Former world No. 4 Jonas Björkman has shared his recollections of facing Roger Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon semifinals, a match he lost 2/6, 0/6, 2/6.
He said, “I actively told myself I had a great chance to cause an upset – even though I was 34 and he was in his prime. I walked onto the court with a good game plan, ready, perhaps, to surprise everyone. But then I play a really good first set – and I realize I have zero chance (laughs). I probably played my best set of the tournament, and I lost the second set even quicker.”
“I simply didn`t want to end up in the record books for the fastest Wimbledon semifinal,” Björkman continued. “Usually, I get ready to play quite quickly when the umpire calls `time,` or between points. But for the last set and a half, I was slower than ever… At least I didn`t make it into the record books – and that feels good.”
“But I did get to watch his game from the best seat in the stadium,” Björkman concluded. He shared these thoughts with Todd Woodbridge on The Sit-Down podcast for the Australian Open.
Rupert Hartwell