TENNIS

RODDICK, WILLIAMS SLIP IN WORLD RANKINGS Venus Williams dropped out of the WTA Tour’s top 20, and Andy Roddick slid out of the ATP Tour’s top 10 in yesterday’s rankings after both fell short of past performances at Wimbledon. Roger Federer’s fourth consecutiveWimbledon title allowed him to stay at no.1, but no.2 Rafael Nadal closed the gap by reaching his first final at the All England Club.

The first five spots in the women’s rankings didn’t change: Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo remained at no. 1, followed by semifinalist Kim Clijsters, runner-up Justine Henin-Hardenne, semifinalist Maria Sharapova, and Nadia Petrova.Wimbledon quarterfinalist Elena Dementieva jumped two spots to no. 6. French Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, Patty Schnyder, Mary Pierce, and former no. 1 Lindsay Davenport round out the top 10.

Williams was the defending champion at the All England Club but was upset in the third round by Jelena Jankovic, sending the American from no. 12 to no. 23.

Roddick, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2004 and 2005,was knocked out in the third round this year. His ranking went from fifth to 11th, his first time out of the top 10 since the start of 2003. Federer and Nadal were followed by David Nalbandian, Ivan Ljubicic, Nikolay Davydenko, James Blake, Mario Ancic, and Radek Stepanek, who rose five spots to a career-high no. 8 by reaching the quarterfinals last week. Tommy Robredo is ninth, and Marcos Baghdatis moved up six places to no. 10.

HORSE RACING

BARBARO HITS ‘TOUGH TIMES’ Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was facing major problems for the first time since surgery to repair the right hind leg he shattered in the Preakness seven weeks ago, with the colt’s veterinarian saying “we’re in tough times right now.”

Barbaro had the cast on the leg replaced for a sixth time yesterday — the fourth time in a week.The latest development followed many hours of surgery Saturday night when doctors replaced the metal plate and many screws and also treated an infection.

“I think we’re going to have some tough days ahead,” Dr. Dean Richardson said at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. “I’m being realistic about it. When a horse has a setback like this, it’s a problem.”

Richardson, the chief surgeon at the New Bolton Center, said it took more than 15 hours from the start of Saturday’s surgery before Barbaro had fully recovered from anesthesia. He said Barbaro was back in his stall in the intensive care unit, where he’s been since the catastrophic injury occurred just a few hundred yards after the start of the Preakness.

Richardson said Sunday that Barbaro’s main fracture was healing well, but the pastern joint — located above the hoof, which was shattered into more than 20 pieces — continues to be a concern. The joint, which doctors are attempting to fuse, was stabilized with “new implants and a fresh bone graft.”

HOCKEY

BELL, HAVLAT MOVED IN THREE-TEAM DEAL The San Jose Sharks acquired versatile forward Mark Bell from Chicago yesterday as part of a three-team trade that sent Ottawa forward Martin Havlat to the Blackhawks. The Sharks traded defensemen Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy to Chicago for Bell, who had career highs of 25 goals and 23 assists last season.The Blackhawks then shipped Preissing and Hennessy to the Senators along with defenseman Michal Barinka and a 2008 second-round draft pick in exchange for Havlat and forward Bryan Smolinski.

The deal fills needs for all three teams. The Sharks got another top forward to join their formidable collection, while the Senators added Preissing, an offensiveminded defenseman who should help assuage the free-agency loss of Zdeno Chara. Chicago landed Havlat, a proven NHL scorer who returned from shoulder surgery last season for an outstanding playoff run.

– Associated Press