Federer 'sad' at rival's All England absence

Roger Federer says he is 'sad' that his 'main rival' and Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal is unable to defend his title this year.

The Swiss star and current world number two spoke out after Nadal confirmed on Friday that a knee problem meant he would not be able to participate in this year's tournament. And Federer, who lost out to the Spaniard in last year's classic final, insists he would prefer to play him as he bids to reclaim the title he has already won five times in the past this summer.
"I'd love to play him. He's my main rival," said Federer.
"We've had some wonderful matches over the years, including last year, so that we can't repeat that is obviously sad."
In the defending champion's absence, Federer will now open play against Yen-Hsun Lu on Centre Court on Monday.
He added: "I shouldn't deserve it this year because Rafa deserves it (as champion) but I am obviously very honoured that they chose me again to open the tournament."
Meanwhile Britain's number one Andy Murray has played down Nadal's absence as an opportunity for him to become the first British winner of the men's singles since Fred Perry in 1936.
The 22-year-old Scot said: "It's very easy to say, 'Oh, Rafa's not playing, so I've got a much easier route to the final'. I don't view it like that at all.
"You just focus on each match at a time, the first one, and try and win one best-of-five set match every couple of days and not get ahead of yourself.
"I wasn't thinking about playing Rafa at all. If that opportunity came, then I'd obviously look forward to it any time I play him. It's a great challenge.
"I'm sure everyone would have liked to have seen him here. I enjoy watching him play. He's my favourite player to watch, so I'm sure the fans that wanted to come to see him will all be disappointed. But he's got to do what's best for him."