Federer steps in for absent Nadal

By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer may well feel like an imposter when he steps out to open Center Court proceedings at Wimbledon on Monday.
The 27-year-old Swiss has been given the honor usually bestowed on a reigning champion after his great rival and title holder Rafael Nadal pulled out of the grasscourt major with a knee injury before a ball had even been struck.
That left officials in no doubt about who should step in for the Spaniard.
"I shouldn't deserve it this year because Rafa deserves it but am obviously very honored that the championships chose me again to open the tournament," Federer, whose five-year Wimbledon reign was ended by Nadal in a spectacular five-set final last year, told Reuters.
The newly-crowned French Open champion, who became only the sixth man to complete a career grand slam, will begin his pursuit of a record 15th grand slam title against the only Asian man in the draw, Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan.
While British fans have already started anticipating a Federer-Andy Murray final on July 5, they will have to wait until Tuesday to catch a first glimpse of the third seed.
Instead, local supporters can exercise their vocal chords by cheering on 15-year-old grand slam debutante Laura Robson, who earned a wildcard thanks to her run to the junior title 12 months ago.
She and her opponent Daniela Hantuchova have been given the honor of contesting the first ever match on the new 4,000-seater Court Two.
QUICK WORKOUT
Should Robson need any tips on how to deal with the pressure at such a young age, she could ask Serena Williams who has been making headline news since her teenage years.
U.S. and Australian Open champion Williams, who has contested three of the last four grand slam finals, should enjoy a quick workout against Portuguese qualifier Neuza Silva.
The only real threat lurking in Williams's quarter of the draw is Maria Sharapova, who has been bumped up to 24th seed despite being ranked 60th following a nine-month injury layoff.
The Russian showed that her patched up shoulder could take the strain after she survived four successive three-setters to reach the last eight on her least favorite surface in Paris.
Now she is eager to do well on the lush green turf, where she won the first of her three grand slam titles in 2004, and will begin her account against Ukrainian Viktoriya Kutuzova.
"When I look back to where I was say, 10 or 11 months ago, or even three months ago ... to be here I guess is already an accomplishment in itself," the 22-year-old told reporters. Continued...
Source: Reuters