Reigning Australian Open champion Roger Federer’s coach Stefan Edberg has claimed that the Swiss superstar is still winning Grand Slams because he has reinvented his game in his mid-30s.
Federer will lose his No. 1 ranking to arch-rival Rafael Nadal after losing to Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia in the second round of the Miami Masters last week.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner, however, will be back at the pinnacle of the men’s rankings if Nadal is unable to replicate his dominance on the clay-courts of Europe. The Spaniard won the Monte Carlo Masters, the Madrid and the Barcelona Open besides claiming an unprecedented 10th Roland Garros crown in 2017.
Nadal, though, will be the heavy favourite to win the French Open after Federer announced his decision to skip the entire clay-court season yet again. The Basel native missed all the tournaments on the red dirt in 2017 as well because he wanted to energize himself ahead of Wimbledon, a tournament he has won a record eight times in the past
And Edberg has lauded Federer for his adaptability and the improvements he has made in his game recently, including the much talked about reinvention of his backhand, which has helped him in dominating Nadal on the court.
“He understands like no other that he needs to reinvent his game again and again,” Edberg said.
“Playing on Roger’s level is not about basic things. There are many small details. It’s all about motivation and health.”
“I think we all are astonished over his success, especially over the last year. Who would have thought of winning three Grand Slams within one year at this stage of his career? I think it’s almost like a dream come true in many ways,” Edberg told Firstpost.
