In Roger Federer's words: 'The level of men's tennis is remarkably high'

Following the first Masters 1000 title in Hamburg in May 2002, Roger Federer finally cracked the top-10, suffering an early loss at Roland Garros and hoping for a deeper run on grass. He had lost in the semi-final in Halle before entering s-Hertogenbosch, beating a former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek 6-2, 7-5 in swift 58 minutes to find himself in the second round. After the match, Roger spoke about various topics and mentioned the upcoming group of youngsters that were already there to fight for the Masters 1000 and Major titles.

All born in the early 80s, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, Juan Carlos Ferrer, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer himself were all ranked in the top-15 after Roland Garros 2002, ready to fight for the most notable titles and the ATP throne in the years to come. Hewitt and Safin were already ranked at the top, with the Aussie winning the US Open and the Masters Cup in 2001 and Indian Wells in 2002 as well. Safin claimed seven titles in 2000 and only two in 2001, still doing enough to hold the second position in the rankings ahead of Tommy Haas and more experienced players. Juan Carlos Ferrero and Roger Federer were there to complete the top-10 list ahead of a teenager Andy Roddick, the youngest player in the top-15 at that moment.

"At the moment, I think it's an unbelievable high level in men's tennis, with Lleyton being quite a bit in front but without a dominant figure. There's a lot of players who can beat him, more than in the previous years. It is exciting and I'm enjoying the moment. I hope the players like Marat Safin, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and myself can be among those that can reach the top in the future; I'm looking forward to a good challenge."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2xPfulg