As a former Wimbledon champion himself, one might expect Michael Stich to appreciate the skill and dedication required to play tennis at the highest level and to compete in the world's most prestigious tournament. However, just ahead of the 2009 tournament kick-off, Stich, now a BBC Radio 5 Live commentator, has sparked outrage amongst some of tennis' female stars by stating that their role is as much about "selling sex" as it is their skills on the court.

Stich, who was the men's singles champion in 1991, made the comments last night after involving himself in an arguement over the loud grunting that many of the sport's top women engage in during play.

Stich, 40, said that the noises detracted from the women's "sex appeal", and quipped, "Just play it back to the women. It sounds disgusting, ugly, unsexy!"

When Stich was challenged that the women's role was to play the best tennis they could rather than look sexy, he stuck to his stance: "That's what they sell. They want to look good, they pay attention to their looks and everything."

The former German champ also joked that the only way to stop women players from grunting was to "shoot them."

Wimbledon is one of four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and is the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877, the tournament has also become known for its infamous rain delays. Wimbledon participants and viewers have grown to expect unpredictable weather, ranging from torrential downpours to on-again-off-again trickles. But beginning this year, the rain will no longer be a factor in game play.

When Wimbledon kicks off Monday, spectators will find a new waterproof feature on the Centre Court - a translucent retractable roof. Dedicated last month in front of crowd of nearly 15,000, many believe it was a long time coming. Others are sad to see the end of an era and a long-standing tradition. The outer courts will still be open to the elements, but it won't be the same with Centre Court fully protected.

Prior to the roof, grass-protecting tarpaulins needed to be deployed by teams of groundsmen at the slightest hint of rain, and then quickly removed when the rain ended. With the unpredictable nature of the rain in England, this start-stop process could go on and on and on.

The most prestigious tennis tournament will not have the number one player in the world as Rafael Nadal announced that he has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of any injury to his knee. Nadal held a news conference at the All England Club declaring:

"I'm just not 100 percent. I'm better than I was a couple of weeks ago but I just don't feel ready."

And added:

"I think I reached the limit right now. I need to reset to come back stronger," Nadal declared.

Nadal was bounced from the French Open earlier than expected last month and looked sluggish in a loss in a tuneup for Wimbledon yesterday.

Tennis legend Andre Agassi, a favorite among fans and players throughout his 20+ year career, will appear at The Kennedy Funding Invitational, a charity tennis tournament to raise awareness and funding to fight breast cancer. The fourth annual event will be held July 8-12 at Dellwood Country Club in New City, NY. In addition to Men's and Women's tournaments, the Cole Schotz Celebrity Match has become a highlight of the annual festivities. The Celebrity Match will be on Sunday, July 12 at 4:00 pm.

A limited number of tickets are available to the Andre Agassi match at $100 each. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. Seating is limited and tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets for the tournament matches are free and can be obtained by visiting the tournament's official website at www.thekennedyfundinginvitational.com.

In just its first three years, The Kennedy Funding Invitational has raised $3 million to benefit The Leslie Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis Center at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and the Breast Center at Nyack Hospital. Past participants in the Celebrity Match have included former tennis greats Pete Sampras and John McEnroe.

Kim Clijsters is ready to make a comeback to the tennis court. The 25 year old Belgian star, who held the number one ranking, gave up the game to have a baby but is now ready to rejoin the tour. Clijsters, who was one of the most loved players by fans and players on the WTA Tour, will announce her full plans in a news conference on Thursday.

The Associated Press is reporting that Clijsters has already asked the USTA for a wild card in the US Open which is set for August. The star is also set to play in an exhibition match with Steffi Graf in the coming months at the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.

Roger Federer and his girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec have been together for years, and on Thursday announced that they are expecting their first child this summer. The 13-time Grand-Slam champion, who is currently in Indian Wells, Calif. for the Masters' Tournament, wrote on his official website:

“Dear Fans,

I arrived in Indian Wells earlier this week and I am eager to get back out on court. My back is feeling much better and I am ready to go.

I also have some really awesome news to share with all of you: Mirka and I are excited to let you know that we will be parents this summer! Mirka is pregnant and we are so happy to be starting a family together. This is a dream come true for us. We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well.

Speak soon and thanks for all your continued support!

Roger

Looks like we have a future little tennis star in the making!

Tour may scrap the event in the future.

Larry Scott, the Womens Tennis Association's Tour chief executive, claims that the tour's governing body could consider pulling out of the Dubai Tennis Championships after the United Arab Emirates refused to allow Israeli players into the country. Shahar Peer was denied entry into the UAE, effectively barring her from participating in this week's tournament.

Scott claims that although the event will go ahead as planned this year, the WTA will not just accept and will seriously consider their future association with the UAE and the Dubai Tennis Championships:

"We don't want [the decision to proceed with the tournament] to be interpreted as complacency and accepting what has happened, because it's not. We will take a decision about what is to be done only after consultation with the players and tournament directors. We don't have a timetable on this yet. This is a shock and it has to be digested."

Scott continued, adding:

"I knew there was an issue they would have to get over - that they don't have official relations with Israel, while there are security concerns as well.

On Sunday it was revealed that Shahar Peer, a 21-year-old Israeli tennis player was denied a vista by the United Arab Emirates, effectively barring her from participating in this week's Dubai Tennis Championships. The 48th ranked women's tennis player in the world, Peer is said to have applied for a visa for the UAE months in advance, and had been assured by the tournament that she would be granted entry.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said that it was "deeply disappointed" by the UAE's decision. The WTA also hinted that they may scrap the event in the future, which would be a huge blow to the UEA and the Gulf, where huge amounts of money and time have been invested in bringing world-class sports and tourists to the region.

The event's organizer, Dubai Duty Free, which is owned by the UAE, issued a statement confirming that Peer had not been granted a visa. However, they failed to provide any kind of an explanation. Without explaining their actions, it will inevitably be assumed that the decision was made in response to Israel's recent actions in Gaza.

The WTA has a rule that no host country should deny a player the chance to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified. Through her ranking - 48 - Peer was entitled to play in Dubai.