Former Chilean professional tennis player Nicolas Massu believes Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time and can still play at his best despite injury concerns.
Massu has become the latest person to be added to the long list of prominent tennis figures and players who have acknowledged the greatness of Federer in the sport. Vampiro, a winner of two Olympic gold medals, believes the Swiss Maestro is, so far, the best of all time in the sport and will always have a knack to play better despite being ravaged by injuries this season.
"He [Federer] is the best player all time, so far," Massu told the official site of the 2016 Rio Olympics as translated by Tennis World USA.
"[He's] the player who's won most Grand Slam titles and the player who's won most [ATP] Titles. I think Federer is able to do everything, regardless of the moment he is going through, if he is injured or if he comes from an injury. If he wants to play singles, doubles and mixed, he will know how to handle it physically."
Federer was able to overcome the setbacks he has sustained this season, although he has yet to display masterful performances coming off injuries. After recovering from a back injury that forced him to skip the French Open, Federer only managed to reach the semifinal round of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, showing signs of rustiness from competitive matches.
Federer, who was defeated by next generation star Dominic Thiem 6-3 6-7(9) 4-6, admitted he did not serve his best during his stint in Stuttgart, but the Swiss is optimistic about facing the rest of the tournaments in the second half of the season.
"I want to be in a position to talk more about my matches, rather than the way that I am training coming back from injury. I'm happy that it is in the past, and I am looking forward to the second half of the season," Federer said, reports the ATP's official website.
Federer's next match will be at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, where the 17-time Grand Slam winner faces Jan-Lennard Struff.