Federer warns fab four are ready to protect domination
Roger Federer warned on Saturday that he and the rest of the big four of men’s tennis were going to be as tough to beat as ever at Wimbledon this year as they seek to continue their astonishing monopoly of the event.
In the last 14 editions, one of either Federer, the seven-times champion, double winners Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, or triple victor Novak Djokovic have lifted the men’s singles title at The All England Club.
While reporters quizzed Federer on Saturday about who in the game’s young brigade could become the first man outside that quartet to win since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002, the Swiss felt it would be best to keep faith with the usual suspects.
Federer’s rivals have had mixed preparations for Wimbledon. Murray’s harbored hip trouble after an early exit at Queen’s, Nadal decided to skip grasscourt warm-ups to rest his body after winning the French Open while Djokovic burst into life earlier on Saturday by winning the Eastbourne title.
Do not be fooled, suggested Federer. All these 30-something luminaries would again be “tough to beat.”
“Depending how fit it is, if he’s anything close to 100 percent physically, I consider him (Murray) one of the big favorites to win the tournament. It’s that simple. It’s the same for Novak and the same for Rafa,” reckoned Federer.
“I think it’s very even when we put it all out on the line. Everybody has their own little story right now. Queen’s for Andy (where he was knocked out early) doesn’t matter so much because I feel like he’s one of the best players in the first week at Wimbledon, so I don’t worry too much for him there. He can play himself into shape for week two. Novak is just coming back from winning Eastbourne now. Rafa is coming in red hot from the clay. So I see it positive for them rather than negative in some shape, which I’m sure people will try to see that way. But I see that they are going to be tough to beat here.”
Federer himself seemed to have recaptured a touch of his fantastic DEFENDING WIMBLEDON CHAMPION Andy Murray is struggling for form and has not won a title since March. He showed flashes of his best to reach the French Open semifinals, but suffered a shock defeat to world No. 90 Jordan Thompson in the opening round at Queen’s Club, the traditional grass warmup that he has won five times. The Scot was also forced to withdraw from exhibition matches in London this week with a sore hip. That’s surprising. It’s like that – but it can change tomorrow very quickly.”
It is not just the younger guns, headed, he says, by Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem who “are in a good spot right now where they can go very deep.”
“Then, I do believe the favorites are the other players. I include the likes of (Marin) Cilic into that, Stan (Wawrinka), guys who have done it before,” added the Swiss.
Nobody, of course, has done it before as often as the 18-time grand slam champion Federer himself, who admitted it “hurt” to miss out on competing on the sapping clay of the French Open when he knew he was fit and raring to go.
“No compromise really. I gave myself the best chance for the grass, so I would never look back and have regrets once I came here,” he said.
“Even though I was happy on the clay for a couple days, I just felt like, you know what, anything other than winning there feels like I’m not giving myself the best chance for Wimbledon.”
In other Wimbledon news, Petra Kvitova says she feels “fearless” as she returns to the venue that is like a second home to her in search of another Wimbledon title.
The Czech, who reckoned it was “great to be back” just six months since her career was left hanging in the balance after an attacker stabbed her playing hand, explained on Saturday how life had been put into perspective for her by the trauma.
“I think I am little bit different on the court and off the court, too,” said the 27-year-old, who hopes that the three-year gap between her titles in 2011 and 2014 could prove a happy omen in 2017.
“I think I see life and tennis from a little bit different angle than before. Before, I was very nervous before every match. Now I see that I shouldn’t be. There’s things in the life that should be more important than just tennis.”
This attitude of being somehow freed to play uninhibited tennis has already served the left-hander well as evidenced by victory in the warm-up Edgbaston grasscourt tournament in just the second event of her comeback.
“I felt very surprised. I’m still surprised,” she said. “I think the grass is always giving me extra confidence. Through the tournament, I felt like every round I played better and better, which is always a good sign. It’s tough to say the level of my game. As I said, in Birmingham, it was going up. I will see how I wake up on Monday. Wimbledon feels like my second home.”
If Kvitova prevails, it would be a fairytale comeback, and she is adamant she has never lost the “passion” for the task at hand.
“I found out how I missed tennis through the period I didn’t play. It was a difficult time to watch girls playing on the TV, me sitting on the sofa with the hand in a splint. I find out then how I love this sport. I still do have the passion.”