Tennis tourney appoints first poet laureate

LONDON - The grand old dame of Grand Slam tennis now has its very own poet laureate.

Wimbledon, in collaboration with The Poetry Trust in Britain, has appointed its first "Championships Poet" to capture the flavour and fervour of the oldest of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments and the only one played on grass.

British poet Matt Harvey, who is a regular contributor to BBC radio and a lifelong tennis fan, intends to create a poem-a-day about all things Wimbledon: from umpires to ball boys and ball girls, strawberries and cream to the unfolding drama of the matches and players.