20 Jun 2009

Nadal and Federer reflect on Wimbledon

2:01 pm on 20 June 2009

The world tennis Rafael Nadal insists his decision to withdraw from Wimbledon is not a sign that his powers are on the wane.

Nadal has opted not to defend his All England Club title after accepting he would be performing at less than 100 per cent because he has yet to fully recover from knee tendinitis.

Convinced he can return better than ever, the Spaniard says he is going to work very hard to come back as soon as possible.

Nadal's withdrawal means the 2009 French Open champion Roger Federer is the firm favourite to regain the Wimbledon title.

For his part, Federer says that after finally claiming his debut clay-court French crown and completing his career grand slam, he can now play without pressure.

The newly-married Swiss, who is soon to be a father for the first time, says he is on top of the world going into Wimbledon and the grasscourt season.