So far, there's no such thing as a recession at the All England Club. While the rest of Britain – and much of the world – grapples with the global financial downturn, Wimbledon sold more tickets than ever on its opening day. Thousands lined up for tickets in the sunshine on Tuesday morning as well, courts were near capacity even for low-profile matches, and the tables at the outside restaurants were full. “It seems people are saying, ‘Forget about the recession. Let's go to Wimbledon and have some fun,”' said All England Club spokesman Johnny Perkins. “People are sitting down and trying to decide what to spend their hard-earned money on. The good news for Wimbledon is, they seem to be spending it here.” Spending a summer day at the grass-court tournament has been a tradition for decades for thousands of Britons, and it seems to be a habit they're unwilling to give up – strawberries and all – even in troubled times. Monday's attendance reached 42,811 people, an increase of nearly 3,500 people from the previous opening day record from 2001. More than 14,000 people lined up in the ticket queue Monday – up by about 1,600 from last year. Organizers will not release figures for pre-tournament ticket requests, but say they received about 20 percent more than last year. Larcher de Brito cuts down on volume Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito is well aware she's been criticized for her loud, lengthy shrieks on the court. And she has absolutely no intention of giving up the habit. There was speculation around the All England Club before her Wimbledon debut Monday that officials would ask her to tone down her yells. She said no one brought up the subject. “I started grunting so long ago that I don't even remember when I started,” the 16-year-old Larcher de Brito said after beating Klara Zakapalova. “It's something I've always done, and I guess I'm going to keep doing it. It's part of my game, and I don't want to change it.” At the French Open last month, third-round opponent Aravane Rezai complained that Larcher de Brito was too loud. On Monday, her decibel level was way down, but the wild-card entry from Portugal said she didn't hush up on purpose. She said her volume is determined by the intensity of the match. Tumbles and splits One player smashed into a wall and others did the splits as damp grass at Wimbledon caused a series of dramatic skids and tumbles on Monday. Frenchman Julien Benneteau had to call the trainer facing match point against fourth seed Novak Djokovic after crashing into the screen at the back of the court trying to chase a lob. Former champion Maria Sharapova slipped twice and both times landed in an undignified heap on the ground. Even Roger Federer was not immune to the mischievous tricks of his favorite surface, getting wrong-footed in mid-rally before performing the sort of move usually attempted by top gymnasts.
