Mats Wilander doubts Roger Federer's ability to win Wimbledon
Wimbledon is Roger Federer's best chance to win another Grand Slam but, at 37, the Swiss maestro is no longer an outright favourite to prevail in multiple five-set contests over two weeks, said seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Mats Wilander.
Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion and the world No. 3, won the last of his eight Wimbledon titles in 2017 and is seeded second this year behind top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
Wilander counts Federer among his three favourites at the All England Club, but expects Djokovic to be fired up after missing out on a second career Grand Slam, following his defeat in the French Open semi-finals.
"Wimbledon is (Federer's) best chance... this is the only one that he has a chance to win," said Wilander, now a tennis analyst for Eurosport.
"He's not the favourite. Because of the five sets, I think we don't know how he's going to react in a couple of five-set matches. I'm not sure if Federer is able to win in five sets any more.
"I would say it's Novak and Roger and Rafa (Nadal)... I think Novak has the slight edge... because of what happened at the French (Open)."
Wilander believes the next generation of players, including Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Canada's Felix Auger Aliassime, can cause an upset on their day, but lack the consistency to last through two weeks of top-level tennis.
- REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now