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June 23, 2006
Federer eyes place in history
By Mark Hodgkinson, Telegraph
It can often seem that Roger Federer walks
out on court for every match with a racket-bag stuffed full of tennis
history. But some achievements matter more than most. And the Swiss
disclosed last night that winning this year's Wimbledon Championships,
which would give him a fourth straight title at the All England Club,
would feel "out of this planet".
Those
golden Wimbledon trophies are what Federer values above anything. And
this year's Championships, which start on Monday, present the
24-year-old with the opportunity to become only the third man in the
modern era to win four successive trophies. Unbeaten on the SW19 lawns
since 2003, Federer is eyeing history. Only Bjorn Borg, who won five in
a row between 1976 and 1980, and Pete Sampras, who won four from 1997
to 2000, have better streaks than him. "It would
be fantastic to win a fourth," Federer told The Daily Telegraph. "I was
very happy with two, and even happier with three, and so winning four
would be out of this planet. "That would be very
special to do that, as winning at Wimbledon is what it's all about for
me, as it's the most special tournament in the world, and you get to
play on a really special court, Centre Court." Winning
a fourth would also put Federer ever closer to the all-time record
total of Wimbledon titles, the seven achieved by Sampras. Playing at Wimbledon brings extra pleasure for Federer this year, as it comes after what he called "the stress of Paris", losing to Spain's Rafael Nadal in the final at Roland Garros.
He "shook out the Paris loss" by playing Halle last week, with his
title extending his unbeaten record on grass to 41 matches, and putting
him level with Borg's record. "It has been a tough
month. After everything that happened in Paris, it feels particularly
good to be back at Wimbledon again. That's not because of Nadal or
anything, it's just that it feels like the clay-court season and the
lead-up to the French Open goes on for so long. There's so much
analysis and talk. As soon as the grass-court season comes along, it's
very easy to forget about what you've just been through on the clay,"
said Federer, speaking at a launch for his Wimbledon shirt, which will
feature high-technology vents, or what he described as
"air-conditioning". "I've been looking forward to
playing at Wimbledon for a long time this year. I sometimes think to
myself that I'm not going to make it and that I might not be able to
play because of an injury or something, but thankfully that hasn't
happened, and so I'm here and I'm ready to go. I have to say that I
have a good feeling about this year." Federer was
wearing a smart white jacket that had been made for him by his kit
manufacturers, Nike, with a crest that included a tuft of grass, the
Swiss cross, the symbol for his Leo star sign, an F for his surname,
and three rackets which represent his three Wimbledon titles. As much
as Federer liked the jacket, he is hoping that he will require some
tailoring in a just over a fortnight's time, adding one racket to the
crest. That would be "out of this planet".
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