Federer to play it cool at Wimbledon

Defending Wimbledon champion Roger Federer insists he is “total control” of a once troublesome temper as he heads to SW19 in pursuit of a hat-trick of titles.

It now seems hard to believe that the champion of 2003 and 2004 was not always the coolest man in tennis.

The 24-year-old Swiss begins his Wimbledon challenge on Monday with a first-round contest against France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Lleyton Hewitt or Marat Safin could await in the semi-finals, if, as predicted, Federer makes short work of his early opponents.

Russian Safin was the man who stunned Federer in the Australian Open semi-finals at the start of the year before lifting the title.

Federer revealed that while he may seem to be calmness personified when taking to any surface, a “fire” still burns brightly within.

“You will never see me blow my top on court – I am in total control of my emotions,” he reflected. “It was not always like that, though.

“When I was playing in Hamburg during 2001, I smashed my racket, to the consternation of my family and my coach.

“It was something I needed to do to get it out of my system, but it didn’t feel right so I stopped immediately.

“I have calmed down, I had to – my family and coaches did not like what I did. There is no chance I will ever do it again. But I also knew I needed to get the fire back somehow, and that is why now all you will see is me pumping my fist to get myself psyched up.”

Federer – who has also won Australian and US Open titles in his career - insists he feels little “pressure” before looking to win a third consecutive singles title at the All England Club.

“Nothing inspires me more than walking out at Wimbledon,” he maintained, “but this year after winning the title twice, the pressure is not on me as much.

“As champion, I am always looking to improve. I know I can attack more, I just go out on the court now and make it very apparent that the opponent has to beat me.”