Share

Federer done resting as he begins Wimbledon prep

Stuttgart - Roger Federer will begin his grasscourt campaign and bid for an eighth Wimbledon crown at Stuttgart on Wednesday insisting that he's rested enough.

The Swiss veteran has taken the last two months off after what he described as a surprisingly successful start to the year that resulted in victory at the Australian Open and then the Indian Wells-Miami Masters double.

"I was terribly surprised to win the Australian Open and to back it up and win the sunshine double in Indian Wells and Miami was a complete surprise to me," Federer said.

Although 35, he has been in fine form during his limited activity this year, losing only once - a shock reverse to Russian Evgeny Donskoy, then ranked 116, in Dubai.

And while his own resurgence this year has taken him aback, Federer insists that Rafael Nadal's return to claycourt dominance was not so unexpected.

"I think Rafa winning the French Open is less of a surprise because he'd done it nine times before," he said.

"I was hoping he was going to dominate the claycourt season like the olden days."

Having only played in four tournaments this year as he manages his workload, Federer said he would return to a full programme for the rest of the season.

"There are no more breaks now," he told the ATP website.

"I've had enough breaks. I'm a practice world champion now and that's not who I want to be.

"I want to be a champ on the match courts. So I'm going to be playing a regular schedule for the second part of the season."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1818 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1779 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE