“Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic seem to be at their peak which is great for tennis and it is great for the debate,” says Roger Federer
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Roger Federer makes his much-awaited comeback at the Qatar Open this week. The Swiss has been out on the sidelines ever since the Australian Open last year after suffering a knee injury. He underwent two knee operations last year and is raring to step out on the tennis court once again.
“I am very happy to be back playing a tournament again. It has been a long time,” said Federer. “I never thought it was going to take this long. I came here to Qatar in 2003… for the very first time and I always enjoyed playing here… It is exciting to be back, seeing all the players again… I am looking forward to the start,” he added.
When Roger Federer was recovering from his injury, his rivals, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic added one slam each to their major tally. Nadal won the French Open last year, whereas, Djokovic won the Australian Open last month. Roger Federer opined that what Nadal and Djokovic have done is extraordinary, hitting their peaks at this stage of their career.
“What Novak and Rafa have done, as of late, is extraordinary,” said Federer. “They are not 25 either. They are able to back it up. Novak did it again in Australia and Rafa again did it at Roland Garros. They seem [to be] at their peak which is great for tennis and it is great for the debate,” said the Swiss maestro.
For Nadal and Djokovic, maybe I am the measuring stick like Pete was for me: Federer
Roger Federer stated that chasing most Grandslam titles is an important objective for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as compared to him. This was the similar scenario, Federer encountered when chasing Sampras’ record of 14 slams, as revealed by him. As things stand, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won 20 slams each, and Djokovic sits behind them with 18 majors.
“I think for them, maybe this is bigger than for me at this moment because for me, it was very important the closer I was getting to Pete Sampras’ record. Once you have it, you try to do your best and that is what I tried to do. But for them, maybe I am the measuring stick like Pete was for me,” Federer said.
Roger Federer stated that although he would love to keep all records, they are still meant to be broken and he is not bothered by that fact. He also praised Djokovic and Nadal, calling them as ‘unreal players’ and hopes that they can achieve all that they dream of.
“I am in a different situation but sure, you like to keep every record. But all the records are there to be broken. The guys are unreal, we all know that. I hope they keep on going. I hope they can do everything they possibly want and that they look back with no regrets… We want to leave the game with no regrets and I think, from that standpoint, we all sleep very well at night,” the Swiss added.
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Nirmit Mehta
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