Well, we’re almost finished the first week of Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have already shown why they are the best in the world. The contenders Andy Roddick, James Blake and Novak Djokovic all lost in the second round. While Nadal, who plays his third round match Saturday and Federer, who is already in the 4th round, have had relatively smooth draws. Now it seems a Federer-Nadal matchup is inevitable.

Before Wimbledon began on Monday, SportsUnlimited talked with Tennis Channel personality and former ATP player Murphy Jensen. He and his brother Luke (now a tennis analysts for ESPN) won the 1993 French Open doubles title and were one of the most popular doubles teams on tour. In the mid 1990s, the duo was featured in the Rolling Stone, Spin, Sports Illustrated, Wall Street Journal, Racquet Magazine, Tennis, Cream, Movie Line, Tennis De France and Esquire.

Murphy is now most recognizable for hosting two shows on the Tennis Channel, “Open Access” and “Murphy’s Guide.” When Murphy spoke with SportsUnlimited he had just returned from Alaska where he was fishing. (Ironically, Murphy missed a mixed doubles match at Wimbledon in 1995 after he took an impromptu fishing trip to the northern countryside.) Here is the interview.

SportsUnlimited: How was Alaska?

Murphy: It’s amazing. I’ve been going up there for 15 years. Have you been?

SU: No. I’d love to though.

M: There is a big run on July 15th. You can pretty much stand in the water and catch them with your hands.

SU: So everyone seems to think Roger is vulnerable and this year is Nadal’s best chance to win Wimbledon. Do you buy this?

M: I think it’s going to be the same old, same old. Roger taking out Rafael in the final. There are so few serve and volleyers. It’s gonna be really rough for anyone to beat Roger on that surface.

SU: What do you think prevents Nadal from excelling on grass?

M: It really comes down to technique as far as I’m concerned. And Nadal’s forehand grip is so extreme, you can’t get the same bite and do the same damage to Roger’s backhand on a grass court. The only thing he (Nadal) has going for him, is he is in premier shape. Physically he’s in the best shape of his life and he’s probably the toughest son of gun out there.

SU: Besides history, what really gives Roger the advantage?

M: At the end of the day it’s going to be the guy who can finish a few at the frontcourt and feels real comfortable. There is no way, on God’s green earth, that Nadal’s going to feel comfortable with such an extreme forehand because to hit up on the ball when the ball is skimming on the ground after a slice. A slice is so effective on the grass. A slice on the clay is lunch for Rafael Nadal. It bounces straight up like you put it on a tee, like a t-ball tee. It’s ridiculous. Can you imagine playing tennis on a linoleum floor? It’s just going to go (makes sliding noise). It actually picks up speed as well. Rafael can stand 50 feet beyond the baseline and still you’re not going to catch up to the ball unless you got rockets on your feet. That’s a good quote right?

Visit Jamie’s blog throughout the week for his take on Wimbledon.