Federer wary of threats to seventh Wimbledon crown
by Kapil Khera
Roger Federer can picture himself lifting a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title, but can also sense the dangers posed by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Federer, now without a Grand Slam title since his 16th major at the 2010 Australian Open, was stunned by the Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals last year, as his attempt to match Pete Sampras’s record of seven titles was shattered.
It was his earliest exit at the All England Club since his first round loss to Mario Ancic in 2002.
But the 29-year-old Swiss has been buoyed by his unexpected run to the French Open final, where he came up short against Nadal, after ending Novak Djokovic’s 43-match winning streak in the semifinals.
“I know I could tie with Sampras here. It’s obviously something very special and important,” said Federer, who starts his campaign against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.
“For me if I close my eyes and think about Wimbledon, it’s the moment when I lift the Wimbledon trophy. That’s the picture I see the strongest.”
But clouding that view is defending champion Nadal, who beat Federer to win a sixth French Open two weeks ago, as well as Australian Open champion Djokovic and Queen’s winner Murray, bidding to end Britain’s 75-year wait for a men’s champion.
World number one Nadal took his Grand Slam title tally to 10 with his latest Roland Garros triumph — his fourth final win in Paris over Federer — and is now only six majors behind the great Swiss. The Spaniard will be chasing his third Wimbledon trophy and time is on his side.
He is almost five years younger than Federer who, at 29, will be acutely aware that Sampras’s seventh and last Wimbledon triumph in 2000 came two months before he reached the same age.
But Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion and runner-up in 2006 and 2007, is not prepared to consider himself a better player than his great rival, who he has faced 25 times, just yet.