Tennis, Federer admits Wimbledon dream

Swiss Roger Federer has admitted he would prefer winning Wimbledon again than regaining his world No 1 ranking.

The Swiss star, speaking at the press conference for the Showdown of Champions Kuala Lumpur 2008 here today, expressed his special love for Wimbledon which he says means more to him in tennis than anything else."Wimbledon is something special. There is no substitute for it," said Federer, who lost his top ranking to Spain's Rafael Nadal a few months ago."While I would also love to beat Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record of 14 titles, and also to regain my No 1 ranking, I place winning another Wimbledon title above all else," said Federer ahead of tomorow's showdown at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.Federer will share the spotlight with two other former Wimbledon champions, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in the Showdown of Champions. James Blake will make up the quartet who will play two singles matches and one doubles tomorrow night."It's going to be an exciting match for Malaysian fans tomorrow as they will witness two generations of players in action," said McEnroe."Players now days are so fast and hit the ball even more powerful than during my time. I also believe that there are personalities in the men's game, much more than in the women's. We must capitalise on this as we can bring more fans to the game.Mean while, Federer will have a rare meet the fans session at the Petronas Twin Towers lobby from 11.30am-12.25pm tomorrow. Fans are advised to come early to avoid disappointment.Tennis fans in Malaysia will also be treated to entertainment levels of mega proportions when they attend the Showdown of Champions where one lucky fan will drive away with a brand new Proton Satria Neo.Aside from being thrilled by the skills of world-class tennis players, attendees of the event will be awed by the stunning performances of the country's top three divas.Local stars Jaclyn Victor, Ning Baizura and Ella have agreed to perform and do their own bit of entertaining the fans during the Showdown of Champions. The stars will be performing a pre- tennis concert and will perform between game changeovers during the actual matches throughout the night.