It was always going to be an unusual Wimbledon, what with having no roof on Centre Court and the change of atmosphere that generated. But it has also been very quiet, with very little that is truly newsworthy coming out of The Championships so far. The tournament has been an endurance test for most, although Venus Williams claims to like the rain.

“Rain is good for me,” she said after reaching the semi-finals with a win over Svetlana Kuznetsova. “I feel like I achieve clarity, actually, when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait the clearer my game becomes to me. I just see it a lot better. I just relax. Just the longer I think about it the more it makes sense, the more my game makes sense. I think the rain has a special significance for me because I grew up in Southern Cal(ifornia) where it never rains. When it did rain, it means we had a day off from practice. So I've always found the rain very calming. I think that's probably why.”

While on the subject of Williams, a word about Serena. Does anyone ever remember hearing her credit her opponent when she’s beaten, other than perhaps (but only sometimes) a cursory ‘She played well’. It’s always ‘I can’t believe how badly I played, it wasn’t the real Serena out there, my arm/leg/shoulder/wrist/knee hurt’. And isn’t it amazing how what appear to be possibly the two strongest players on tour are injured for most of each season.

Any tournament director who believes they are going to show up for his event and goes so far as to advertise the fact is taking a huge chance on not looking foolish and lacking credibility when they don’t show up. They both, but especially Serena, pull out of far more tournaments than they play.

So what a breath of fresh air it is to have Ana Ivanovic around. She has completely charmed everyone, as she did in reaching the final at Roland Garros. She manages the difficult task of always smiling when she speaks. Martina Hingis used to do it, although she’s struggling a bit these days so the smile is not so much in evidence. But try it, smiling and talking simultaneously. It’s not easy.

Hard to believe, but when Ana played Nicole Vaidisova on Thursday it was her first time on Centre Court, ever. Surprising for a player who will be ranked inside the top five next week and was just in a Grand Slam final. Still, she didn’t complain. Wimbledon has a way of dealing with players who complain. It might be coincidence, but it is interesting how players who mutter dark things find themselves scheduled to play on courts that do not perhaps match their stature in the game. This year, Nikolay Davydenko has complained about Wimbledon being boring, and he was put on Court 13. Rafael Nadal complained about the scheduling and was put on Court 2.

Appearing on Centre Court is the dream of most players as they grow up learning the game. It is what drives them through countless hours of pain and struggle on the practise courts. It is the end of the rainbow for any aspiring player. Same for Smiler.