Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FEDDY: ARE YOU READY MURRAY?
Andy is hard as nails but you must turn up feeling like you can play the whole 14 days
ROGER FEDERER has warned Andy Murray that he needs to be fit enough to win Wimbledon before starting his title defence on Monday. The first match on Centre Court each year traditionally sees the defending men’s champion walk out to open proceedings. But the Swiss superstar, who has completed the ritual seven times, said the world No.1 has to be sure he can go all the way for a third time at The Championships before taking the first step with a sore hip. The 18-time Grand Slam winner said: “He needs to feel like he could play for 14 days – or seven matches. If you feel you can only play one match, I don’t think it’s good enough to play the tournament. “Because going over the best of five sets, over two weeks, only the tough ones will survive, so it just flushes you out that way. You need to feel confident in your body at some stage, otherwise what’s the point? To put yourself out there just to be out there? Andy’s had too much success to do that. “I understand it if it was somebody else finishing their career, when you might say, ‘OK, I’ll play one more match in my life, let that be Wimbledon’. “Plus the world’s watching because it’s the defending champion opening the court and it’s a big deal. You feel like you want to be at 100 per cent or at least as close to it as you can be.” But Federer, who handed Murray his last Wimbledon defeat in the 2015 semi-finals, added: “Andy’s tough as nails and I feel like he’s going to be there on Monday and he’d need to be significantly injured not to play. “For me, if he can get through that first round and feel better afterwards, absolutely he should play. So I expect him to.” Rafa Nadal in 2009 was the last Wimbledon male champion not to defend and John Mcenroe, sitting alongside Federer, added: “I’m sure that it killed Rafa, not to be able to do that, there’s no question. “I would be amazed that Andy would not do it – absolutely amazed if that happened.” With Murray (left, with coach Ivan Lendl at the Aegon Championships) so lacking in grass-court match practice, the danger is that he draws an in-form big-server in the opening round. The draw will be made this morning and Federer said: “He is the reigning champ so, for him, the most important thing is to get through the first week, and the good thing for him is he’s a great first-week player. “He doesn’t mind the slippy grass, he doesn’t mind the bounce of the ball. He might even thrive in these conditions. If he wins the first three matches, then we will speak differently.” FEDERER, Mcenroe and Rod Laver were speaking at Wimbledon at the unveiling of the new Laver Cup trophy – a team competition where Europe will play the Rest of the World in Prague in September.