Roger Federer reminds me of Rod Laver, says Spanish legend
In an interview to Marca, the former Madrid Open Tournament Director Manolo Santana praised Roger Federer's game skills. The Spanish legend said: "He has the advantage to use his slice backhand and hit a strong forehand. He has all the shots that every player would like to have. It remembers me of Rod Laver."
Can Madrid Open be compared to Indian Wells or Miami? "I would compare it to Indian Wells for the glamour it has. The Miami Open, I do not know how it is as the venue has changed."
The Central Court will always be named after Manolo Santana. Is it the biggest recognition toward him? "I would have liked my parents to see what his son achieved."
Is Ferrer the best player among the non-Grand Slam winners? "He was unlucky to face Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. Hopefully, we can see him facing Nadal in Madrid. That would be great."
Rafael Nadal left Barcelona city on Saturday following his straight-set semifinal loss to Dominic Thiem and after spending some days in Manacor he will already be back on the air flight to go to Madrid on Wednesday. Nadal will get to the tournament very early in order to fit the altitude condition. Last year he struggled a lot there, losing to Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals. Nadal can earn up to 820 rankings points in Madrid. By not retaining his Monte Carlo and Barcelona titles, he lost 960 points as he lost in the semifinals in both events. He is satisfied with his game level: "I went raising steps every day and I got better. Now a complicated week like Madrid comes because the conditions are different to Barcelona." For the first time in his career, he will get to May titleless during the season. On Friday Nadal attended the official presentation of the Madrid Open with Garbine Muguruza and the Tournament Director Feliciano Lopez. Roger Federer also arrived in Madrid on Friday, May 3, while Novak Djokovic is expected to come a bit later as he is training in Marbella, Spain while enjoying time with family.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2V4u0LS
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