Zeballos: "I want Roger Federer to play until he is 45 years old"

Horacio Zeballos doesn't have much in common with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. However, the Argentine was one of the very few players capable of beating Rafael Nadal in a final on red clay, in Vina del Mar in 2013.

Zeballos won his first ATP Masters 1000 Doubles Title at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open with Nikola Mektić. They defeated sixth-seeded Łukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the final. Zeballos became the first ATP Masters doubles champion from Argentina since 1997 after Luis Lobo at the Hamburg Masters.

In a recent interview, he was asked a question about the toughest opponent that he had ever faced. The Argentine gave a nuanced response to this question about the toughest opponent. “Without a doubt it is Djokovic. It is the most complete, the fastest and responds to the service with great ease.

I think that against Roger it would be possible to give him more fight in some games and Nadal [who he defeated in a final in Chile in 2013] sometimes fluctuates in quality and intensity between surfaces, so I choose Novak.” However, he holds a lot of respect for Roger Federer: “For me, I want Federer to play until he is 45 years old, he is unique, but tenistically I stay with Djokovic. I think he will surpass Roger’s records, but I hope he deceives me."

Federer's all-court game and versatile style of play involve exceptional footwork and shot-making. Effective both as a baseliner and a volleyer, his apparent effortlessness and efficient movement on the court have made Federer highly popular among tennis fans. The Swiss Maestro has received the tour Sportsmanship Award 13 times and been named the ATP Player of the Year and ITF World Champion five times. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2K4ne5o