Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates winning a point from Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their ATP World Tour Finals tennis match at the O2 Arena in London, England, Tuesday Nov. 17, 2015. AP
LONDON—Missing his first Grand Slam in 17 years—the French Open—was worth it to Roger Federer to be fit and confident for another Wimbledon.
Federer said at the All England Club on Saturday that he had a pinch of doubt he would miss his first Wimbledon since 1999 when he had to withdraw from the French Open because of a bad back.
“If you enter, you want to feel like you have a chance to go deep and win, and that’s why I’m here,” he said, wearing a T-shirt that reads “SW19,” Wimbledon’s post code.
A day after losing in the Australian Open semifinals to Novak Djokovic, he tore left knee cartilage while running a bath for his kids. He got sick in Miami, then hurt his back in Madrid in practice.
“This back has won me 88 titles, and I’m OK with that back,” he said. “It’s OK if it messes around with me sometimes.”
Federer hasn’t won a title in seven months, and won his record 17th and last Grand Slam here four years ago. His bid for an eighth Wimbledon title starts against Argentine leftie Guido Pella, whom he’s never met.
Huey-Mirnyi
Meanwhile, Filipino Treat Huey and Belarusian Max Mirnyi are seeded 12th in the men’s doubles competitions.
They will face Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round. AP, Marc Anthony Reyes