Federer sad at main rival Nadal's withdrawal

By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer is sad Rafael Nadal's knee injury has put a temporary halt to one of the sport's greatest rivalries, the world number two said on Saturday.
Spaniard Nadal, who beat Federer in an epic five-set Wimbledon final last year, withdrew on Friday with tendinitis in both knees, leaving the Swiss to once again open play on Center Court on Monday, albeit a little sheepishly.
"I shouldn't deserve it this year because Rafa deserves it (as champion) but I am obviously very honored that the championships chose me again to open the tournament," Federer, who trails Nadal 13-7 in their head-to-heads told Reuters.
Nadal's decision to pull out opens the door for Federer to win a record 15th grand slam although the five-times Wimbledon champion would prefer to make history with another clash against his great adversary.
"We played the last three years against each other here at Wimbledon," Federer told reporters. "So we definitely won't see the same final again. That's disappointing for me, of course, because I'd love to play him.
"He's my main rival. We've had some wonderful matches over the years, and especially the one here last year was the one that obviously stands out.
"That we can't potentially repeat that is obviously sad. I'm also sad for him because it must have been a very difficult decision to make."
NADAL STRUGGLING
Federer said he had an inkling Nadal was struggling when they had a brief chat at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
"We had a quick a 10-second chat maybe," said Federer. "He congratulated me for Paris. It was good to see him.
"I asked him how his knee was. He was like, it's okay. So I kind of knew it wasn't great, because he's very honest to me. So I knew that something could be coming up."
Nadal's knees were still the main talking point among the players as they milled around the Aorangi Park practice courts on Saturday.
Britain's Andy Murray, who is now effectively the number two seed as he goes for his first grand slam title, shared Federer's disappointment over Nadal's absence.
"It's obviously a shame," said the 22-year-old who lost to Nadal in the quarter-finals last year and was seeded to meet him in the semis this year.
"I think over the last couple of days it was kind of expected, it sounded like he was struggling in the matches that he played. It's always disappointing if someone like him pulls out of Wimbledon especially when he was the defending champion. Continued...
Source: Reuters