Wimbledon 2012: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to renew war of attrition as Roger Federer's light fades That was the moment when last year's Djokovic started creeping back into Nadal's head, opening a few old wounds, and Nadal was getting very anxious and ratty. Then the officials finally decided to take the players off and that was a huge relief for the whole Nadal camp. They were able to get off the court and regroup, and when the players came back the next day he was right back on his game. I don't feel that Djokovic's tennis this year is quite up to the exceptional standard he set in 2011, but he's not doing too badly, reaching the final of the French Open for the first time and defending his Australian Open title in January. It's important, when you are trying to build a reputation, to defend your titles. It's tough enough to win these tournaments once, but if you want to be mentioned in the same breath as Federer and Nadal - two of the all-time-greats - you have to keep coming back and doing it again. I like Novak. He's a great athlete, a very funny and outgoing guy, and he has become an excellent ambassador - both for tennis and for his native Serbia. But he has a history of being somewhat injured and he used to be a sore loser, which people don't forget easily. Those memories help to explain why Djokovic is respected by everybody at the moment but not loved. For him to reach the same plane as the other two, he needs to be on the top of the game for two or three years. I believe he can do it, because he is good enough, and Federer has dropped off a bit. Even though Djokovic deserves to be No 1, he hasn't got into the fans" hearts yet and that takes time. I make Djokovic slight favourite for Wimbledon this year but Nadal is also a strong bet. He will be feeling good in the knowledge that the central part of his year is over. After dominating the clay-court season yet again, he has got all the rankings points he needs, so there's no pressure on him psychologically. It was a very smart move for Nadal to withdraw from Miami at the end of March. He wasn't feeling his best there and he didn't want to jeopardise the engine-room of his season. You can't play with the same ambition and purpose all year round - you have to pace yourself and know when to peak. When he came back he was rejuvenated, and his French Open campaign was as strong as I have seen from him. It would hardly be a shock if he collected a third Wimbledon title. A word, then, on Andy Murray. Andy is a very dedicated man, he loves to be in good shape and to practise. But it's not what you do in practice that matters. He has to be careful not to put too much emphasis on the practice court, because when his career is over he is going to be judged by the titles he has won rather than by the industriousness of his approach. Andy usually arrives in the best possible condition, but he has back trouble at the moment and that could be an issue. I know he spoke over the weekend about the eight injections he had before Wimbledon. A month ago, I recommended that he should skip the French Open, and I still wonder if that might have been the best thing for him. But he came through that difficult second-round match against Jarkko Nieminen, and if he was able to get to the quarter-finals in Paris then he should be capable of going deep at Wimbledon, too. Now we just have to wait and see how he performs tomorrow. I've noticed some significant improvements since Ivan Lendl came in as coach at the start of the year. He is hitting his forehand harder, showing a more positive attitude and taking up a better position on the court. But the biggest factor in grand slam tennis is the mind. It's like being back at school. Your homework might be outstanding, but when it's time for the test, you're judged by what you deliver in the examination room.