Aussies discover losing habit

By Caroline Cheese
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

It is a rare event for Britain to be celebrating a victorious weekend of sport, and the Aussies to be left licking their wounds.

'Strewth, Lleyton's lost - I need a cold one'

Hewitt crashes out

But as their highest-ranked tennis star Lleyton Hewitt limped out of Wimbledon, the sizeable Australian contingency in SW19 were left to fold up their flags and ponder two results that have rocked a fiercely proud sporting nation.

Henman's Hill, sometimes dubbed Rusedski Ridge, became Hewitt Hill on Monday as the defending champion walked out to open play on Centre Court.

Australians mingled with the home crowd in front of the big screen, awaiting what most anticipated would be a routine win for the top seed.

And even when their man was two sets to one down, his fans expected Hewitt to bring out his trademark fighting qualities and, as he would have it, "guts it out".

As the match reached its quite stunning conclusion, the British contingent on the hill sided with the unknown Croat, leaving one Aussie to describe "a pretty strange atmosphere - we're feeling a bit left out".

Rare scenes indeed.

As a shellshocked Hewitt left the court, his fans were in a similar state.

"I'm devastated," said one.

But probably not as upset as the fan who had travelled to England especially for the Championships and queued overnight (without a tent) to catch a glimpse of the defending champion - on whom he had placed a substantial bet.

And he arrived in London just in time to watch his rugby team succumb to England on home soil for the first time.

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"I think it's fair to say that we've had a pretty ordinary weekend," he said.

"We can't be happy at losing the rugby and then Lleyton going out to someone we've never heard of - I can't even remember the guy's name now."

But the Aussie fans on the hill were still in surprisingly confident mood.

"I think the loss to England in the rugby is the best thing that could have happened - it'll just spur us on," one said.

"We're a shoe-in for the World Cup now - it'll be just like the cricket, they thought we were gone, then we just went and destroyed everyone and won the thing.

"And in the tennis, we'll be getting behind Kim Clijsters, the honorary Aussie - although I reckon Kimmy might have something to do with Lleyton going out - he's under the thumb."

Another was in more conciliatory mood.

"We'll give you the rugby - it's probably about time you won something," he said.

"And I reckon Mark Philippoussis is going to win Wimbledon so that's okay... and if he doesn't, then I guess it'd be pretty good if Tim Henman won it. I'd quite like to be here if he did."

And while it might have been a "pretty ordinary" weekend, Australians were keen to remind any potential gloaters of one victory at the weekend.

Choisir lands Aussie double

"You must have seen Ascot at the weekend," piped up the same fan who had lost money on Hewitt.

"The Aussie horse Choisir did the business - twice. We had money on him on Saturday and won a fair amount. So we're going away smiling anyway."

It seems Australians just can't lose, however hard they try.