's Jeremy Shales, who is scheduled to be in the chair for the mixed doubles final on Sunday, will set a new umpiring record at Wimbledon this year.

This will be Shales' 36th Wimbledon in which he has been in charge of matches. He first officiated in 1960 and, unlike many officials who only act as line judges in their early years, he was immediately made a chair umpire. "I had to miss the 1965 Championships for personal reasons," Shales said. "But that is the only one I have missed since 1960.

"The mixed doubles this year will be my ninth final. I umpired the 1978 women's singles, which was the first time Martina Navratilova won the title. Oddly enough, I also umpired her very first match at Wimbledon in 1973."

Shales also umpired the 1990 men's singles final when Stefan Edberg beat Boris Becker, and he has also umpired two men's doubles, three women's doubles and one mixed final.

How long can he go on? "Hopefully another 10 years," Shales says.