Federer, Djokovic in opposite sides of Wimbledon draw
Breathe easy, Federer fans. Unlike the French Open which had the “Big Three” of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the same half, world No. 1 Djokovic and 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer are on opposite sides of the Wimbledon draw announced on Friday.
Wimbledon has had a few high-profile withdrawals including Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem. It saw another one minutes before the start of the draw when women’s defending champion Simona Halep pulled out due to a calf injury. The withdrawals helped fillip Federer’s seeding to sixth, and it means the only stage he can meet Djokovic—one Slam away from No. 20 and two from a calendar sweep—is in the final which would be a repeat of 2019.
Also read | Defending champion Simona Halep pulls out of Wimbledon 2021 with calf injury
Tsitsipas in Djoko’s half
Still, Federer’s path to the final is far from being a sail. The Swiss has a straightforward opener against Adrian Mannarino—whom he has beaten six times—but has second seed Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and the dangerous Matteo Berrettini in his half. Medvedev could be Federer’s potential quarter-final opponent, although the Russian isn’t quite as threatening on grass. Djokovic has a seemingly less taxing route after opening against unheralded British teen wild card Jack Draper. Stefanos Tsitsipas, the French Open runners-up to Djokovic, shares space in his section alongside fifth seed Andrey Rublev who could be the Serb’s last-eight opponent.
Serena’s tricky road
