| Saturday, 21 June 2008 Written by Paul Kiernan This time last year, few people without Spanish blood pumping through their arms were looking beyond Roger Federer as the likely Wimbledon champion. But, with the world number one not at his scintillating best, there is a lot of talk of Federer’s nemesis on clay ending his winning streak on grass, which currently stands at an incredible 59 matches. And, while Rafa Nadal is looking very much at home on the green stuff, there is no doubt Novak Djokovic also has what it takes to be a Wimbledon champion. While the 21-year-old has youth on his side, he has plenty of experience, with four Masters Series titles sitting next to the Australian Open trophy on his mantelpiece, something that has filled him with confidence “Of course, people look at you in the different way: much more respect and appreciation for what you have done. Before this year's Australian Open, I was one of the potential players to win the Grand Slam. As a Grand Slam winner, you get in the history books. Not many players manage to achieve that,” he said in a pre-Wimbledon press conference. Djokovic doesn’t just have the talent and experience, he also has the charm and charisma of the great champions that live long in the memory. If you don’t believe me, type his name into YouTube and you will join the two million people who have laughed at the Serbian’s fantastic impressions of his main rivals. Whether pulling his cap tightly over his head, and fiddling nervously with his shirt, like Mr Roddick, or kissing his biceps a la Rafael Nadel, Novak loves to poke fun at his peers but the joker of the tennis world doesn’t find the English weather a laughing matter. “It was a joke, but it's not a joke any more. Now you just want to avoid the bad weather, of course… I had a really difficult time, especially last year. I was one of the few players which was really hurt by that bad weather. For five days I was playing one match, which was basically impossible.” And hurt he was. After barely having a day off all fortnight, the exhausted Serb had to retire against Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. It was all the more disappointing considering how well prepared the self-confessed baseliner was, bringing in the doubles expert Mark Woodforde to work on his serving and volleying. Assessing his chances this year, the world number three admits he is still improving on this surface but it is difficult when the grass court season only lasts a month. “I'm still working on some varieties in my game, some segments that I want to improve on: serve and volley, which is really important for this surface. I'm really happy with the way I played in Queen's, reaching the final, so I'm feeling pretty confident." But perhaps what is most pleasing is the house he has hired around the corner from The All England Club. So, if he is delayed by the weather, there will be no sitting in traffic, waiting to get back to the hotel across London like last year.
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