Drought Package

Roger Federer has best chance to not only end his Slam-less streak but also regain No.1 spot

CHRISTOPHER CLAREY

The Grand Slam drought grows longer for Roger Federer. He has remained a serial winner elsewhere,but he has not won one of the four titles that matter most since January 2010 and has not reached a major final for more than a year.

But with Wimbledon beginning on Monday,the lure of Federers enduringly elegant game and blockbuster tennis résumé remains powerful.

Insiders like the former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe and the top-flight coach Darren Cahill are still picking Federer to win,ahead of the defending champion,Novak Djokovic,and Rafael Nadal,younger stars who have surpassed him in ranking and Grand Slam relevance in the last three seasons.

Equalling Sampras

Federer,who turns 31 in August,also continues to wax optimistic. Even though he has lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in his last two visits,he maintains that this should be his time of year: a time when playing conditions are quicker; a time when aggressive shot-making reaps more rewards; a time when he can tie Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for the mens record by winning his seventh Wimbledon title.

You think,man,if youve been able to do it six times,you can do it seven; its just logic,right? Federer said on Saturday. But Im aware of how difficult it is,and its up to me to raise my game to do it again.

Controlled aggression is what allowed Federer to win a record 16 Grand Slam singles titles. But it is also what has knocked him out of Wimbledon the last two years,with the huge-hitting Tomas Berdych upsetting him in the quarterfinals in 2010 and the flashy Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last year becoming the first man to overcome a two-set deficit against Federer in a Grand Slam.

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8220;I have to do better in this event because I could have gone further the last couple. Maybe a bit unfortunate at times. Maybe the other guys were just too good. Maybe I wasnt quite at my best. Who knows what the combination was? But its up to me to make that difference now and take it to the next step. Then once hopefully I am there,I can reach for the title. I think that would be tying Pete,which I think would be absolutely fantastic,obviously,you know,admiring Pete when I was younger.8221;

Top spot in sight

It would also allow Federer to settle a statistical score. If Federer wins Wimbledon,he will return to the No.1 ranking. That would be a tribute to his remarkable rate outside the Grand Slam events in the last year,when he has won seven tour titles.

For now Sampras holds the record with 286 weeks atop the mens rankings. Federer remains just one week behind,at 285. There are other potential parallels. Sampras went more than two years without a major title before winning the 2002 United States Open,at age 31. That,however,turned out to be his last tournament on tour. For now,there is no hint of a last hurrah in Federers demeanor or planning. He has already mapped out nearly all of his schedule in 2013 and intends to start working on 2014 in the months ahead.

8220;Im always two years ahead,8221; he said. 8220;Im: OK,where are we going to play? How are we going to get there? What collection am I going to wear? Its all already the big machinery thats working for me,so its normal to look ahead. Obviously,theres a short-term goal: I want to win Wimbledon.

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For now,the rumor at Wimbledon is that Federer still has what it takes to win a big one. The first step toward proving that right comes Monday,when he is scheduled to face Albert Ramos,an unseeded Spaniard,in the first round.

Centre-court action

Novak Djokovic SRB-1 v. Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP

M Sharapova RUS-1 v. A Rodionova AUS

E Gulbis LAT v. T Berdych CZE-6

D Nalbandian ARG v. JTipsarevic SRB-8

R Federer SUI-3 v. A Ramos ESP

K Clijsters BEL v. J Jankovic SRB-18

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