As more stars of the tennis world pledge their backing behind Roger Federer’s attempt to win an historic eighth Wimbledon title, the Swiss player is keen to distance himself from being associated at the favourite.
Heading into the grass-court major, the 35-year-old enjoyed the best preparation possible by winning a ninth title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle. In the final he disposed of rising star Alexander Zverev in less than an hour. Federer’s route to the Halle title saw him not drop a set in the entire tournament. Shortly after the triumph, runner-up Zverev was quick to pinpoint Federer as the No.1 contender at Wimbledon.
“I think Roger is playing really, really well. I think going into Wimbledon he’s going to be probably the favourite to win the whole thing.” Said Zverev.
Zverev is the latest person to express their support for the 18-time grand slam champion. Compatriot Boris Becker, who previously coached Novak Djokovic, has hailed the resurgence of the Swiss player. Since returning from a six-month injury in January, Federer has won 24 out of 26 matches played on the tour.
“He is Roger Federer – the name speaks for itself. He has defied the odds many times in his life before, and he’s spent 300 weeks at No.1 in the world rankings,” Becker said.
“He has always done things the Federer way and he has rejuvenated the sport.”
Pat Cash, who won the 1987 Wimbledon Championships, believes the world No.5 is playing almost ‘the best tennis of his career.’ A big claim to make about a player who has won 92 ATP titles (more than twice the amount of current world No.1 Andy Murray).
“’For me Roger Federer is the favourite. I think he is playing the best tennis…almost the best tennis of his career’, Cash said. ‘He’s resurrected his backhand, found his backhand, or actually invented a new backhand. He’s been incredibly deadly this year and nobody has been able to stop it.”
Like everybody, Federer is not free from losing matches. The most recent occurred in Stuttgart when he lost to Tommy Haas in his first competitive match since March. This year has seen both Murray and Novak Djokovic struggling at the top, triggering a debate about whether the men’s draw will be the most open in recent years. It is for this reason why Queen’s finalist Marin Cilic is somewhat less adamant when he debates Federer’s favourite label.
“To say that he’s (Federer) No. 1 favorite, you know, it could be true but also could not be,” Cilic explained.
‘Definitely he’s going to be playing really well, and, you know, he’s feeling at home in Wimbledon.
‘But yeah, definitely I would say the top guys haven’t played the best of their best, so definitely it opens up a gap for a lot of guys.”
‘You got to be at your best’
Whilst the support is mounting, Federer is the first to point out that there is still a long way for him to go. He will be seeded third at Wimbledon, behind Djokovic and Murray. The position is based upon a special calculation used by the tournament based on a player’s results on the grass as well as other factors. It is a formula not used at other major events. Nevertheless, Federer played down the significance of his seeding.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect my success or result in Wimbledon too much whether I’m gonna be #4 or #5 in the seeding,“ admitted Federer. “Both would’ve had advantages and disadvantages to be honest. If you want to win the tournament you’ve got to beat the best anyways.”
Regardless of his Halle win, the 35-year-old admitted that he will starting from ‘zero’ next week. Still, there are a hype and expectation surrounding him and his desire to become the first man to win an eighth title at SW19.
“Unfortunately, the tournament win here (in Halle) doesn’t give me a wildcard into the Wimbledon semifinals. Everything starts from zero.“
This year will be Federer’s 19th consecutive appearance at Wimbledon. So far, he has won 84 out of 95 main draw matches played at the tournament and has only failed to reached the quarter final stage four times (1999, 2000, 2002 and 2013).
