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June 24, 2007
Pistol Pete in his sights
By Alix Ramsay, Scotland on Sunday
HE HAS a new outfit this year, courtesy of Nike (with the
possibility of flannels to go with last year's cream blazer), he has
had a different approach to his ninth Wimbledon campaign, but it is
still the same old Roger Federer underneath: confident, relaxed and
perfectly comfortable in his position as the man to beat. Again.
Tomorrow he will stroll out on to his favourite tennis court and
begin the defence of his title - and begin the chase for his fifth
consecutive trophy in SW19. This is Federer's home from home and he is
obviously delighted to be back.
He
is even quite pleased with the stripped-down Centre Court. The old
arena has gone topless this year in preparation for the new retractable
roof that should be in place by 2009 and, as a result, it looks
somewhat bald. But for a bloke who hates change, Federer was still
impressed. "I think it looks bigger, it's brighter," he said. "It's the
most special place to play tennis in the whole world, by far. A place
every player should get a chance to play if they get to a good level."
Yet there is a "good level" and then there is Federer's level. This
year, he will tilting at the record books again, this time in an
attempt to equal Bjorn Borg's record of five successive titles. It is a
milestone that matters to the Swiss, but it is only part of the story.
Federer is fully aware of his potential and his sights are set not on
editing individual chapters of history - he wants to rewrite the whole
book. Federer is aiming at greatness and that means overtaking Pete
Sampras. The American set the bar at 14 grand slam singles titles,
seven of them won at the All England Club. Switzerland's legend in the
making has ten major titles overall, four of them won in south-west
London.
"I always said I wouldn't talk about this until I got over halfway
to the record but now it crosses my mind much more regularly," he said.
"I would definitely love to beat that record of Sampras. I could put
the record out of sight but let's see how my records there are at the
end of my career and then see who is the greatest and the best and the
most unique."
There was a time when Federer felt a little uneasy with his lot. It
was all very well being called one of the greats of the game but it did
take a lot of living up to, especially when the former greats came
knocking at his door to say hello. But after three and half years at
the top of the rankings, the champion feels like... well, a champion.
In March he went to see Sampras, practising with the retired
superstar and picking his brains for advice. After hitting with Borg
last year in Dubai, hob-nobbing with Rod Laver in Australia and
becoming best mates with Tiger Woods, the balding American was just
another sporting hero to add to Federer's contacts book.
"I spent time with Pete and we talked about how it is for me and how
it used to be for him," he said. "We compared our mindsets and we have
many similarities in how me approach grand slams. He gave me a sense of
security because he has a lot of admiration for the way I handle things
on and off the court. I also feel like I'm doing the right things and
just to hear it from him, backing me up, being happy for me when I play
well and even beating some of his records - it's just nice to hear it
from him. I don't like to be the enemy of the past, of someone who
rewrote history, so if he's happy for me I'll be the same way towards
someone else in the future."
So, having made friends with Sampras, Federer will now do everything
in his power to shred his legacy. At the moment, he has no-one to help
him pursue that goal, but the queue of applicants is getting longer by
the day. Since he fired Tony Roche as his coach six weeks ago, the
letters, texts and e-mails have been coming thick and fast as the world
and his wife offer their services.
"This career is short," he said. "I'm not egotistical but you have
to believe you are a special individual athlete. The communication with
Tony wasn't good any more. I wanted new information and to move on.
"I've had about 40 applications to be my coach. Some are people I've
never heard of, or anyone has ever heard of. I know my game the best
but a new coach can maybe analyse the other players, see or hear
something differently."
This year Federer is seeing things differently as well. He decided
to skip the Halle tournament, the title he has always won before
collecting the silverware at Wimbledon, and, instead, went home. After
a hectic clay court season, and reaching the French Open final only to
lose to Rafael Nadal again, he wanted a few days off to see his friends
and spend time at home. Refreshed and recovered, he is now ready for
the coming fortnight. His year revolves around Wimbledon and not even
the disappointment of losing at Roland Garros two weeks ago can detract
from his sense of excitement and his eagerness to add another trophy to
his collection.
"One Wimbledon would have done me. It would have been plenty," he
said in that assured way that multiple champions have. "This is totally
like fantasy. That's why losing in Paris is not that bad. People think
it's a disaster but it's not. I can live with that. It's still a good
result. I haven't found a way to win there yet but to get to the finals
again, that's OK. It's just important next year that I get there and
win it. But Wimbledon is very important to me."
As for his views on the man who will start his campaign for a fifth
title, Federer was sounding confident. "I like to think he is better
than in 2006," he said, "but the other players are getting better,
too." Better, but probably not good enough.
Top men
FAVOURITES
Roger Federer: How can you argue with history? Federer is unbeaten
in 48 matches on grass, a span that goes back to his last loss at
Wimbledon in 2002 (to Mario Ancic in the first round). He is the master
of all he surveys in SW19 and there is nothing he feels he cannot do on
the Centre Court. Not only does he have every shot in the book, not
only does he move like greased lightning on this most treacherous of
surfaces, he also has supreme confidence and belief in his own
abilities. Once the first match is out of the way, Federer feels
invincible here - and that is almost impossible to beat.
Rafael Nadal: Last year the king of clay turned out to be a dab hand
at grass, too, by reaching the final and having the temerity to take a
set from the mighty Federer. The crunching ground strokes can still
bruise most opponents now that the grass has been slowed down to a
snail's pace, but it is the fact that Nadal believes he can move on the
stuff that has made the difference. As soon as he realised that the
ground could be trusted, he was off and running. With a champion's
heart and a winner's mindset, Nadal is a devil to beat on any surface.
POSSIBLES
Andy Roddick: With the fastest serve in the world and with Jimmy
Connors at his side, urging him ever onwards to the net, Roddick ought
to be a racing certainty for the final. His Achilles heel, however, is
that once he comes forward, he is not quite sure what to do next - he
volleys as if with a frying pan. And if that serve is returned, Roddick
starts to panic. He is in Federer's half of the draw and the Swiss has
beaten him 13 times in 14 meetings. If he is to win the title, he has
to beat Federer and then face the final - and that is asking too much.
Lleyton Hewitt: The champion of 2002 has not been himself for the
past couple of years. Injuries, marriage and fatherhood seem to have
damped down the competitive fire that took him to the No.1 ranking at
the start of the century. Even so, it is never wise to write off the
Australian firebrand. Gradually, his game is coming together again
while the biggest stages at the biggest tournaments always whet his
appetite. With Roddick and Federer locked away in the top half of the
draw, he can focus on himself for the time being. And no one would put
it past him to demand a share of the spotlight in the next couple of
weeks.
RANK OUTSIDERS
Tim Henman: If patriotic fervour won championships, Henman would not
have been beaten in SW19 since Tony Blair came to power. But just as
Blair is leaving No.10, so Henman is at the point of departure from the
professional game. He is determined to hang on as long as possible but,
aged 32, his days at Wimbledon are numbered. He cannot buy a win on the
main tour at the moment but, even so, he is, apart from one R Federer
of Switzerland, probably the most gifted grass court player around.
Tipping him for victory may be no more than a vote of sympathy, but
there won't be many more chances to waste your fiver on him.
Marcos Baghdatis: The runner-up in Halle last week and last year's
semi finalist at Wimbledon, there is no reason why the loveable
Baghdatis (Baggy to his friends) cannot make his way to the sharp end
of the tournament. He could do with being fitter, he could do with
concentrating a little harder (he frequently loses matches by thinking
he is going to win them before the final point is over), but if he
builds up a head of steam as the rounds progress, he might just worry a
few of the contenders.
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