In Roger Federer's words: 'Conditions are getting slower, Hewitt can win Wimbledon'

The final at Wimbledon 2002 was one of the most unexpected ones in history, with Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian fighting for the title from the baseline! The organizers said there were no changes on the surface but something was wrong, with two out of top-15 seeds reaching the quarter-final and many favorites losing in the early rounds. Roger Federer spoke about the upcoming Wimbledon in s-Hertogenbosch, saying the surfaces had generally become slower and that the baseliners would have a chance at the All England Club, which turned out to very accurate. The Swiss spoke about Hewitt and Agassi as the players who could go all the way, with the American losing in the second round and the Aussie who toppled Nalbandian in the title match to claim the trophy. Federer also mentioned that it would be good to see longer grass swing than the current one, offering players more opportunities to prepare for the most important event in the world. 

"The conditions are getting slower just in general in tennis because they want to see more rallies. I can see a guy like Lleyton Hewitt winning Wimbledon in the future, if not this year already. I give Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi a good chance of winning. Lleyton won at Queen's again and he has been playing well. Not only on grass, but he is also the favorite on any surface. I could pick him for any Slam but the challenge is massive from many players; it will be tough for everyone but I think Lleyton can win Wimbledon this year. I think somebody from Wimbledon came up and spoke to me in Monte-Carlo, asking me just what I thought about a one week longer grass courts. I had to say it would be better to have a longer grass court season because it's a really short one. I mean, you play one tournament, lose first round, and then you don't play the next week, and you're already in Wimbledon. I told him that I would like to have a longer grass court season but at the same time, I have to protect the Swiss tournament in Gstaad, which is the week after Wimbledon. It's worthwhile thinking about having one more week of grass; the season looks short to me."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3aifY0s