"Roger Federer is a mega-complete, mega-talented player; you can't compare him to too many people" - Andrei Pavel
Former World No. 13 Andrei Pavel recently opined that 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer's all-round game and incredible talent make him nearly incomparable.
Pavel, 47, peaked at No. 13 in the singles rankings back in 2004. He won three ATP singles titles, including the 2001 Canadian Open in Montreal. The Romanian is a former Roland Garros quarterfinalist (2002), and he reached the fourth round at both the Australian Open and US Open.
Post-retirement, Andrei Pavel has been the captain of the Romanian Davis Cup team and has also worked with Simona Halep for a while. Pavel is quite familiar with Federer's game, having played him eight times on the ATP tour. In fact, he won their first-ever meeting, before the Swiss won the next seven in a row.
Speaking of that lone victory, the Romanian recalled how Federer was a relative unknown at the time.
"My only victory over Roger Federer was in Hamburg in 2000," Pavel said. "He was very young, 18 years old, and ranked 40th in the world. A year later he was already No. 1."
Andrei Pavel went on to assert he had no inkling that Roger Federer, still a teenager then, would go on to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time. The Romanian even claimed that Federer is a 'mega-complete' player.
"He then beat me four times in 3 months (in 2004)," Pavel said. "Roger is Roger. He's a mega-complete, mega-talented player; you can't compare him to too many people. When I defeated him, I didn't think he would become the best tennis player in history."
(Quotes have been translated using Google Translate)
Roger Federer is expected to be back on the tour at Madrid
Having only played only one event this year, Roger Federer is expected to return to the tour at the Madrid Masters. The Swiss is on the official entry list of the tournament, which is scheduled to begin in early May.
Federer had claimed after his Doha quaterfinal loss that he needed to train further before playing matches week-in and week-out. The Doha event was the 39-year-old's first in more than a year, given that he underwent two knee surgeries in 2020.
Roger Federer could still take a last-minute wild card for any of the upcoming events in April. But despite his assertion that he needs to play on clay for match practice, it remains to be seen whether Federer does play in Madrid - or if he pulls out of the tournament as it gets closer, to save himself for the grasscourt season.