Tennis / Wimbledon '93: Courier burgled

(First Edition)

JIM COURIER, the No 3 seed at Wimbledon, lost possessions worth pounds 5,000 when the house he is staying in while playing at the tournament was burgled, it emerged yesterday.

The five-bedroom home near Wimbledon Common was broken in to on Friday by burglars who escaped with a mountain bike, videos, a watch, a CD player and a guitar. 'Other effects were also taken and their total value is about pounds 5,000,' a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said.

A police source said that the world No 2 Courier, a keen musician who plays the drums and guitar, also had a bag of sports gear taken, but did not lose any of his tennis rackets.

The burglars got past an alarm and forced their way into the house before going through the player's possessions.

'It appears to have been a professional job. They took away what they could carry. We don't think the house was targeted because the player was staying there,' the source said. He added that Courier seemed unconcerned by the loss as he prepared to face Jason Stoltenberg, of Australia - a match he won in four sets.

Report, page 30