Roger Federer (Photo : Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports/ REUTERS)
Former world's no.1 Roger Federer reiterated in a recent interview that winning another Grand Slam title is the primary reason why he still continues to play the game despite turning 34-years old this August. Moreover, the Swiss Master thinks bagging a second French Open title might not be complicated as it seems to be because he knows what it takes to win it all on the clay-court slam.
Federer, fresh from a two-week break after skipping the Miami Masters, stressed that his no.1 goal is to win his 18th Grand Slam championship which has become more elusive for him the past three seasons.
“Yes, to win a major is one of the reasons that why I play on the court. Could winning the French Open be complicated? I do not think like that. I just think to win matches. I hope to redo something great at Roland Garros. Win or not to win? We'll see. Fortunately, I won this tournament and I know how to handle it,” Federer said in the interview via Tennis World USA.
He may be one of the oldest campaigners in the ATP World Tour circuit, but it seems father time is a long way to go for Federer, who relishes every moment he steps on the court. In fact, the world’s no.2 ranked Swiss was planning to compete in few tournaments before clay-court season. Thankfully, his impressive run at the Indian Wells (runner-up) and Dubai (champion) has given him a great deal of confidence to take the challenges straight ahead on the red dirt.
“If I had lost quickly in Dubai and Indian Wells, after skipping Miami, I'd have played very few matches before the clay season. This was a risk. But it did not happen because I played well on hard courts and that gave me great confidence," Federer said of his change of plans.
Federer will enter the Monte Carlo Masters looking to better his runner-up placing to countryman Stanislas Wawrinka last year. Then again, this year’s field of competitors features the other members of the Fabled Big Four (Rafael Nadal, Noacak Djokovic and the newly-wed Andy Murray) and a slew of up-and-coming tennis stars, making the road to championship a lot tougher for Federer
