Roger Federer will march onto Centre Court on Monday as defending champion for the first match of the tournament on the hallowed court.
Yet according to the 36-year-old Swiss, despite this being the eighth time he will do so, the experience does not get any easier.
“If I think of tomorrow now, I think it remains a little bit nerve-wracking, in all honesty,” admitted Federer, who plays Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in the first round.
“It’s a big deal. I mean, besides the history and the mythical place that it is, you cannot also practice on it. When you come out, there’s a bit of uncertainty for both players.
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“From a very quiet week and site that we’ve seen this week, (On Monday) it’s just packed everywhere. The entire atmosphere changes at Wimbledon, and you realise the eyes are on you. That naturally makes you a bit nervous, I believe.
“Plus it’s not the second day or something, or a Wednesday sometimes like it used to be at the US Open when you started the tournament.
“You’re basically the first one on the show court. It’s always a lot to ask for from the players, but I love it. It’s a massive honour. I’m looking forward to it. It’s exciting.”
“You know the eyes are all on you and that makes you nervous, naturally. I love it, it’s a massive honour” – @RogerFederer#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/OwxzixgTvV
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2018
Despite his nerves, Federer is banking on his big-match experience to guide him.
The Swiss is a 20-time Grand Slam champion and arrives at the All England Club for an incredible 20th campaign.
He’s 91-11 at Wimbledon and beat Lajovic in their only previous meeting; that was a straight-sets win, right here at Wimbledon, in the second round last year.
On grass this year, Federer is 8-1 after winning the Stuttgart title and reaching the Halle final.
“I think experience helps me that I’ve played a lot of matches, a lot of big matches. It feels like walking out for a finals, it really does,” he said.
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“It’s maybe more nerve-wracking because you’re not acclimatised to the court yet. I think that might help me, the big-time match play that I’ve had over the course of my career.
“I don’t remember how it played exactly last year. I’m sure when I was defending champion last time, maybe after six games or so or something, you’ll all of a sudden get the feel for it, how it used to be. That might calm the nerves down. I remember I’ve had matches where nerves really never went down, I played nervous the entire match.
“I think the beginning of the match will be quite crucial to settle the nerves for my opponent and myself as well.”
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