Agassi gives up predicting Fed feats
TENNIS great Andre Agassi isn’t ruling out Roger Federer playing until he’s 40 as the Swiss marvel enters the second week of a Grand Slam for an incredible 60th time.
Runner-up to Federer aged 35 at the 2005 US Open, Agassi was done a year later and, more than a decade on, remains in awe of the 19-time major winner’s longevity.
Federer takes on littleknown Hungarian Marton Fucsovics today for a 14th Australian Open quarterfinal berth in 15 years as he strives to defend his crown at almost 36 and a half.
“Listen, I’m out of the business of predicting him any more because I’ve been wrong so many times,” Agassi said when asked if Federer could play into his 40s.
“He keeps impressing and the game should just love him and appreciate him while he’s here.”
At Melbourne Park in a coaching role for six-time champion Novak Djokovic, Agassi’s career ended rather abruptly after the former world No.1 was unable to regain full fitness after spraining an ankle in his mid-30s.
The American said he considered Federer to be a different beast.
“We all know what Federer has done and can do, but I’ve never sort of lived with Federer so you don’t have a full appreciation of what his capacity level is,” Agassi said.
“He manages himself really well. He makes a lot of great decisions.
“The only thing I can say in full confidence is that when the end comes, it does come quick.
“But that doesn’t mean he’s at the end.
“He’s obviously made some very calculated, smart decisions to get his body to what it needs to be to be able to keep doing this.
“So it wouldn’t surprise me for him to be around for a while longer.”
Victory over the 80thranked Fucsovics would propel Federer into a quarterfinal on Wednesday against either Italian Fabio Fognini or Czech Tomas Berdych.