A familiar face at Centre Court: Federer heavily favored for title

He's the three-time defending champion and has won 41 straight on grass.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- It has become a Wimbledon tradition, like bad bounces, overnight queues and occasional sunshine. At 1 p.m. on the tournament's first day, Roger Federer walks onto the Centre Court lawn and begins defending his title.
Rarely has there been a better tennis match than Federer and grass. Many players find the slick, speedy surface onerous and capricious; for Federer, it's inviting and inspiring.
He has won three consecutive championships at Wimbledon, with each earning him the honor of playing the first Centre Court match the following year.
"It's very difficult to open the tournament in Wimbledon," Federer said. "It's maybe a privilege and an honor, but at the same time you can be the first guy out of the tournament. So it's a lot of pressure involved."
Seeks to break record
Yet Federer makes it look easy. He'll return to his favorite stage Monday, seeking to break the record of 41 consecutive grass-court victories he shares with Bjorn Borg.
More important, Federer will commence his chase for another Wimbledon title. He's the odds-on favorite with British bookmakers, other players and past champions.
"If he plays normal, nobody can beat him on grass," 2001 winner Goran Ivanisevic said.
"I could see him not playing his best and winning," three-time champion John McEnroe said. "That's how much better he is on this surface."
"Maybe Roger Federer is the only guy who can stop him," said James Blake, a title threat if the Swiss star somehow falters. "Because if he's playing well, I don't see any one of us stopping him. He needs to have a bad day, I think."
Agassi announces retirement
Sharing the focus with Federer -- at the start of the fortnight, at least -- will be 1992 champion Andre Agassi, who announced Saturday that he'll be playing Wimbledon for the last time and will retire after the U.S. Open. Agassi's first match is Tuesday, and No. 2-seeded Rafael Nadal looms as a potential opponent in the third round.
Nadal won his second successive French Open title two weeks ago, spoiling Federer's bid for a fourth successive Grand Slam title. By losing the final, Federer fell to 0-4 against Nadal this year, while he's 49-0 against everyone else.
But they've never met on grass, the surface where the 20-year-old Nadal is least comfortable.
"He has a little bit of difficulty on grass," Federer said, "but maybe he hasn't had too many opportunities."
Last year, after winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, Nadal lost in the second round at Wimbledon. He did reach the Wimbledon semifinals in juniors in 2002, and unlike many players raised on clay, he embraces the challenge of learning to win on grass.
But although he's seeded second, he figures he needs to upgrade his serve and grass-court footwork before he'll be ready to contend for a title.
"My special goal is in two, three, four years to have a chance to have a good result in Wimbledon," Nadal said. "I still have to improve some parts of my game."
More likely to make it to the second weekend this year are two-time runner-up Andy Roddick, 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt and Mario Ancic, the last player to beat Federer at Wimbledon -- four years ago.
Women's draw wide open
By contrast, the women's draw is wide open, with the three highest-seeded players seeking their first Wimbledon title. Seeded 1-2-3 are Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo, U.S. Open winner Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, who won her fifth major title at the French Open two weeks ago.
Among the trio, only Henin-Hardenne has reached a Wimbledon final. She was runner-up in 2001 and needs a title at the All England Club to complete a career Grand Slam.
"I'm dreaming of winning Wimbledon one day," she said. "It would be the cherry on the cake. We'll see what the future will say. I have a few years ahead of me."
The oddsmakers' favorite is 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, seeded fourth. Three-time champion Venus Williams is seeded sixth, in part because injuries have limited her to 14 matches this year.
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