Federer hoping for another fruitful Wimbledon

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Wimbledon: Walking the Wimbledon grounds Sunday, wearing a stylish white jacket with gold trim, his collar turned up for protection from a biting wind, the tournament's six-time champion looked like the same old Roger Federer.

True, there have been signs of slippage this month. Federer lost at the French Open in the quarterfinals, his earliest Grand Slam exit in six years. Then he dropped to No. 2 in the rankings behind nemesis Rafael Nadal. Then, at a Wimbledon warm-up event, came Federer's second grass-court defeat since 2003, extending his drought of nearly five months without a title.

But the All England Club tends to bring out the best in Federer, which is awfully good. He has reached a record seven consecutive Wimbledon finals, losing only one of them - to Nadal in 2008. Last year Federer regained the title, beating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of a final that ranked with the sport's greatest matches.

In Pic:Switzerland's Roger Federer, right, walks with an unidentified player during a practice session at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, Sunday, June 20, 2010.

Image&Text:AP