The world No.1 ranking might currently not be on the mind of Roger Federer, but two of his rivals has backed him to reclaim the position.
Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka praised his compatriot following their clash in the final of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday. Federer defeated Wawrinka in straight sets to win his 90th ATP title, becoming only the third player in the Open Era to do so.
“For sure he has a shot for number one, he has just won the first Masters final. For sure he has a big shot. To see him moving that well at that age it is something amazing.” Said Wawrinka.
Returning from a six-month hiatus due to injury to the tour in January, Federer has won 13 out of 14 ATP matches played. At the start of the year he defeated four top-10 players to win the Australian Open. The only blip so far this season occurred at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Facing Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy in the second round, the 35-year-old crashed out in three sets. Despite the loss, Federer has recently called it a blessing in disguise.
“When I sat in the locker room after the Donskoy match, Severin (his coach) told me, Maybe this is the best thing that happened to you looking forward to Indian Wells and Miami, because you really need some time away from — some more time off.” Federer explained.
The resurgence of Federer in the men’s game has also impressed Juan Martin del Potro. The former US Open champion, who also enjoyed a triumphant return from injury last year, is on course for a third round clash against the Swiss player in Miami this week.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he is playing at that level.” The Argentine said.
“If he continues like this, he will be able to comeback where he deserves to be. For sure he has a chance to be a World No. 1 again. His backhand improved a lot and he manages to win also when he doesn’t play his best tennis.”
If the two were to meet it would be the first time since the 2013 ATP Tour Finals.
What does Federer think?
So far this season no player has won as many points as Federer. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old refuses to get ahead of himself. Following his latest triumph in Indian Wells, the world No.6 stated that he was still continuing his comeback from injury. His original goal of being ranked inside the top eight after Wimbledon has already been achieved. Now Federer is targeting new goals.
“You definitely have to reassess your goals maybe now and see, Where do you go from Here?” He said. “This was not part of the plan, to win Australia and Indian Wells, I can tell you that.”
Federer is the fourth seed in this week’s Miami Open. He is aiming to win the title for the first time since 2006.
Most points won on the ATP Tour in 2017
1) Roger Federer – 3045 points
2) Rafael Nadal – 1635 points
3) Stan Wawrinka – 1410 points
4) Grigor Dimitrov – 1355 points
5) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – 1255 pointsjjj
