Federer faces historic Wimbledon bid
Roger Federer AFP PHOTO
PARIS: Ten years after Roger Federer made his Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon, the 17-time major winner returns to the All England Club next week as defending champion, but with the clock ticking.
The Swiss put his growing army of critics firmly in their place in 2012 when, after back-to-back quarterfinals defeats, he captured his seventh Wimbledon title, equalling the record of Pete Sampras.
Federer, meanwhile, ended a 10-month title drought at the weekend when he won the Halle grasscourt tournament for the sixth time—it was his first piece of silverware since Cincinnati on the eve of the 2012 US Open.
That would have spiced up his confidence ahead of Wimbledon, but there are huge doubts over whether or not he can carry that spring in his elegant step onto the famous lawns of south-west London and be the first man to win Wimbledon eight times.
Age is a factor. Federer will be 32 in August.
An eighth victory for Federer next month would make him the second oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, just behind Arthur Ashe who was six days short of his 32nd birthday when he triumphed in 1975.
Then there will be the all-important seedings which will be announced on Wednesday where two-time champion Rafael Nadal, fresh from a record-breaking eighth French Open victory, is likely to be seeded five.
That could see Federer facing his old rival as early as the quarterfinals while Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the runner-up last year, are potential semifinals opponents.
Read more :
- Michael Owen to retire at end of season
Former England striker Michael Owen announced on Tuesday that he will retire from professional football at the end of the current season.
"It is with an immense amount of pride that I am a... - Pagulayan, Biado sustain PH campaign in Ultimate 10-Ball
Former world champion Alex Pagulayan and unheralded Carlo Biado kept the Philippine flag flying in the Ultimate 10-Ball Championships as five other Filipino bets got booted out on Wednesda... - I-League: Air India hold East Bengal
East Bengal's I-League aspirations received a big blow when Air India struck through Henry Ezeh in the dying minutes for a 1-1 draw in their round 21 fixture in Kalyani on Saturday.
... - Roger Federer eyes London gold
World number three Roger Federer has set his sights on winning Olympic gold at next year's London games.
The 30-year-old Swiss triumphed in the English capital yesterday by winning the ATP... - Spirited ONGC hold Churchill Brothers 1-1 in I-League
ONGC's love affair with the Ambedkar Stadium continued and their unbeaten streak in the I-League at home this season stretched to nine games when they held league leaders Churchill Brothers... - Barcelona happy with Messi, Villa double act
Barcelona assistant manager Jordi Roura was delighted at the understanding shown between Lionel Messi and David Villa as they combined for all of Barca's goals in the 3-1 win over Rayo Vall... - Ugly scenes can’t ruin Lampard milestone, says Rafael Benitez
Rafael Benitez insisted the ugly scenes sparked by Frank Lampard's 200th goal for Chelsea in the 2-0 win over West Ham shouldn't overshadow the England midfielder's landmark achievement.
L... - Rafael Nadal to snatch top spot back
Rafael Nadal has set his sights on reclaiming the number one spot in the world tennis rankings next year.
The Spaniard has relinquished the accolade to Serbian pro Novak Djokovic, who won ...
