Former World No. 4 Tim Henman has backed Roger Federer to defend his Australian Open crown and claim his 20th Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Henman, a six-time Major semifinalist argued in favor of the 36-year-old Swiss and his arch-rival Rafael Nadal, terming them as the overwhelming favorites to win the prestigious tournament in Victoria. However, a lot would depend on Nadal’s fitness as he is out injured and his participation in the event will only be confirmed after January 10 when he will be competing in an exhibition, Tie Break Tens, to test his dodgy knees.
Henman though made a prediction about the possibility of Federer playing in the French Open. The Swiss had skipped Roland Garros in 2017 to stay relatively fresh for Wimbledon, which he eventually won without dropping a set.
Henman told Express Sport: “I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine. I think he’ll have to see how his body is.
“He’s already talked about how he feels that he’ll need to play a little bit more in 2018 because even he couldn’t quite believe that he can play so well and win so many big events as he did in 2017.”
He added: “For me Federer and Nadal are the favourites [for the Australian Open].
“It’s a role reversal from the end of the 2016 when [Andy] Murray and [Novak] Djokovic were head and shoulders above the rest and Federer and Nadal had been injured and there were question marks.
“So definitely the question marks are [now] over Djokovic and Murray and fingers crossed they are both fit and healthy in 2018 because both if that’s the case there’s that great rivalry on the horizon of the big four.”
While Federer is showing no signs of slowing down with his winning run in the ongoing Hopman Cup, where he defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov on Tuesday, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are all struggling with injuries. Nadal is still bothered by his knee problem, Djokovic on the other hand is feeling the pain in his elbow and Murray has withdrawn from the Brisbane International citing the same hip issue which forced him to end his 2017 season after Wimbledon.
