LONDON, June 27

Novak Djokovic arrives at Wimbledon looking to join Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles and the world No.1 said he has changed his calendar to ensure his focus is on peaking at the Majors at this stage of his career.

Murray returns

London: Andy Murray has played Roger Federer 25 times in his glittering career, including Grand Slam and Olympics finals, but admits that getting to practice with the Swiss great felt extra special. British favourite Murray, Wimbledon champion in 2013 and 2016, has not played a singles match at the All England Club since 2017 and has also undergone two hip surgeries. But the 34-year-old returns as a wildcard hoping to turn back the clock and show he can still compete at the highest level. Reuters

Djokovic has participated mainly in Grand Slams and Masters tournaments this year — winning both the Australian Open and French Open — and the 34-year-old said he was fortunate to play his best tennis when it mattered the most.

“Grand Slams are the biggest motivation I have right now at this stage of my career... I want to try to make the most out of them as I possibly can. I’m trying to peak at the Majors,” Djokovic told reporters. “Nowadays I have to adjust my schedule a bit more with the quality time with family that means a lot to me, reducing the number of tournaments, trying to adjust everything so that I could be at my top level on Slams. That’s how my last year and a half looked like, and that’s how probably the rest of my career will look like in terms of scheduling the tournaments.”

Federer ready to roll

Roger Federer may be closing in on his 40th birthday, but he said he still believes he can challenge for a ninth Wimbledon title if he gets on a roll when the grasscourt Slam starts on Monday.

The All England Club is as familiar to Federer as his own backyard, but he has played only a handful of tournaments in the past 18 months because of knee surgery. His loss to Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime at Halle last week, a venue where he has won 10 titles, raised valid questions about his form. Federer expressed his own disappointment with that match and his attitude on court, but said on Saturday that there will be no repeat of that at Wimbledon.

“There’s ways to lose and a standard I set for myself how I go about things,” Federer told reporters in a pre-tournament media conference conducted via Zoom.

“I know if I get rolling, I get into the second week, which is the goal here right now, that I get stronger and stronger as every match goes by, I believe it’s very much possible,” he added. — Reuters