No doubt, Roger Federer is capable of surviving a nightmare draw at Wimbledon. Subsequently, the defending champion is all set to launch his bid for a record eighth title at the All England Club.
Federer arrived at the grass-court Grand Slam in the unusual position after a relatively barren year. Apparently, he has been looked upon by many pundits as the least likely of the big four to depart with the title.
In fact, the Swiss legend encountered an exhausting draw that has left him to bang Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray if he is to pass Pete Sampras as the most adorned All England Club champion.
French Open champion Nadal has been seeded fifth due to his long injury absence. As a result, Federer has the unpleasant prospect of taking on the Spaniard in the last eight before a potential semi-final clash with US Open champion Andy Murray following a final showdown with world no.1 Djokovic.
Actually, Federer's victory on grass last week at Halle was his foremost ATP Tour title of 2013. His last year's Wimbledon final win over Murray marked his only Grand Slam crown in his last 13 major appearances. The 31-year-old and father of two is clearly making his way into the twilight of his magnificent career. Frankly, he is convinced that he can prove the critics wrong with another victory at the tournament which he regards as a home from home. Federer opined on Sunday that it was never supposed to be easy winning Grand Slams and he is ready for the challenge. He added that he likes tough draws. He doesn’t shy away from them. Of course, there's no control over it. Anyway, that rests upon the draw to decide. Truly, he has a very difficult draw with Rafa in his quarter. But his focus is on the first round. If one wants to win the tournament here, one anyway has to hammer the best. That is what he is there for.
Nadal's low seeding attracted criticism which gave the Spaniard's record at Wimbledon. He has won the title twice and his current fine form should have seen him placed above fourth seed David Ferrer. However, Federer revealed that there has been a lot of discussion regarding where Rafa would be seeded. For him, it's not even worth the talk because it is what it is. It is not that he is unseeded. It cannot be ignored that he is seeded in the top eight. So one doesn’t encounter him in the first round and the quarter-finals are still a long way away. Federer predicted British hope Murray as the most probable champion from his three main opponents.
Murray routed the Swiss to win the gold medal at the London Olympics and subsequently concluded his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam title by defeating Djokovic at the US Open. Federer expressed that he thinks Murray played great in the previous year throughout Wimbledon and the Olympics and presently again at Queen's. He would think that he has less pressure now and he seems like maybe most natural on this surface. According to him, the other guys, Rafa and Novak are already Wimbledon champions. But to him, Andy sort of stands out a little bit over the others. This year's Championships are also a time for reflection for Federer as he looks back to his first Wimbledon title against Mark Philippoussis ten years ago.
Federer, who is supposed to open Monday's Centre Court program against Romania's Victor Hanescu, admitted that it has been an unbelievable ten years. He is forever grateful for the first Wimbledon title. The first time he was able to lift up the trophy was when the dream began of having an astounding career. He looks back on the memories, emotions and reactions. It all occurred bit too fast for his liking, but he is happy and he is still contending for the title. After returning ten years later as defending champion is quite distinctive, so he is very excited.
