‘Federer can afford to pick and choose’
modern sport a lot can change over the span of a decade, especially as technological advancements have helped in aiding an athlete’s technical aspects. Yet when the seedings were announced for this year’s Wimbledon, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were still placed as the top two seeds… just like they were in 2008.
They’ve defied age and injuries and still look far from finished. A look at the past six Grand Slam winners in the men’s discipline further reinforces their dominance in the past decade.
“What Roger’s (Federer) done is out of this world. Novak (Djokovic) and Andy (Murray) were higher in the rankings and looked like taking over and it looked like these guys (Federer and Rafael Nadal) were going in the wrong direction but these guys are like the two best players ever. Thank God for the game that they’re still there,” said an elated John McEnroe, an ESPN commentator, in a media conference call.
The former American champion, winner of three Wimbledon titles, went on to add that he found the Swiss maestro skipping the clay court season justified.
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“Roger didn’t play the clay court last season and he won the Wimbledon. It was pretty much a no-brainer that he would do the same thing. Why would he do something different? He’s won Australia again. It’s incredible what he’s done! If I were him, I wouldn’t change a thing!”
Chris Evert agreed with McEnroe. “Anybody who’s 36 and is still playing at this level winning 20 Grand Slams can afford to be selfish and think about himself.
“If he wants to take three-four months off a year, so be it. And I think Serena (Williams) and Nadal are in the same boat as well,” added Evert, who has 18 Grand Slam titles under her belt.
For the upcoming Wimbledon, the 63-year-old opted to fall back on the seven-time champion Serena. “I will give her (Williams) as much chance as anyone else (to win the trophy). “