"We all sleep very well at night" - Roger Federer on Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal breaking his records
Roger Federer recently elaborated on how much importance he gives to records, especially in light of the fact that his most significant ones are slowly being taken over by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Federer claimed that records are meant to be broken, and as such he has no qualms about Djokovic and Nadal bettering some of his major achievements.
Novak Djokovic recently went past Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks as World No. 1. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, is widely expected to win his 21st Major in Paris this year, thus eclipsing Roger Federer's mark of 20.
Speaking about the exploits of his biggest rivals, Federer marveled at their ability to sustain their peak form despite being almost as old as him. The World No. 6 also insisted he was more concerned about his game and well-being than his records being surpassed by the duo.
"What Novak and Rafa have done, as of late, is extraordinary," Federer said while speaking to the media in Doha. "They are not 25 either. They are able to back it up. Novak did it again in Australia and Rafa again did it at Roland Garros. They seem at their peak which is great for tennis and it is great for the debate. My concern is more my own game, my own health over the record, to be honest."
Roger Federer called Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic 'unreal' players, and expressed his hope that they achieve everything they want to. Federer also asserted that he wouldn’t want any of the three - including himself - to finish their career with any regrets.
"But all the records are there to be broken," Federer added. "The guys are unreal, we all know that. I hope they keep on going. I hope they can do everything they possibly want and that they look back with no regrets. We want to leave the game with no regrets and I think, from that standpoint, we all sleep very well at night."
I checked the results almost every two hours, including the results of Challenger tournaments and doubles: Roger Federer
Roger Federer revealed that he watched tennis very frequently during his time away from the sport. The Swiss star further mentioned that he would keep a tab on the results of all matches, including the ones on the Challenger tour.
"I watched a lot of tennis - I wanted to know what was going on, and checked the results almost every two hours, including the results of Challenger tournaments and doubles," Federer said. "I was impressed with how high the level was."
Roger Federer has been training with Dan Evans in the Middle East over the last couple of weeks. Before his stint with Evans, Federer trained with countryman and rising star Dominic Stricker.
The 20-time Major champion explained that it was important for him to get a feel of the matches, and revealed that he played ‘about 20 sets’ with Dan Evans. Interestingly, the Brit is also likely to be Federer’s second-round opponent at the 2021 Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
"It was very important to me that I could play points and sets for the last two months," Federer said. "First Stricker came to Dubai and most recently I played about 20 sets with Dan Evans. I am very happy with my knee."