Roger Federer might be the oldest man at this year’s ATP Finals in London, but he has proven that age is just a number after qualifying for the semifinals with three consecutive wins.
Throughout his illustrious career, the Swiss player has created history on numerous occasions. He has the most Grand Slam titles (17), has reached the final in all four Grand Slams within the same season three times (2005, 2007 and 2009) and has won the Cincinnati Masters 7 times. Another thing which has enhanced Federer’s career is his memorable rivalries against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer has played Nadal 34 times since 2004, winning on only 11 occasions. One of the most memorable encounters between the two was the 2008 Wimbledon final when the Spaniard edged Federer 9-7 in the final set. The match lasted an epic four hours and 48 minutes. Federer commented about the history he has with Nadal.
“With Rafa I go back further. The fact is obviously that epic Wimbledon final. Then we had all these matches for me which were hard, the French Open finals. But they were very important for my career as well to win the French Open in 2009”. He said.
In contrast Federer has a better record against world No.1 Djokovic. He has played the Serbian 43 times since 2006, leading the head-to-head 22-21. During the Federer-Djokovic rivalry, the Serbian has never been in front in the head-to-head. Djokovic’s sensational year, where he has claimed 10 ATP titles, has made the rivalry more special according to the Swiss.
“Obviously the more I play Novak, the more he’s achieving in that time-frame, the more special it becomes”. Federer said.
Speaking about which rivalry meant the most, Federer described both of them as ‘unique’. Surprisingly Federer has given the edge to his rivalry with Nadal over Djokovic. The reason why is due to the fact he is always made to change his game in order to compete against the 9-time French Open champion.
“Which is more special? It’s hard to predict. Maybe slightly Rafa just because he came before Novak. I’ve always enjoyed the matchup with Novak. I think it’s always very cool and athletic and straightforward, unlike Rafa where I feel like I have to change my game completely to compete with him”. Federer concluded.
The 34-year-old tops the Stan Smith group at the ATP Finals with a trio of wins over Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic.
