Roger Federer needs the perfect conditions to win a Slam - Wilander
In an interview to Tennis 365, the seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander commented on the Roger Federer's chances to win a Grand Slam again. Wilander believes the Swiss can triumph on the biggest stage, but at the same time, referring to the loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open, he added: “We thought this was going to be the best chance for him to win a major until we saw how slow the balls are out here and they’ve made a huge difference. He needs the perfect conditions to be a threat to win a Slam, and that could be at Wimbledon, or could be at the US Open, but to me, it’s all starting to depend on conditions. I don’t think he can hang with the other guys, for seven matches, playing high-percentage tennis. High-percentage choices maybe, by moving forwards, ripping shots and taking the ball early, but in terms of keeping the ball in play and defending, those days I think are over.”
Wilander also spoke about Federer's decision to come back to play on clay: “Not playing on clay last year was an obvious mistake because he lost at Wimbledon in a tight match and would’ve benefitted from more match practice. 2020 is a season that’s definitely on his calendar because of the Olympics and I think he’s building now to be at his very best in the only event he hasn’t won. I think playing the clay season is more about being better and improving. During the match at Wimbledon against Kevin Anderson last year, he was tense and nervous so clearly, there are areas he feels he needs to fix to help him win Wimbledon. Playing two weeks on clay is going to help him, big time. It’s good for the game, it’s a huge void when he’s not there and the fact that he’s making these decisions now and plans his calendar. It worked in 2017 but it didn’t work last year.”
Jill Craybas, a former world No. 39, added: "It is smoother, less itchy with the legs and with the motion in general. The body mechanically flows better. The body overall works better as a whole unit."
The McEnroe Brothers have different opinions on who will win this year's Australian Open final. The seven-time Grand Slam singles winner John said that Novak Djokovic stars as favourite over Rafael Nadal. "It's a really tough one to pick, I think I'll need a little bit of time. Based on history Novak has the edge here, but the courts playing a little bit slower than in the past", said John.
Patrick instead gave a slight edge to Nadal: "I think he wants it more, based on his look when he lost in 2012 final."
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2S9QJbP
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