Roger Federer blasted critics who say he's too old and insisted he was confident of beating Novak Djokovic again at a Grand Slam after his four-set defeat in the Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday
Roger Federer
Melbourne: Roger Federer blasted critics who say he's too old and insisted he was confident of beating Novak Djokovic again at a Grand Slam after his four-set defeat in the Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday.
Roger Federer. Pic/AFP
ADVERTISEMENT
The 34-year-old Swiss great was flattened by Djokovic in the opening two sets before he finally went down 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in his eighth loss to the Serb in their last 10 Grand Slam meetings. Federer hasn't bested the runaway world number at a major since the Wimbledon semis in 2012, when he last won a Grand Slam title. But when asked if he could beat Djokovic again on the big stage, he bristled.
"Best-of-three, best-of-five, I can run for four or five hours. It's not a problem. I prove it in practice again in the off-season no sweat. So from that standpoint I'm not worried going into long rallies," Federer said.
"I know you guys (media) make it a different case. I get that, because you think I'm old and all that. But it's no problem for me. But it doesn't scare me when I go into a big match against any player who's in their prime right now."
The World No 3 is redefining the career trajectory for men's tennis as he remains among the elite at a time when most players his age have faded or already retired. But Federer is getting no closer to solving the riddle of beating the Serb.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
