Friday, June 20, 2008

FED vs DJOKER and NADAL vs RODDICK

Roger Federer could face No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals as he bids for a sixth straight Wimbledon title.

Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, was drawn into Federer's half of the bracket Friday for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament opening Monday.

Earlier this week, Djokovic said he thinks Federer is vulnerable after his lopsided loss in the French Open final -- and that he is one of several players who could end the Swiss star's five-year reign at Wimbledon. 

Second-ranked Rafael Nadal, who routed Federer in Paris but lost to him in the past two Wimbledon finals, is in the other half of the draw. He could face two-time runner-up Andy Roddick in the semifinals.

Federer, who has won 59 straight matches on grass, will open play on Centre Court on Monday against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia. Hrbaty, who reached a world ranking of No. 12 in 2004, has dropped to No. 272.

Federer could play French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils in the third round and either 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt or Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth. His projected quarterfinal opponent is Spain's fifth-seeded David Ferrer.

Nadal, coming off his fourth straight French Open victory and first grass-court title at Queen's Club, will open against German qualifier Andreas Beck. Nadal could face Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals and either No. 4 Nikolay Davydekno or No. 8 Roddick in the semis.

Djokovic, who lost to Nadal in the Queen's final, has a first-round match against Michael Berrer of Germany and could face a tough second-round matchup with Russia's Marat Safin, a former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam winner. Djokovic could meet David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals before a potential showdown with Federer.

No comments: