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June 20 2004
Federer makes case for defence
By John Barrett, Financial Times
The
last time Roger Federer played on Wimbledon's Centre Court, he ended
the match on his knees, dissolving into tears shortly afterwards. He
had just beaten Australia's Mark Philippoussis in the men's singles
final to confirm what most commentators had thought for some time -
that Federer was the most talented player of his generation. He
has spent the 12 months since that first grand slam win cementing his
reputation. A Masters title in November and four further tournament
successes on three different surfaces - hard courts in Dubai and Indian
Wells, clay in Hamburg and eight days ago on grass in Halle - have
consolidated his position as the best player in the world. "That's
the picture I have in my head when I think of last year - me kneeling
on the court," he says. "I was so tired . . .suddenly it was over. It
was such an unbelievable relief and the moment I sat on the chair, you
know, crying, there were far too many emotions." On the eve of
Wimbledon, for which he is the overwhelming favourite, the 22-year-old
defending champion is far more composed. He is in complete control of
his emotions and of his game, twin facts that have allowed him to
dominate his peers this year in a way few players ever achieve. He sees
the Wimbledon and Masters victories as the two key moments in his
evolution as a champion. Having arrived at Wimbledon last year
fresh from a sobering first-round loss to Luis Horna at the French Open
he had something to prove. "It was important for me to make a statement
in the slams because before I never really had a chance to show how
good I was." The next important step was winning the Masters (the
end-of-season championship between the top ranked eight players) in
November, to prove that he was not simply a one-hit wonder. Grouped
with Andre Agassi, David Nalbandian and Carlos Ferrero, he breezed into
the final, brushing aside US Open champion Andy Roddick along the way. This
was the glorious flowering of a talent that had been apparent in
Federer since he won the junior title at Wimbledon in 1998, aged 16.
Federer's coach at that time was the late Peter Carter, an Australian
who was based in Basle. "He has the potential to go very high," Carter
had told me in 1999, "I think if he works hard he can reach his goals". It
has taken the Swiss only five years to achieve his ambition to be world
number one - he moved ahead of Andy Roddick after winning the
Australian Open in January. This year only four men have beaten him:
Tim Henman in Rotterdam, Rafael Nadal in Miami, Albert Costa in Rome
and Gustavo Kuerten in Paris. Of those, only Henman will pose a threat
on grass at Wimbledon. "That's why the win over Henman in Indian Wells
was important," says Federer. "Now if you ask me who I fear most, I'd
have to say I don't fear anyone as much any more because I have beaten
them all." With a complete arsenal of shots, physical strength,
fast reflexes and the imagination to make the impossible happen,
Federer is the best tennis player since Pete Sampras. "On grass it took
a little time to figure out whether to serve and volley or mix it up,"
he confesses. "Last year I had so much confidence from the baseline so
I could serve and volley most of the time on first serve and second
serve or I could also stay back. It looks like I'm going to play the
same this year," he said. That is bad news for everyone else. So
is Federer's complete self-assurance. After splitting with long-time
coach Peter Lundgren at the end of 2003, Federer has been playing
without a coach. "I've had many people telling me to be mentally
tough, of course. I knew it, but I couldn't make the transition. It was
up to me to understand how one had to be on court. Now I'm learning how
to turn matches around. On court you are alone. You can look up to your
coach as much as you want but it was up to me to understand what was
going on," he says. It is quite apparent that Federer now knows
exactly what is going on. When he walks out on to Centre Court today to
face British wild card Alex Bogdanovich, the champion will be ready.
Federer will be aware that Lleyton Hewitt made the same short journey
last year only to lose ignominiously to giant Croat Ivo Karlovic. "For
me this is a very special moment. I've been waiting one year for this,"
he says. "Now I'm back, I'm fit and I'm ready to defend my title. It's
another milestone in my career." It will take a very special
performance from Hewitt, Sebastien Grosjean, Henman, Philippoussis or
Roddick - the most likely threats - to derail the Federer Express.
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