Roger Federer’s record tally of 17 Grand Slam titles is not enough for the Swiss as the 34-year-old believes that he still has the ability to triumph in the major tournaments.
Federer’s Grand Slam record is one to admire. In his illustrious career so far, he has won Seven Wimbledon titles, five US Open, four Australian and once French. Despite the impressive collection of titles, Federer’s last major triumph was at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. Since then, Federer has reached three more major finals but had to settle for runner-up in all of them to Novak Djokovic. Djokovic has become the dominant force on the tour in recent time, winning four out of the last five Grand Slam tournaments. Nevertheless, Federer believes that he still has the ability to end his four-year drought.
“I feel ready to win back a big one. I’ve been close at Wimbledon and the US Open. Even at the Australian Open. Honestly, I think I’ve played at a high level the last two seasons. I have moved perfectly on the track,” Federer told Marca.com.
“The new Wilson racket has also helped me because it allowed me to play easier and hit harder, especially with the backhand. The percentage of speed on my serve is also higher with less effort,” he added.
The start to 2016 has been from from ideal for the world No.3, who missed almost two months of the tour this year due to a knee injury followed by illness. He returned to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters where he reached the quarterfinals of the tournament before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The absence might make this year’s French Open title quest too much of a big ask for Federer. Then again, you can never rule anything out when the 34-year-old takes to the court.
Federer’s clay court schedule is still unclear due to his comeback from injury. He is down to play in Madrid and Rome, however, he will not make a final decision until next week.
“What I do not want to do is say that I will play and then erase it at the last minute because then I’m disappointing the fans. Depending on how I feel in a week, I will decide what I do,” he said about his future plans.
There is strong speculation that Federer will be present in Rome. On Thursday it was confirmed that he will take part in an exhibition event with Italian footballer Francesco Totti. The two sporting superstars will play the match in Rome at the Foro Italico on May 9th, the same day as the start of the Rome Masters.
Earlier this week, Djokovic was quoted by Serbian media as saying that Nadal was the ‘favorite’ to win the title at this year’s French Open title due to his dominance on the surface. This opinion has also been backed by Federer, who told marca.com that Nadal is a better player on the clay than the world No.1.
“King of the clay is Rafa. The tennis player to beat is him. Novak has never won in Paris. Het may now be the favorite, but Nadal is Nadal,” the 17-time Grand Slam champion said.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Federer said that he is ‘feeling fresh’ both mentally and physically. The Swiss explained that this feeling is important for his future on the tour and he has cited German player Tommy Haas as an example.
“I feel fresh both physically and mentally. Haas, for example, has been injured for more than three years, but this hasn’t removed him from the tour because he is still fresh mentally and because he loves to play tennis. I am happy to say that the virus that affected me in Miami went very fast. It was also a good test for my knee three games that I played in Monte Carlo,” Federer optimistically said.
At the age of 34, the world No.3 is not getting any younger. He is the second oldest player in the top-20 (David Ferrer is older by six months). So what does Federer want to be remembered for when he finally decides to retire from the tour?
“As someone who has been good for tennis. For the Swiss nation, as someone who they have followed for some time and have been given joy. As someone who has been a good example for children. As someone who has helped improve my sport and always gave their maximum in a fair manner,” Federer said.
“ The day I retire, I will not leave tennis. I always like to be close because it has given me a lot”.
The future for Federer may be uncertain, but his place in sporting history is one that has already been booked.
The full interview by Marca.com can be read here.
