With the tennis tour being halted four an indefinite period due to the coronavirus pandemic, Croatia’s Marin Cilic thinks Roger Federer will efficiently use the break. And he will continue to break and make records on the ATP Tour. His only victory against Federer came in the semi-finals of US Open 2014. One match later, he was crowned as the first new major champion since US Open 2009.
“When it comes to Roger, he will certainly perfectly use the break. As he has always done,” Cilic addressed Croatian journal Jutarnji. “I have personally seen how fascinating he and Nadal look on the court after making a comeback.”
The most-recent long layover of Federer was right after his fourth-round loss at Wimbledon 2016 to Milos Raonic. The Swiss maestro pulled out from Rio Olympic games, underwent knee surgery and took a six-month-long break from ATP Tour.
However, he utilized the break wisely, worked upon his game and fitness. He tried to shorten the length of the points, revived his one-hand backhand by taking the ball early, in a nutshell, he resurged as an invincible tennis player.
“I don’t think Roger Federer is done” – Maric Cilic
With the additional aid of his physical endurance and mental resilience, Roger Federer went to claim more and more ATP titles that incorporated three Slam wins.
“Let’s recall how many injuries has Nadal had and whenever he makes a comeback. They rarely lose to a player he isn’t supposed to lose and who isn’t his rival, Federer especially,” Cilic added.
“Throughout his career, he has been often taking breaks of two months or more and he would always return in a much better form. I don’t think he is done. Maybe his desire will be even bigger after a four or five-month break.”
The oldest player ranked inside the top-100 ATP rankings Federer is in the quest of his 21st major title after he beat Cilic in Australian Open 2018 finals. Last year, he was close by an ace at Wimbledon 2019 finals, but yet again the reverie was unfulfilled. And once the tennis season resumes, Fedfans are expecting one-way traffic on his road.
Wawrinka To Evert: ‘Roger Federer Is The Best Player Ever’
For Stan Wawrinka, the debate on who the greatest player of all time is doesn’t need much of a discussion.
The Swiss dropped in for a lengthy conversation on Wednesday with Chris Evert via Instagram Live. Evert grilled Wawrinka on what it’s like to face the Big Three and he candidly admitted that his greatest difficulties have come in facing 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.
“He’s the best player ever so far. He’s been winning everything, beating everybody. He’s better than the other players and better than me,” Wawrinka said. “His game is a completely different style. He puts you under pressure all the time, he’s so aggressive, changes [pace] a lot. For my style of play, that’s tougher than someone who keeps [hitting] the same ball.”
Wawrinka also had plenty of praise for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He said that Nadal’s serve is one of the more underrated shots in the game and the heavy spin on it is further amplified on a clay court. The Swiss is 1-8 against Nadal on clay in their ATP Head2Head series, with all of those defeats coming in straight sets.
“I have difficulties to return the ball well because of the spin he hits and the lefty serve. He doesn’t have the best serve, but he makes it difficult for me and always puts me directly under pressure,” Wawrinka said. “On clay, it’s impossible. Forget it.”
Evert took time to highlight Wawrinka’s three victories over Djokovic in Grand Slams from 2014-2016 during their discussion. But while the former World No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings acknowledged that the Serbian is his preferred opponent among the Big Three, he still felt there was a gap between them and cited his record (6-19) in their ATP Head2Head rivalry as proof.
“Novak is the one in the Big Three that I like to play the most, even if I’ve lost to him many times. I play the best against him and have been lucky to peak against him in Grand Slams,” Wawrinka said. “I feel like I can keep my power with him for three, four or five hours. Those three times I beat him, I kept playing my game.
“[But] even after beating Rafa or Novak, they’re still way better than me. They’re still in a different category than me. I beat them one time here or there, but I know it’s a different league.”
