Reigning US Open champion Stan Wawrinka believes compatriot Roger Federer will remain a formidable force in men’s tennis until he retires from the sport.
This year Federer is bidding to become the first man in history to win an eighth Wimbledon title. Leading into the tournament, the 35-year-old defeated Alexander Zverev to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, which was his 92nd ATP title. Despite missing the entire clay-court swing of the tour in 2017, Federer has already won four trophies and has only lost two matches.
Speaking about his Davis Cup teammate, Wawrinka has once again publicly praised him. Discussing Federer’s credentials in grand slam tournaments, the world No.3 believes he has the ability to compete for grand slam titles for as long as he likes.
‘A player like Roger, as long as he’s playing, you know, he’s going to have a chance to win a Grand Slam,’ the Metro newspaper quoted Wawrinka as saying.
‘The day he will stop playing, that’s when you will have no chance to win anyway.
‘We all know as a player, we all see on the court, we all see when we practice against him. For sure, he had some years little bit down with some injury, with some tough result for him. That’s part of a long career.
‘If you look, he’s doing something amazing.’
Wawrinka is aware of the threat his rival poses. Earlier in the season the two clashed in the Miami Open with Federer triumphing in straight sets. Their head-to-head now stands at 20-3 in favour of the current Australian Open champion.
So far in his career, Federer has played in 28 major finals and won 18 titles, an achievement matched by no other player on the men’s tour. He is currently second in the ATP Race to London behind Rafael Nadal.
The chance of joining a prestigious club
As Wawrinka tips Federer for great things, he himself has a shot of achieving history. A win at SW19 would make him only the eighth man to achieve a career grand slam. On the other hand, grass has been a nemesis for Wawrinka during his career. His best performance at SW19 was reaching the quarter-finals on two occasions. It is for this reason why he is remaining downbeat about his title chances.
“The player who did that, it’s something amazing,” Wawrinka said. “But for me it’s not something I think about it.”
The Swiss is also keeping cool about the prospect of a player winning the title from outside the big four. Leading into the tournament, there has been a debate among players about how open the men’s draw will be. The last outsider to win was Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.
“Roger playing so well. Rafa so confident. Murray is struggling a little bit, but he loves the grass, so he’s going to be for sure really dangerous. Again, I just think it’s going to be a great Wimbledon.” He explained.
Wawrinka faces a tough start to his 13th Wimbledon campaign. In the first round, he will play Eastbourne semifinalist Daniil Medvedev.
