Federer taking nothing for granted

After failing narrowly in his attempt to match Rod Laver and Don Budge, world number one Roger Federer will seek consolation by trying to emulate two more tennis greats when he starts the third defence of his Wimbledon title next week.

If he wins again at the All England Club, the Swiss will join American Pete Sampras and Swede Bjorn Borg as the only men to win four consecutive titles at the grasscourt grand slam in the professional era.

Federer has a year to stew over his poor display against Spain's Rafael Nadal in the French Open final on June 11 when months of careful preparations came to nothing as he once again failed in his bid to complete the full set of grand slams achieved by Laver and Budge.

The 24-year-old Swiss's standing in the game is such that he is long used to being talked of in such exalted company.

As he showed last week, though, success has not affected his work ethic. Even Federer's fitness coach told him it would be understandable if he did not defend his Halle grasscourt title following his exhausting and ultimately disappointing campaign on the Paris clay.

Instead Federer won five tough grasscourt matches to flush the red dirt out of his system, and in beating Czech Tomas Berdych in Sunday's final he equalled Borg's record grasscourt winning streak of 41 matches.

"He (fitness coach Pierre Paganini) wasn't too sure whether I should play but I told him that I would like to. He couldn't believe that I came through. For me that's a sign of my physical and mental strength paying off.

"I have never been as fit as today. I'm back in top shape and that's important for the rest of the season.

"But I don't think that matches are decided by physical fitness, but rather mentally. It can be very frustrating on grass, because you don't get a lot of chances. If you miss your chance, it can be very frustrating."

ALMOST UNBEATABLE

Sampras was the last man to win four straight titles at Wimbledon in 2000 and another American, 2004 and 2005 runner-up Andy Roddick, may well offer Federer his biggest challenge again this year, together with a resurgent Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion.

Berdych, though, echoed the

views of the majority on the men's tour after losing to Halle on Sunday, when he suggested Federer was pretty much unbeatable on grass.

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The Swiss finds the suggestion almost insulting.

"It's easy for him to say. I have to start an entire tournament from scratch. Obviously he doesn't quite understand how tough a grand slam tournament is.

"It's easy to come once in your career into the quarters, but to do it on a consistent level is a different question.

"I know I've got the game to win Wimbledon, but to come out of the blocks on Monday and then play good enough to come through that and then to be strong enough not to let anything influence you, that's the part he does not know yet."