Injury-hit Roger Federer has said he had no plans to retire and insisted he was still in good enough shape to win Grand Slams after crashing out of the Australian Open semifinals to Novak Djokovic.
The 38-year-old fell to the Serb 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-3, admitting he only had “a three per cent” chance as he nursed a groin injury picked up in his quarterfinal epic against Tennys Sandgren, where he saved seven match points.
Despite the disappointment, the Swiss great believes he is still a force to be reckoned with. “Yes, I do believe that,” the world No 3 said when asked if he was confident about adding to his 20 Grand Slam titles.
“I think by having the year that I had last year, also with what I have in my game, how I’m playing, I do feel that yeah.”
Federer, who reached last year’s Roland Garros semifinals and lost a five-set Wimbledon final to Djokovic, said he hopes to return to Melbourne in 2021 for a crack at a seventh title. “You never know what the future holds.
Especially my age, you don’t know,” he said. “I’m confident. I’m happy how I’m feeling, to be honest. I got through a good, nice training block. No plans to retire. “From that standpoint, we’ll see how the year goes, how everything is with the family. We’ll go from there. Of course, I hope to be back.”
Roger Federer Talks About The Chance Of Winning Another Grand Slam
One of the reasons why Roger Federer stakes a claim to the title of “Greatest Of All Times” is his impeccable grand slam record.
The Swiss star has won the highest number of grand slams among male players. His tally currently stands at 20. However, it’s not like he doesn’t have competition. In fact, he might lose his position at the top of the mountain this year. His compatriots in the big three – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are breathing down his neck with 19 and 16 grand slam titles respectively.
Unfortunately for Federer, both of them have age and form on their side. However, the Swiss star has never been the one to back down. He revealed post his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals that he is not out of grand slam contention yet.
The message is clear. This fight to the top is still three-way.
What Did Roger Federer Say?
Roger Federer revealed that he is still confident about his chances of winning another grand slam. The 38-year-old feels that his age might be increasing, but his form is not depreciating. This is what he had to say on the question of winning another grand slam-
“Yes, I do believe that. I think by having the year that I had last year, also with what I have in my game, how I’m playing. I do feel that, yeah.”
However, Federer joked when asked about where he could win his next singles title –
“Probably Basel or Halle. Less matches to play.”
Roger Federer’s last grand slam victory came at the Australian Open, 2018. He defeated Marin Cilic in the finals to claim the title.
He is not wrong to claim that he had a good 2019. Federer won three singles titles at Miami, Halle and Basel. He also won the Dubai Tennis Championships. In addition, he made it to the finals of Wimbledon where he lost to Novak Djokovic in a five-hour marathon match.
He also made it to the final four at the French Open, before losing to the King of clay and the eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
Thus, demanding a Roger Federer retirement on the basis of performance will be unjust. The Swiss star has proved himself on the court. It looks like he still has a lot of fuel left in the tank.
