King looking for another crown

Roger Federer begins his campaign for a sixth Wimbledon title, and a record 15th major, rejuvenated by finally lifting his French Open jinx and seeing injured rival Rafael Nadal limp out of contention.

Twelve months ago, Federer’s five-year All-England Club domination was brought to an end by Nadal in a five-set classic now widely regarded as the greatest Grand Slam final of all time. But with deposed Roland Garros champion Nadal forced to pull out to rest his injured knees, Federer has a golden opportunity to move within one title of Pete Sampras’s record of seven Wimbledon triumphs. “I don’t feel like I have extra pressure,” said world number two Federer. “There’s a lot of weight off my shoulders since Paris. So I’m entering tournaments a little bit more relaxed these days.”

Federer will open proceedings on Centre Court against Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu on Monday in what will be his first tennis since beating Robin Soderling in the Roland Garros final. He missed the grasscourt tournament at Halle last week, but is now refreshed and ready to go.

Federer is a player reborn. Five months ago, his tearful exit after losing to Nadal in the Australian Open final was interpreted as an emotional confession that his era was over.

But marriage and impending fatherhood have given the 27-year-old a new perspective on his personal life while his Paris breakthrough, which took him level with Sampras on 14 majors, have combined to make him the overwhelming favourite. With Nadal sidelined, Federer’s likely title rivals will Andy Murray, who’s bidding to become the first British men’s champion since Fred Perry in 1936, former two-time runnerup Andy Roddick and world number four Novak Djokovic.

Murray, buoyed by being the first British winner at Queen’s since Bunny Austin in 1938, boasts a 6-2 winning record over Federer.

A quarterfinal place last year is his best showing at Wimbledon where he was outclassed by Nadal in straight sets. He has vowed not to get distracted by the home crowds. World No 4 Djokovic was the runner-up on grass at Halle, but wrote off his chances at Wimbledon where last year he was knocked out in the second round by Marat Safin.

Recently-married Roddick, the runner-up to Federer in 2004 and 2005, has plenty to prove.

VENUS EYES HAT-TRICK

Venus Williams has history in her sights as the American aims to cement her place among the grasscourt greats by completing a hat-trick of Wimbledon triumphs this year.

Williams will become only the fourth woman since the 1960s to claim three successive titles at the All-England Club if she retains the aptly Venus Rosewater Dish, joining Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King in the elite list of treble champions. It is six years since Serena last won Wimbledon but on her day the world number two still has the beating of any of her peers - including Venus. The same can’t be said of world number one Dinara Safina, who will travel to London rocked after compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova thrashed her in the French Open final.

Safina has risen to the top of the womens’ rankings without landing a Grand Slam victory.

The 23-year-old Russian may not fancy her chances of ending that frustrating run at Wimbledon as she has yet to make it past the third round. If Safina can’t dethrone Venus, the biggest threat could come from elsewhere in eastern Europe. Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion, is working her way back up the rankings after returning to the Tour in May following 10 months on the sidelines with a persistent shoulder injury. The Russian insists her desire to succeed burns as brightly as ever. Another challenger should be Kuznetsova, whose morale is sky-high after her Roland Garros triumph, while world number four Elena Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, reached the semifinals last year.

There is no shortage of motivation for Serbian duo Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, who both failed to make it past the fourth round last year despite being seeded one and two respectively, and have struggled since. Attention will also be focued on 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito, whose highpitch on-court screeching has led the International Tennis Federation to consider making “noise hindrance” part of its code of conduct.