Age no barrier as Federer goes for gold
Roger Federer insists his Wimbledon triumph should serve as a warning
to his Olympic rivals that age won't be a barrier to his dream of
winning a gold medal at the All England Club.
Federer is back at Wimbledon for the Olympics only three weeks after
beating Andy Murray to clinch a record equalling seventh title at the
grass-court Grand Slam, but the Swiss star's thirst for success hasn't
been quenched just yet.After ending his two-year drought at the majors
and returning to the top of the world rankings, Federer once again
radiates the supreme confidence that characterised his lengthy spell as
the sport's dominant force.He has silenced the critics who claimed the
30-year-old was a fading force who was more focused on his young family
than working to combat the twin threat posed by Novak Djokovic and
Rafael Nadal.
And Federer believes his latest Wimbledon crown is extra special as
it came at an age when most players his age have already retired and in
an era when Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray, all three significantly
younger than him, have provided intense competition for the top prizes.
"Winning Wimbledon has definitely sunk in now, especially when I look
at the draw here and see I'm the number one seed. It hasn't been that
way in some time," Federer said ahead of Saturday's opening day of the
tournament.
"I always believed I would get back to number one. I knew my game was
strong. I had a couple of tough losses last year that stopped me going
further and maybe get back to number one earlier. But the good thing is
I never gave up and started to play better, especially at Wimbledon when
the pressure was so high.
"It's a dream come true and I'm happy I was able to do it because
Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are in their prime. I shouldn't be normally
at my age." Now Federer can cap one of the best months of his
illustrious career by adding a sprinkling of gold to his already
glittering CV.
He won gold in the doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Games
in Beijing, but Olympic singles gold is the one major individual honour
to have eluded Federer, with his best performance coming in Sydney in
2000, when he finished fourth.
With Nadal ruled out with knee problems, Federer, who faces
Colombia's Alejandro Falla in the first round, acknowledges his status
as the Olympic favourite.But he knows it could be potentially fatal to
let his thoughts turn to another historic success at the All England
Club, especially in an event with a best of three sets format that can
punish even short lapses in concentration.
"I always thought when I played the Olympics at Wimbledon I would
feel incredible pressure, but thinking about it I don't have much
pressure because I already have a gold medal," Federer said.
"I know it was the doubles and not the singles, but nobody can take
that away from me and Stan."The margins are a lot tighter in this event.
A bad five minutes or a couple of points can cost you the tournament. In
this format I would have gone out of Wimbledon against (Julien)
Benneteau because I was two sets to love down.
"I'm aware of that, but winning Wimbledon has been a big help to my
confidence.
"I played great and I was able to beat Novak. I'm back at world
number one so if you put all those things together it could be that I'm
the favourite.
"I'm coming back to a place where I have been able to win so often
and that gives me incredible confidence." Federer's path to golden glory
looks relatively serene, with Spain's David Ferrer and Argentina's Juan
Martin del Potro the most testing opponents lying in wait in his half of
the draw.
In the final he could play second seed Djokovic, who opens against
Italy's Fabio Fognini, or third seed Murray, who starts his bid to erase
the heartache of his tearful defeat against Federer with a clash against
Wawrinka. London, Friday. AFP. |