Federer aims to claim 6th Wimbledon, 15th major
Tennis newsRoger Federer is building something of a reputation as an on-court crier, and he remembers well the first time he wept after winning a match.
It was July 2, 2001, at Wimbledon, the tournament that means more to him than any other. Federer was 19, up-and-coming and making his Centre Court debut in the fourth round when he stunned Pete Sampras, who was 29, seeded No. 1 and seeking an eighth Wimbledon title.
I used to cry almost after every single match I lost as a junior. Its not at all a feeling like its the end of the world – of course not, because tennis is not everything – but some people can control it, some people cant, Federer said. Crying after a victory is something that started when I beat Pete.
Back then, Federer had yet to reach the semifinals, let alone win a title, at any Grand Slam event. Eight years later, as Wimbledon begins on Monday with a roof over Centre Court for the first time, Federer arrives at the All England Club bidding to break Sampras career record of 14 major championships.
Federer will be aiming for his sixth Wimbledon title one year after a tear-inducing loss to Rafael Nadal in the longest singles final in tournament history, a 4-hour, 48-minute test of skill and will that ended 9-7 in the fifth set as darkness descended.
That disappointment notwithstanding, Federer eagerly awaits returning to the grass-court Grand Slam.
When you get there, you start to get into your frame of mind: Its just, like, All right, lets go again here. I know what it takes. Settle in. Enjoy being a member, Federer said with a little laugh. I love going there, so it takes only a couple of hours almost to feel, like, at home.
There was something apt about the way he tied Sampras Grand Slam mark by completing a career Grand Slam at the French Open, a tournament the American never won and that the Swiss star came so close to winning, year after year, before finally breaking through this month.
There also would be something fitting if Federer surpasses Sampras at Wimbledon, a tournament that means so much to both men – and where their paths crossed all those years ago.
On the day Federer won at Roland Garros, Sampras said he expected Federer to get No. 15 in the next couple of weeks. Asked whether he would travel to the All England Club this year, Sampras replied: Well sort of see what happens.
Many current players believe Federer is set to re-establish his supremacy at Wimbledon. As 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt put it: Rogers going to be the one to beat.
The same must be said of the Williams sisters, particularly Venus. Just as it has been with Federer in recent years, Wimbledon is their turf.
Venus has played in seven finals at the All England Club, winning five championships, including the past two. Serena has played in four finals, winning two.
Pay no heed to the rankings, which have both sisters behind No. 1 Dinara Safina. Here are the numbers that really matter: Serena has won 10 Grand Slam titles overall, and Venus seven, while Marat Safins little sister is winless in three major finals.
Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, cant be counted out, even if her serve has been a trouble spot in her return from shoulder surgery, while a teenager such as Victoria Azarenka or Caroline Wozniacki could be ready for a breakthrough.
It seems far less likely that someone who isnt a household name will win the mens championship on July 5.
For Federer, there are other laurels at stake this fortnight: He could match Nadals feat from 2008 of winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season – that hadnt been done since Bjorn Borg in 1980.
Plus, Federer can reclaim the No. 1 ranking if he wins Wimbledon and Nadal, who is nursing sore knees, loses before the semifinals. That, Federer said, doesnt concern him.
Right now, he is focusing on adding to his haul of major championships. He bawled during the postmatch ceremonies after another five-set setback against Nadal at the Australian Open this year, then shed tears of joy when he won the French Open.
Now comes Wimbledon.
I do think Im the favorite, actually, with the success Ive had and how close I came again last year, said Federer, whose wife is due to give birth to their first child this summer. Without any disrespect to any of the other players – because I think this years field is going to be very difficult to topple.
Theres Nadal, of course, if healthy. Remember: Federer is the only man Nadal has lost to at Wimbledon over the past three years. Then there is Andy Murray, the 22-year-old from Scotland who gives local fans a real chance for the first British male champion at the All England Club since Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray reached his first Grand Slam final at last years U.S. Open, and he showed how his versatility is growing by making the French Open quarterfinals. Then, as if the expectations and pressure werent going to be onerous enough during Wimbledon, Murray went out and won the grass-court tournament at Queens Club last weekend, making him that events first British champion since 1938.
The buildup beforehand is a little bit more stressful than other tournaments, Murray said, but once it starts, its like all the other Slams.
In running down the list of contenders, Federer mentioned Nadal and Murray, of course. He also named two-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick (although that was before the American hurt his foot at Queens Club), 2008 Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and French Open runner-up Robin Soderling, who ended Nadals 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
Still, it all comes back to Federer, even as far as he is concerned.
I feel like Ive got the game, Ive got the mental approach and Ive got the experience … to win at Wimbledon many more times, Federer said. But Id like to get this one, this year.
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