Let the battle begin

MATS WILANDER says the three giants of men’s tennis are now back on course, free of injury – and ready to start the chase for supremacy again.

Novak Djokovic’s 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 win over Kevin Anderson to lift his fourth Wimbledon on Sunday after 18 months of elbow injury misery signalled that the Serb is firing on all cylinders.

That followed Rafael Nadal’s win at the French Open, confirming that the Spaniard is back to his best – as well as a Wimbledon semifinal – and Roger Federer’s victory at the Australian Open earlier this year.

With the exception of notable Andy SEALED WITH A KISS: Wilander feels Djokovic has his ‘machine-like’ style back Murray, still battling to regain full fitness after his hip problems, the other big draws are now at the top of their game, which makes the US Open next month a mouthwatering prospect.

Djokovic has moved back up to No10 in the world and Wilander, the Swedish former world No1 and seven-time Grand Slam winner, said: “I cannot imagine that Djokovic could have won Wimbledon without the return to his box of all those familiar faces. “It is thanks to that that he is a bit calmer while refinding his machine-like style and killer instinct. His coach Marian Vajda coming back is the key. Jelena, his wife, is the key. “They are all again reunited behind him, like a kind of ‘cordon sanitaire’ that protects Novak from everything. “And the chase is back on. The return of Djokovic to the top is very exciting. “The chase was launched when Federer was no longer winning much, when Nadal was winning especially at Roland Garros and Novak was winning almost all the rest, to disrupt the established order. And it is starting again. These three are again going to try to go still higher.” Murray is planning to play in the hard-court tournaments, starting with the Citi Open in Washington on July 28.