The Wimbledon fortnight was a buzz of activity as it always seems to be.  Anna Kournikova was her usual swirl of controversy as she stormed off during a BBC interview and perhaps being knocked off the tabloid covers by her heir apparent, Daniela Hantuchova.  But we will leave Anna alone in this week's "Line Judge" column (ok, leave her alone a bit!) instead focusing in on tell-all biographies from two former Wimbledon champions as well as some un-"expected" news from a Top 10 WTA player

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There was little doubt that John McEnroe's just released autobiography, "You Cannot Be Serious," was going to start the tennis world talking.  While his tales of past drug use may not be considered newsworthy these days, the "enfant terrible" of American tennis made more headlines regarding his version of the rocky marriage to and divorce from Tatum O'Neal.  While McEnroe said he would approach the rocky relationship "as delicately as possible" in the book, O'Neal publicly fired back at her ex-husband.  O'Neal, who lost custody of their three children and apparently has not seen them for some time due to her own battle against drugs, accused McEnroe of steroid use and physical and mental abuse.  McEnroe has been fairly quiet about the O'Neal's rebuttal only calling the comments "disappointing and ridiculous" and lobbing back that his ex-wife does not have the best interest of their children in mind.  While I have trouble entirely believing both of the involved parties, it just seems hypocritical of McEnroe to write a biography of this sort and not expect to be challenged on some (or many of the facts).  

Despite the buzz about McEnroe's book, he is coming out looking like an angel when compared to the tome written by one of his peers, Pat Cash.  The 1987 Wimbledon champ also wrote of his use of drugs.  However, Cash's use is anything but the recreational kind of McEnroe.  His depression over his downward spiraling career and the suicide of his friend and lead singer of the group INXS, Michael Hutchence, brought Cash to the brink of suicide himself.  Cash said that "I'd almost certainly been dead if I didn't have the kids, there's not doubt about that."  But as with McEnroe, the drug use (and subsequent recovery) is not what is causing the controversy about the book.  Cash is not delicate in his stories about his former pupils on the ATP Tour.  He calls Mark Philippoussis "the most talented player I've ever seen, but also one of the laziest players I've know."   Cash also dishes on Philippoussis's relationship with Anna Kournikova stating the Russian demanded "daily phone calls in which Philippoussis was required to tell Kournikova how beautiful she was."   Greg Rusedski also gets raked over the coals as Cash speaks of Rusedski's "festering resentment" towards Tim Henman which included repeated disparaging comments about Henman and his wife.   Jim Courier and Mary Carillo, commentators for TNT's American television coverage of Wimbledon, perhaps summed up the Cash autobiography best stating that they believe that the Australian crossed the line of coach-player trust/confidentiality and doubt that many would be likely to enlist Cash in the future.

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Congratulations to Sandrine Testud.  The Frenchwoman announced that she is discovered she was pregnant just a few weeks ago at the Birmingham tournament.  With the happy news, the #10 ranked player - who notched a  win over Venus Williams earlier this year - abruptly announced her retirement from tennis -- "My life as a tennis player is finished, quite finished... I won't come back to the circuit after the birth."

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