Nadal and Federer forget the tennis for football focus (Feature)

By Sebastián Fest Jun 15, 2010, 18:13 GMT

Johannesburg, - Tomorrow afternoon the two most important tennis stars on the planet will forget about their own sport for 90 minutes and focus on football.

Rafa Nadal's Spain face Roger Federer's Switzerland in Group H and the pair will take time out from their Wimbledon preparations to watch the match.

'I will enjoy it from a distance' Roger Federer told German Press Agency dpa. 'It falls right between Roland Garros and Wimbledon'. The world's number two is hoping for at least a draw and fancies Brazil, Spain or Argentina to win the World Cup.

'Rafa returns to London tomorrow and he has made sure he got an early flight so that he can train and then go and see the game,' Benito Pérez Barbadillo, a spokesman from Nadal's camp, told dpa.

Both players were good footballers when they were younger and will be staying just a few streets from each other during Wimbledon. Federer recognises that Spain will be the clear favourites for tomorrow's game.

'I would have liked to have played Spain in the final, perhaps they would have relaxed more. But in the first game they are going to be extra-motivated. But we have nothing to lose,' said the Swiss star whose mother is South African.

'We have a chance to win the game but anything can happen in a one-off match,' said a modest Nadal last week. 'We have a very complete team right from the goalkeeper, through the defence, to the strikers.'

Federer still remembers the 3-0 defeat suffered in the penalty shoot-out against Ukraine in 2006 and would prefer to avoid spot- kicks in this tournament.

'We didn't even score one!' he said. 'It was a long time ago and we should not let that affect us. I think Spain and Brazil have the best chance to win the tournament. And you can never rule out the Italians who lose when they play well and win when they play badly!'

And with one final thought Federer refuses to rule out Argentina. 'It is difficult to say if Maradona is a good coach or not but it does not really matter because he is an idol for everyone in Argentina and he could really inspire these players to do something special,' he added.