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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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A summer without Wimbledon is hard for​ Greg Rusedski to get used to.

"It's bizarre because usually this is the height of tennis in Britain right now," the Brit and former World No. 4 said. “Instead what we're getting in Britain now is replays on the BBC of all the greatest matches. They have a two-hour program in the afternoon and highlights in the evening and chats with all the players. So, we're getting some Wimbledon, but it's just not the same."

Rusedski has found his mind wandering back to some of his favourite moments at the All England Club, including a straight-sets upset of American Andy Roddick in the third round in 2002. 

"I played as well as I could," Rusedski recalled. "Roddick was one of the guys who everyone thought had a chance to win the Championships and for me that was probably my perfect match at Wimbledon."

Another vivid memory was his Centre Court debut back in 1995 in his first Wimbledon appearance. 

"I played Guy Forget, who was the No. 16 seed, and I lost the first set 6-1 in just 18 minutes," Rusedski said, "but after that I crawled my way back and won the next three sets 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 and then I threw my racquets, my clothes to fans like I won the Championships and that is one of my fondest memories."

Rusedski's best Wimbledon result was a run to the quarter-finals in 1997.

Growing up in Canada, Rusedski always looked forward to breakfast at Wimbledon. ​

"I remember as a kid waking up early in the mornings to watch Wimbledon and seeing the grass courts and seeing John McEnroe playing Bjorn Borg, so for me it's the slam that everyone wants to win because of the history and tradition," Rusedski said. “It's the one slam played at a club. I'm actually a club member there, there’s 500 members, and we're very fortunate to be able to use the facilities."

There won't be a Wimbledon this year, but the two other remaining majors on the calendar are determined to hold their tournaments despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Zoom interview with TSN, Rusedski offered his take on the US Open plan and also provided insight on Canada's rising stars. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

Andy Murray returned from a seven-month injury layoff at the Battle of the Brits exhibition last month. How'd he look?

"I was lucky that I got to go out there and work for Prime Video and we did all the matches and it was handled so, so well. They did all the testing properly and all the players were healthy. Murray looked pretty good. I was actually quite surprised, because he hasn't played a competitive match for so long. He pushed [Kyle] Edmund all the way even though he lost that one and he lost to [Dan] Evans as well, but his movement looked pretty good and his body and recovery was good, so that's always a positive sign. For all those Murray fans out there, I think he's going to come back for Washington and then take a week off and play the US Open. He can have some good results. Can he win another slam? That's a big ask with [Novak] Djokovic, [Rafael] Nadal and the way the next generation is coming up. Can he get to the second week of a major? Sure, I think he can if he's healthy." 

The revised ATP rankings formula allows players to maintain the higher point total in events they play both this year and last year. So, Nadal doesn't have to worry about losing 2,000 points if he opts to forego a trip to New York and focuses  on the European clay events, which start immediately after the US Open. What do you think he should do? 

"He's on 19 slams right now so just imagine if he goes in and defends his US Open title and he's on 20 and all the sudden he can break the record at the French Open. So, I don't think Rafa will be tactical and miss out on the US Open. I think he'll go there and give it a shot and try and defend the title. Let's not forget that guys want to play tennis and want to compete and if they feel it's safe and everything's been done properly then they'll give it a go. And, as you said, he can take his result from the year before, which is great. It's like a free lunch and that usually never happens in tennis."

Nadal is always a huge favourite at Roland Garros, but how will the later date of the French Open impact the dynamic this year?

"It changes conditions completely. There was one year when Djokovic and Nadal were playing late into the evening and the conditions got slow and heavy and it favoured Novak, because Rafa's ball wasn't bouncing off the court quite as quickly and wasn't exploding. Rafa prefers hot and bouncy conditions, while Djokovic prefers slower and heavier conditions, so the new date may play into Djokovic's hands. And let's not forget Dominic Thiem, who has been sensational and the real threat to become the new King of Clay. He has improved dramatically over the years. So, for Rafa to win that title it's going to be a little bit harder in 2020. The conditions will help the other guys, but you still can't argue against a guy who has won the title, what, 12 times? It's ridiculous."

The US Open plan relies on maintaining a tight bubble. There can't be players sneaking out for a night on the town and returning to the hub hotel. How much confidence do you have that the players will be disciplined?

"The good news is we've had all these mishaps already, so nobody has an excuse now. The Adria Tour with Novak was a little naive, because everyone was living life normally in Serbia, so he didn't think there was any problem bringing fans in and doing all the things that he did. Now, he realizes the consequences. We had the situation with Sascha Zverev [not quarantining afterwards] and all the talk about that. I think all the guys are ready now to take it seriously after a few mishaps. You don't want to be known as the guy that was bringing COVID to the tour events and the slams, so I think the guys will be absolutely fine."

Which top Canadian men's player – Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic – do you think has the biggest opportunity to make an impact when play resumes?

"The interesting part will be what have they improved in their game, because they've had an extra-long off-season to improve. I look at Felix and if he improved his second serve adding more margin and more rotation, I think he can have a good run. With Denis, bringing on Mikhail Youzhny as coach was a great move. That was a great appointment, because he knows how to work the game. So, those two young guys can have good runs, but with a short run up heading into the US Open they need to get their confidence and form quickly. You can never discount Raonic. I mean, when he's serving rockets and healthy then he's second-week guaranteed at every slam. And it's nice to be talking about three Canadian guys who can go deep at majors. I'm excited to see how they respond in the first two weeks back, because that will show us the form they have. The guy with more experience, Raonic, is the one who will probably do the best at the US Open, but don't be surprised if the youngsters make a run."

Bianca Andreescu won in Toronto last year despite not playing a tune-up event, so we know she can excel without much match play. What expectations do you have for her?

"Bianca, to me, can become one of the greats of the game. The question mark is being healthy. She always seems to be injured and she needs to get over that and stay healthy for a long period. She has the right attitude. She's got the game and a good coach [Sylvain Bruneau] around her. For her, it's about how she'll handle the pressure of being the defending champion at a slam. Winning Toronto without a tune-up event is a great accomplishment, but winning a slam and defending it is more difficult. I think she'll be nervous in her opening rounds, but if she can get through the first two or three matches then she can have a deep run. The longer events go the better she seems to play and, as you said, she's one of the few players who doesn't need to play a lot of matches to perform very well. I'd love to see another great run. I'm a huge fan of hers."​