Wimbledon 2008: It's Another Title for Roger Federer

The Wimbledon Men’s draw for 2008 has finally been made, and it’s no surprise that Rafael Nadal is in the bottom half of the draw, with World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in Federer’s half, with a possible meeting between the master and the apprentice in the semi-finals.

Many fans and experts are declaring Nadal as favourite going into this year, with an almost inevitable final against Federer. That’s largely due to his destruction of Federer on the clay at the French Open Final at Roland Garros last month.

I can’t deny that Nadal is on form, and he showed us at Queen’s last week that he is continually improving on grass with every set he plays.

However, he didn’t have it all his own way in the final against Novak Djokovic, nor has he had an easy ride through Wimbledon in recent years. Despite being the losing finalist in 2006 and 2007, he improved his sliced backhand, his serve and his power and accuracy.

Federer had an easier run through to the final at Halle in Germany, and comprehensively took care of Philipp Kohlschreiber in the final before resting this week.

It’s difficult to see how anybody will be able to stop him taking Borg’s record at the beginning of July, although he does have the potential of a third round tie against Gael Monfils followed by a tricky fourth-round opponent in Lleyton Hewitt.

As Pete Sampras this week, Federer is the guy most likely to win the majors, and with him needing just three more to break Sampras’s record for the most Grand Slams and on the verge of setting another record in tennis on July 6, he won’t be deterred by a loss to Nadal on his least-favourite surface.

Regardless of his humiliation in Paris on clay, Federer still has the psychological advantage on the surface at Wimbledon. Federer also had a nasty illness at the start of the year, and for the rest of the top 10 to have achieved what he has this year would be considered a decent season to date.

His game is still there, the only thing that is different is that his opponents perhaps don’t fear him as much, and that can work in Federer’s favour as much as his opponents’.

Nadal, on the other hand, has potential matches against Nicolas Kiefer, Mikhail Youzhny or Radek Stepanek, and possibly Andy Murray or Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, but you’d have to say, as long as there aren't any major dramas, injuries or sword-wielding rival pirates around, Nadal should easily dispose of any of those if he plays to his strengths to reach his third consecutive Wimbledon final.

But, you know when Federer walks on to a grass court with you, he’s going to defeat you unless you’re significantly better than him, and nobody is better than Federer on grass on the tour at the moment. That includes an improving Nadal, an emerging Djokovic, Andy Roddick, David Nalbandian and the other pretenders hoping to topple him.

I may be wrong, and many of the “experts” may be right, but this year for me, it’s Federer’s Wimbledon.