Serena feels one needs one-of-a-kind outfits in Paris

Paris: South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira will set a new record for consecutive Grand Slam appearances at Wimbledon next month before bringing down the curtain on his 15-year career with an emotional Davis Cup farewell on home soil.

Ferreira will play his 55th Grand Slam tournament in a row at the All England Club this summer, taking him past the present mark set by Stefan Edberg. The 32-year-old will then try and save South Africa from Davis Cup relegation against Greece at Stellenboesch in September.

“After September I’m done,” Ferreira said. “The Davis Cup will be it for me. I may play in the Australian Open in January or at San Jose, which is close to home, but as far as the Tour is concerned, I’m calling it quits.

“I will play Wimbledon, the Olympics, maybe the US Open and then the Davis Cup. Four tournaments and then I’m done.”

Ferreira, who lives full-time in Berkeley in California, is also keen to spend more time with his family. His wife Liesl gave birth to their second son (Magnus) two weeks ago and Ferreira wants to be reunited with them as soon as possible.

He got his wish a lot quicker than he would have wanted having been knocked out in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday losing to Austria’s Jurgen Melzer 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

But the appearance stretched his Grand Slam run to 54 in a row, a sequence that began back at the 1991 Australian Open. If he plays the US Open as well as Wimbledon this year, it would take his total appearances to 57, just one behind the all-time record held by Jimmy Connors.

Serena turns it up a notch

A year ago, Serena Williams left the French Open in tears. On Tuesday, she walked on Centre Court to hearty applause. Whether the crowd was cheering her fashion bravado, Serena wore an all-Fuschia ensemble, or easing her return to the scene of bad memories is no matter.

After her first-round win over Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2, there was more talk about her clothes than her tennis. Always ready to make a bold fashion statement, Serena said she comes to Paris feeling compelled to turn it up a notch. “You have to when you’re in Paris. It’s just a one-of-a-kind city, and you need to have one-of-a-kind outfits.”

The “Fuchsia with red hints” ensemble was a two-piece miniskirt outfit with matching headband, a pompom-like ponytail holder and huge hoop earrings.