Fresh Federer ready for Wimbledon history bid

Roger Federer believes his decision to skip the clay court season will pay rich dividends when he gets to crunch time in his bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title.

Having won the Australian Open during an unexpectedly strong start to the season, Federer opted to miss the French Open and the tournaments leading up to Paris so he would stay fresh for Wimbledon.

The 35-year-old knew he had a much better chance of winning Wimbledon, where he lifted the trophy seven times, than he did at Roland Garros, where he has triumphed only once.

Although Federer lost in the first round of his return to action in Stuttgart, he quickly shook off the rust, winning the grass-court tournament in Halle for the ninth time, and he is confident the healthy state of his mind and body will be crucial in the latter stages at Wimbledon.

"The idea is to be mentally fresh still and eager to play, hopefully when the second week rolls around," Federer told reporters at a laver Cup launch in Wimbledon on Thursday.

"I've done that without making any compromises about the grass-court season.

"Originally I was going to take seven weeks off and then play the clay, but I decided to take 10 weeks off.

"I never had any regrets. When I take a decision I move on with it. I got an incredible amount of practice on grass. Now Wimbledon is coming around you want to feel your best and play your best.

"I just have to focus on my first round and take it from there. If I go deep I think it could be very beneficial that I didn't play clay at all."

With Federer's game motoring along nicely, the 18-time Grand Slam champion is favoured by the bookmakers to win Wimbledon for the first time since 2012.