I’d be stupid to fancy facing Fed in final
WHEN asked if he fancied playing Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Rafael Nadal was blunt. “I am not stupid,” he said.
The collision between the two greats seems to draw ever nearer as the potential threats tumble by the wayside, with players like Marin Cilic, Sam Querrey, Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev all now departed from SW19.
But there is a major threat to this year’s dream men’s final lurking in the bottom half of the draw as we go into the second week of Wimbledon 2018 – Novak Djokovic.
The saintly Federer has cruised once more through the tournament with 29 unbeaten Wimbledon sets under his belt and Nadal, the powerhouse darling, can do no wrong on Centre Court.
Now suddenly, after the chiding of a crowd revved up by England’s World Cup quarter-final win on Saturday, Djokovic is the pantomime villain. But he is also the greatest threat.
Nadal, bidding for his third Wimbledon title, said: “If I am in the final, I prefer to face an easier opponent than Federer. I am not stupid.
“But if I am in the final, it will be great news. Any opponent will be difficult.”
The Spaniard could meet Djokovic, above, in the semi-finals but is not surprised so many seeds have fallen.
Nadal, who faces Czech world No93 Jiri Vesely today, said: “It is not that everyone has raised their level. It’s about the surface. It is tricky because we don’t play very often on this surface.
“All the matches are dangerous. The match here can be decided in just a few balls – a big difference with clay. On clay, you have time. Here, you don’t have time. Here, if you don’t have a big serve, you can’t feel yourself safe.”
Djokovic moaned about the crowd on Saturday night after his 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over home favourite Kyle Edmund, accusing them of being unfair to him, REPORTS but officials said there was no need to warn spectators about their behaviour.
The All England Club said: “The role of the chair umpire is to encourage the crowd to demonstrate respect for the players and their fellow spectators, and, while spectators will naturally show enthusiasm for the players they support, they have always demonstrated that respect at Wimbledon.”
Djokovic, who faces Russian Karen Kachanov today, said: “I do feel like I am very close to the level of tennis I would like to play. Saturday was a great test.”
The former world No1, who struggled with elbow problems that needed surgery this year, added: “It was hard but I don’t know an athlete, especially at the highest level, that never went through an injury.
“Before, I was fortunate to only have minor injuries that didn’t take too much time away from the Tour for me. I always took care of my body. The elbow injury was something I carried for a couple of years – I didn’t address it.
“I didn’t know it was going to take months to really get back into shape. I feel this last month and a half, in terms of quality of tennis, have been what I’ve been working for and so far free of pain.”
Federer will face 22nd seed Adrian Mannarino today. The Frenchman said: “Federer is an artist. If he is Picasso, maybe I am an artist too – but a lot less well known.
“I can’t compare myself to his style, that would just be arrogant. Every player is a kind of artist, with their own style. We know what a great player Federer is, but I believe I can win.”