Mobile working Toolkit

Mobile fails Sharapova

Jeff Pelline CNET News

Published: 05 Jul 2004 09:25 BST

The mobile telephone had a chance for a starring role in one of the world's biggest sporting events on Saturday -- and flopped.

After upsetting defending champion Serena Williams at the Wimbledon tennis championships, Russian teenager Maria Sharapova borrowed her father's cellphone to call her mother from Centre Court. With a worldwide television audience watching, Sharapova's father passed the phone down through the crowd to her daughter.

It was a new tradition for staid old Wimbledon but showed how ubiquitous the cellphone has become.

The line umpires kept a stiff upper lip as Sharapova punched in the numbers just like any excitable teenager. The impromptu call seemed like a "too good to be true" opportunity for cellphone providers. But alas, the phone didn't work.

"Come on technology," said a frustrated Sharapova. She explained that the connection kept shutting off. The new Wimbledon champion put down the phone and accepted her trophy.

Still, cellphone providers were trying to make a splash at Wimbledon. Some of the companies provided video highlights of the Wimbledon tournament to their customers. Fans are asked to turn off their cellphone during the tournament, however.