Can Roger Federer win the Wimbledon Championships 2019?

Roger Federer will step on the hallowed lawns of SW19 on the back of his 10th title at Halle. One of the most decorated players to grace the game, Federer, turning 38 this August, can never not be one of the favorites to win at the Wimbledon Championships 2019. A place where he has kissed the trophy eight times.- more than any male player. So the short answer to the question ‘Can Federer win Wimbledon?’ is a YES!

But is he the favorite to win it? Probably not. 

So what must fall into place for Roger to win his 21st major? 

Roger Federer will be fresh and confident heading into The Championships. Having done great on clay, having skipped Stuttgart Open and winning at Halle has been a perfect build-up for his quest for the 9th Wimbledon trophy. Federer has already been placed at the second seed before the draws come out, which should see him avoid the favorite to win Wimbledon- Novak Djokovic.

Since 2014, Roger Federer has only lost to Djokovic, Milos Raonic and Kevin Anderson. The last two of those defeats were matches where you could say that Federer let the win slip out of his hands. A bit uncharacteristic of him, as he has always thrived against big servers like Raonic and Anderson. Roger Federer could benefit from facing a big server in the first week, rather than in a tense quarterfinal or semi-final. He’d also like to avoid the unseeded threat of Nick Kyrgios, who brings his A-game whenever he steps across the net against Roger. 

Apart from this, Federer must avoid a 5 set encounter in the first week. A tough 4 setter might just benefit him towards the end of the second week if he goes that far. In 2015, Roger Federer didn’t lose a single set before facing Novak Djokovic but ended up losing the final in 4 sets. So one tough match, before he faces a heavyweight like Rafa or Novak might actually help the Swiss.

Federer would need his first serve to start firing as soon as possible. Serving in the seventies is key for Roger to win matches much more easily. His backhand down the line must work too against tougher opponents. And he should avoid long baseline exchanges as much as possible to keep those old legs fresh towards the later stage of the tournament. 

Keeping these things aside, an upset of his arch rivals could benefit Roger, obviously. Rafael Nadal may not survive to face him in the semis and if the stars align, someone might take out Novak. Highly unlikely, but that’s what the entire Federer fandom will hope in the coming days

As long as Roger Federer plays, he will enter every tournament as a contender for sure and Wimbledon Championships 2019, in particular, is the place where the odds are in his favour the most.