Wimbledon: Roger Federer only third favourite, Bjorn Borg says
By Mark Hodgkinson
Someone mentioned the r-word for Roger Federer. Bjorn Borg was in his mid-twenties when he famously and abruptly put down his wooden rackets. And Borg would not be shocked if Switzerland's world No 1, who turns 27 in a couple of months, were to announce his retirement next season: "I wouldn't be at all surprised if Roger came out next year and said, 'I'm not going to play tennis any more'."
It is a statement that could have the alarm-bells and cow-bells ringing across the tennis world. "I think Roger will probably carry on playing tennis, but if he retired next year that wouldn't surprise me. He has been through so much, he has done so much, he has been professional, he's been working hard, he's been winning everything. It probably won't happen, but if Roger suddenly decides to retire that wouldn't shock me at all," said Borg. "People expect Roger to win the whole time, and that's both mentally and physically tiring. It's not going to be like it used to be, when he won almost every single match he played. That time has gone."
This could be a career-defining summer for Federer. It could be the golden summer when he wins his sixth consecutive Wimbledon trophy, taking him past Borg's five in a row. And yet Borg hasn't picked out Federer as his favourite to lift the golden Challenge Cup. He doesn't even have Federer down as his second choice. Borg has bumped the serial winner down into third. "I pick Rafael Nadal as the winner. My second choice is Novak Djokovic, and my third choice is Roger," Borg said, calmly presenting his intriguing one-two-three. He was also calm at the Wimbledon museum yesterday morning when, during the launch of HSBC's 'Champions of Wimbledon' gallery of past winners, he saw a caricature that cartoonist Gerald Scarfe had drawn of him, accentuating the length of his nose.
By Federer's high standards, this has been a mediocre season and he arrives at the All England Club without a slam title this year; but Borg thinks that the top seed is now even vulnerable on Wimbledon's Centre Court. To think there was once a time (just a year ago) when the Swiss was believed to be as safe and as unpickable as his country's famed bank vaults. But a lot has changed in 12 months. Men's tennis is now a three-headed beast.
Borg said: "A year ago, I would have had Roger as my favourite, but that was then. Nadal and Djokovic are playing much better tennis than they were a year ago. I think that Roger is going to be the No 1 player at the end of the year anyway. But for him to beat those guys at Wimbledon, he needs to play much better than he did last summer. He knows that he is going to have to play some unbelievable tennis to win again. This is the most open Wimbledon in years.
"Not winning a grand slam tournament in one year, that would be a huge disappointment for him. If he doesn't win a grand slam this year, he's still up there, and if he keeps his motivation and stays away from injuries, next year he might win one, he might win two or three. He wants to break more records. He wants to break the Pete Sampras record of 14 grand slams. I think he will still do that, if he wants to continue playing tennis."
Federer has 12 grand slam titles, putting him only two short of the Sampras record, but he hasn't added to the collection this year. With the start of his year complicated by glandular fever, he was beaten in the semi-finals of January's Australian Open by Djokovic, and this month he was demolished in the French Open final by Nadal.
"You cannot keep winning the whole time - Roger's not going to do that. The competition is getting tougher, with Nadal and Djokovic. He knows that the other guys are getting better."
Borg was astonished by the quality of the tennis from Nadal and Djokovic during last Sunday's Queen's Club final. "They played some unbelievable tennis. Looking at Nadal, he looks like he had been practising on the grass for three to four weeks. Nadal is 100 per cent certain this year how to play on grass," Borg observed. "He's looking even better than last year. Djokovic is playing with a lot of confidence after winning this year's Australian Open."
Borg argued that Britain's Andy Murray needs to be a tougher presence on Centre Court. "Murray needs to be mentally and physically tough. He needs to be toughened up and get everything together. He's been injured a lot, and he's been frustrated by that. Look at Federer, Nadal and Djokovic - they are very rarely injured, they keep playing matches, and winning tournaments.
"They are physically and mentally tough, and that's what Murray needs to be," said Borg. "I don't think he's going to win this year, but if he plays well then he's going to go far in the tournament. Murray will be a real title contender in the future."
Article from Telegraph - Here
