Davenport ruled out of Wimbledon

Lindsay Davenport will miss Wimbledon because of a slower than expected recovery from a knee operation. The 26-year-old Californian, who won Wimbledon three years ago, has been out of action since last November when she damaged her right knee at the women's championships in Munich. She underwent an operation on 11 January.

She planned to come back next week at Eastbourne to assess her fitness for Wimbledon, which starts on 24 June. But the rehabilitation has been more difficult than anticipated and her withdrawal is expected to be announced tomorrow. This setback, and the absence of Martina Hingis because of foot surgery, will shorten the odds on Venus and Serena Williams dominating Wimbledon in the way they havethe French Open.