Daniela Hantuchova feels playing without any ‘support’ will be ‘something new’ for Roger Federer


Daniela Hantuchova feels playing without any ‘support’ will be ‘something new’ for Roger Federer
Roger Federer

The 20 time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer will be seen competing at the 2021 Australian Open after sharing the news on social media that he is back to return next year.

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The Swiss star was last seen in action losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of this year’s Australian Open after which he had to undergo two surgeries on his right knee keeping him away from the game.

Former Women’s World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova, now a tennis analyst for Amazon Prime, is intrigued to see how Federer fares without the usual adulation he gets from spectators inside stadiums.

“To me, I thought for someone like Novak and Rafa, it must be so difficult to suddenly play without all that support and the fans and the energy they get from the crowd,” she said.

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“They handled that really well so it’s going to be interesting to see how Roger reacts to that. It’s going to be something new for him, even though Australia maybe will be played with a crowd – I don’t know, we’ll see,” he added.

“I think everyone is looking forward to seeing him. It’s great to see him practicing as well,” Hantuchova told Express Sport.

Tennis Australia is currently trying to needle their way to an agreement with the Australian government for the protocols and permissions regarding quarantining measures for players ahead of the much awaited 2021 Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic likely to beat Roger Federer’s record of most weeks at World No.1 : Daniela Hantuchova

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic is most likely to overtake Roger Federer on most weeks at World No.1 for which the Serb is required to stay on top until March 8, 2021, which the former Slovak player believes is not very difficult for Djokovic.

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The Swiss has been on top of the world rankings for a total of 310 weeks, while Djokovic is currently spending his 296th week as the world’s top-ranked player.

“Yeah I think so, just because he’s younger, fresher and his fitness levels are higher than I’ve ever seen,” the Slovak said.

“He’s got that hunger, that motivation inside of him which I really find so admirable,” Hantuchova added.

“Novak I feel like has still got a lot of miles in his legs and as long as he can stay healthy and motivated, I don’t see what could stop him,” Hantuchova added.

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Also Read: “You’re not getting the Roger Federer from 2017,” Tennis Great claims that Federer will struggle to win more Grandslams post his comeback