"Djokovic, Nadal & I will try to stand fast for the longest time possible" - Roger Federer on holding off Next Gen takeover
With Roger Federer approaching the age of 40, many believe he is a spent force on the ATP tour. In discussions about the players that the Next Gen need to take down to establish their supremacy, the Swiss' name ranks below those of Novak Djokovic's and Rafael Nadal’s.
But in a recent interview, Roger Federer declared his eagerness to keep being a hurdle for the younger stars - just like he has been for well over a decade. The 39-year-old claimed that he, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal would try to continue holding a vice-like grip on the tour and keep winning titles.
"One of them might defeat me but fail to defeat Novak, or beat Novak but fail to beat Rafa, or beat Rafa but fail to beat me," Federer said. "We (the Big 3) will try to stand fast for the longest time possible and will try to increase the number of our titles."
Interestingly, Novak Djokovic had echoed similar thoughts during the 2021 Australian Open, stressing how the Next Gen takeover "realistically isn't happening". But Roger Federer hasn’t won a Major since the 2018 Australian Open, and after his year-long hiatus it remains to be seen if he is still strong enough to hold off the likes of Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.
The Olympics is a major goal for me: Roger Federer
Roger Federer has two Olympic medals to his name, but is yet to win the coveted gold medal in the singles event.
Federer won the gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, partnering with Stan Wawrinka, but failed to do the same in singles. Many believed Federer would win the singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, as the event was held on the grasscourts of Wimbledon - where the Swiss had won his 17th Major just days earlier.
But a 4-hour 26-minute semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro left Federer severely fatigued ahead of his final against Andy Murray. The Swiss lost to Murray in straight sets, and the gold medal continued to be elusive.
Roger Federer then missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to injury. That makes the 2021 Tokyo Olympics his last shot at glory, and on Tuesday the Swiss reiterated his desire to be fully fit in time for the showpiece event.
"The Olympics is a major goal for me," Federer said. "Unfortunately, I missed the Rio Olympics (in 2016) because of a left knee injury. I hope I will return to the Tokyo Olympics. I hope that I will be fully in (shape) by then and that questions about my knee will stop."