New dad Corretja may pull out of slam

Alex Corretja may not show up for his Wimbledon first round clash with Tim Henman after becoming a father for the first time.

Alex Corretja may not show up for his Wimbledon first round clash with Tim Henman after becoming a father for the first time in the early hours of Thursday.

The Spaniard received the news of the birth of his daughter Aroa and caught the first flight back to Barcelona, his agent said.

Corretja, a former world number two had been playing a warm-up exhibition at Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire. He told organisers there that his plans for Wimbledon were "now undecided."

If the 29-year-old decides to stay in Spain with wife Marta and baby Aroa, his place in the draw will be filled by a 'lucky loser' from qualifying.

Corretja has not played at Wimbledon since 1998, having stayed away as a protest against the tournament's seeding policy which favours grasscourters ahead of claycourters.

He was to return this year after a compromise was struck.

On Wednesday, Corretja told Reuters he was looking forward to facing British number one Henman next Tuesday.

"He (Henman) knows he is definitely the favourite but strange things can happen in tennis," he smiled.