5-time champion Federer an underdog at Wimbledon

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-23  |     ONLINE EDITION

BJORN Borg and Novak Djokovic say Roger Federer's reign at Wimbledon is in jeopardy. Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal say Federer remains the man to beat on grass.

Federer prefers to let his tennis do the talking.

"It's maybe a time where some people talk a little bit too much," Federer said yesterday, a day before playing the first Centre Court match as he begins his pursuit of a sixth consecutive Wimbledon title.

That would equal the record established by William Renshaw, the champion in 1881-86. Since the early 1900s, Federer and Borg (1976-80) are the only men to win Wimbledon five times in a row. Federer's 59-match winning streak on grass is the longest in the 40-year Open era.

Yet there has been plenty of debate the past two weeks regarding whether Federer is this year's favorite. It seems everyone but old Willie Renshaw weighed in on the subject.

Nobody disputes the 26-year-old Federer has struggled in recent months. For only the second time since early 2003, he has been beaten at two consecutive major tournaments. He has lost eight matches this year, only one less than in all of 2007. And he endured his most lopsided Grand Slam defeat in the French Open final two weeks ago, winning only four games against Nadal.

Ranked No. 1 since February 2004, Federer blames his slow start this year on a winter bout with mononucleosis and says he feels fine now. He showed no signs of slippage when he moved to grass the week after the loss at Roland Garros, winning a tournament in Halle, Germany, without dropping his serve, much less a set.

That was against a weak field, however, and the title failed to squelch speculation Federer will soon be an ex-champion in gentlemen's singles at the All England Club.