Federer and Nadal bring vintage sparkle to this tournament for the ages

With Britain’s two big hopes carrying injuries, Simon Briggs takes a look at who else might lift the trophies at the All England Club

This year’s Wimbledon feels like a party whose host is indisposed. On paper, it looks terrific. British fans can cheer a top-10 seed in both singles draws for the first time since 1973. The only problem is that Andy Murray is walking with a limp and Johanna Konta is recovering from a heavy fall at Eastbourne.

Still, that does not mean that the music has to be turned off and the wine put back in the cupboard. The rest of the world has come to play, and the two old stagers, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, look ready to bust some vintage moves on the dance floor.

The great “Fedal” axis looks like being the story of the summer. We have already had two throwback slams in 2017. Federer despatched allcomers at the Australian Open – a tournament that captivated audiences around the world – before Nadal re-established his reign at Roland Garros.

Now many tennis insiders are forecasting a fourth Federer-nadal final here to recapture the glories of 2006, 2007 and 2008. The main obstacle, at this stage, would seem to be Nadal’s wonky knees, which have prevented him from going beyond the fourth round since 2011. But he won the French Open without dropping a set, and the last two times he did that, he made it to the conclusion of Wimbledon four weeks later.

After lengthy absences from the tour in 2016, Federer and Nadal have returned this season with souped-up backhands, and are arguably playing the best tennis of their careers. But neither should we discount Novak Djokovic. Having spiralled out of the French Open in a disorientated state, Djokovic seemed to rediscover his poise during last week’s trip to the seaside. Posting soulful Instagram photos among the seagulls and crabs, he romped to the Eastbourne title without dropping a set.

The invitations to this year’s Wimbledon might as well have gone out on goatskin vellum, so distinguished is the guest list. The “Big Four” men are also the top four seeds for the first time since 2014, and that honorary D’artagnan, Stan Wawrinka, stands just behind them at No5.

Together, these five men have collected 51 grand-slam titles – or almost 13 years’ worth of majors. That has never happened before at Wimbledon. In all probability, it will never happen again.

You have to feel for the lost generation of players tucked in behind this mighty quintet. Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori do their best to stay positive year after year. In all probability, though, they will go away as nearly men once again, and the trophy will be held up by either Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray for the 15th straight season. To add further spice, the only member of the quartet who cannot leave the All England Club as world No1 is Federer, because he skipped the clay-court swing.

The next interloper to break up the cartel will probably come from the younger group, led by eighth seed Dominic Thiem and 10th seed Sascha Zverev. The charismatic Nick Kyrgios has an outside shot too, although he claims to be no more than “60 to 65 per cent fit” after aggravating a hip injury at Queen’s 10 days ago. But we have been waiting for these bright young sparks to catch fire for two or three years, and still nobody has done so at the majors.

Last month, Telegraph Sport asked Murray’s former fitness trainer, Jez Green, to explain the rising fortunes of tennis’s grey brigade at a time when 15 of the world’s top 30 have celebrated their 30th birthdays. His reply focused on the speed of courts and the length of rallies.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, the surfaces have slowed down a lot,” said Green. “With the evolution of racket technology, you’re seeing much longer points. That makes it challenging mentally for the young guys. Boris Becker could come on the tour in the mid-1980s and win Wimbledon straight away by hitting the ball incredibly hard. Now you have to build points, and it’s difficult against the older guys because they’re so mentally mature.”

The same logic explains why women’s tennis is moving in the opposite direction, with the established stars struggling to hold off a group of feisty young thrusters.

Today’s women players often hit the ball as hard as the men – the average forehand of 20-year-old French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko was measured at 76mph, 3mph faster than Murray’s – but they cannot move as quickly to cover the corners of the court, nor can they combine that ball speed with the heavy topspin that effectively expands the target area. As a result, the rhythm of matches tends to be more staccato.

Ostapenko’s victory, in fact, was reminiscent of Becker’s most famous Wimbledon triumph from 1985. She ambushed more experienced players – notably the wily and consistent Simona Halep in the final – with her fearless hitting and high winner count. As Murray put it yesterday: “What was most impressive is that she just went for it, she didn’t blink.”

Can Ostapenko, now seeded 13, repeat her miracle at Wimbledon? The clue is in the question: lightning does not strike twice, although it is also true that grass courts favour risk takers because this is the most difficult surface on which to defend.

While the absence of the pregnant Serena Williams might rob the women’s draw of significant wattage, it also makes the tournament more intriguing.

At her best, nobody can touch Williams at Wimbledon, where her serve is unreadable and virtually unreturnable. John Mcenroe was probably on the money with last week’s controversial suggestion that Williams would rank somewhere around 700 in the men’s game. On grass, though, you could halve that figure.

In her absence, the bookmakers have installed the next two most dangerous servers – who each won one of the British warm-up tournaments in Birmingham and Eastbourne – as joint favourites.

The Birmingham champion was Petra Kvitova, who has played only two tournaments since suffering career-threatening wounds to her racket hand in a home invasion in December. Eastbourne, meanwhile, was claimed by Karolina Pliskova, the 6ft 1in beanpole who has yet to achieve much renown despite her position at No3 in the world rankings. Either way, this is shaping up as a promising tournament for the Czech Republic.

As for British representation, there are 12 singles players in all, down from 2016’s 10-year high of 15, but still enough to give the crowds plenty to cheer for over the first two days. The Lawn Tennis Association will be braced for a high attrition rate, however.

At least one second-round place is guaranteed, with Kyle Edmund and unlikely qualifier Alex Ward facing off tomorrow. Otherwise, the best chances of progress would look to come in the women’s event, where Heather Watson, Laura Robson and Naomi Broady all have winnable openers.