Top Players Say Federer Is Not Going Away From The Top Of The Heap

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 5th September 2013

Top Players Say Federer Is Not Going Away From The Top Of The Heap

epa03848531 Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a return to Tommy Robredo of Spain during their match on the eighth day of the 2013 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2013. The US Open runs through Monday 09 September, a 15-day schedule for the first time. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Roger Federer’s worst season in Grand Slams for more than a decade and the sight of him moving down the ATP World Tour rankings have led many to believe the once imperious Swiss is a spent force. But world no.1 Novak Djokovic and defending US Open champion Andy Murray both insist any such talk is both premature and foolhardy.

Federer’s US Open fourth round demise against Tommy Robredo put a lid on his worst sequence of results in the major events since 2002. However both Djokovic and Murray, who have contested three of the last four Grand Slam finals will both play later today for the right to meet each other in this year’s New York semi-final believe Federer’s career is not suffering from a terminal decline, rather just a temporary drop in form.

Djokovic, who waged dramatic battles against Federer for five straight years in either finals or semis between 2007 and 2011 insisted: “Roger did not play close to his maximum level so it’s always a question of why is he not playing well.

“People need to give him a break a little bit, because I think it’s normal to expect that he’s not moving as well as he did when he was No. 1 and he was so dominant.

“For me, he’s still playing really well and definitely deserves to be one of the top five players in the world, no question about it.”

And Djokovic insisted it would be disrespectful for him to make any comment on how long 32-year-old Federer should delay any decision on retirement. The Serb said: “How long he’s going to play? That’s a question for him. But he’s what, 31, 32 years old? Tommy Haas is 35 and close to the top 10.

“So I think people are seeing Roger always being a top-three, top-two guy and competing for grand slam titles. That’s not happening, and all of a sudden it’s a huge surprise.”

Murray, beaten by Federer in the 2012 Wimbledon final only to exact revenge at both the Olympic final and Australian Open semi maintains a series of wins could restore the former no.1’s outlook and reputation.

The Scot said: “I think a lot of players go through periods where they’re not playing their best tennis, and that has obviously been the case with Roger since around probably Wimbledon time.

“He had a few issues with his back this year as well. He’s still hitting the ball well. He still has the same strokes. It’s just when you lose a few matches you are supposed to win, then you lose a little bit of confidence. That’s huge in this game.”

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tommy Robredo, US Open