'Roger Federer can still win a Grand Slam', says top coach

The Ultimate Tennis Showdown was one of the exhibitions organized during this transition period towards the resumption of the circuit. The organizer of the event is the well-known coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who has decided to host numerous top-level tennis players in his Academy near Nice. Leaving aside the unpublished and not entirely shareable format, the UTS is enjoying good success so far, as well as taking care to respect the safety protocols and the rules on social distancing (unlike what happened in the Adria Tour). During a recent interview on the Tennis Channel to promote his' creature', Serena Williams' coach also focused on Roger Federer's chances of returning competitive after this double operation. The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who has only played at the Australian Open this year, will not return to the field before the start of 2021, at the age of 40. 

Mouratoglou on Roger Federer

"We have already seen Roger Federer win a Grand Slam six months after being injured. They (Big Three and Serena) are the only ones who can do this. In that sense, I think they will not have too many problems" - Patrick Mouratoglou said. He also said he was happy to see that Serena Williams is still motivated even if the timeline is uncertain. “What makes me be very positive is the fact that I feel her motivation is still the same. She came back to a great level, reached four Grand Slam finals. But she didn’t win one, so something is still missing,” Mouratoglou commented. “She’s practicing like the other players but it’s so difficult for a tennis player to practice without any short term or even longer-term goal because nobody knows when they are going to come back. I can’t wait for her to know when she’s going to play next, because I know the motivation will go to the next level,” added the Frenchman. The ATP tour will have to wait until mid-August for the resumption of official tournaments, which will start with the ATP in Washington. The caravan will then move to New York for the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and the US Open, which will be held behind closed doors and without even the presence of the media. The USTA has implemented a very rigid protocol to avoid the spread of the infection and avoid the consequences that emerged during the last stage of the Adria Tour. Through an official note, the ATP confirmed its intention to allow the resumption of the season as initially preset.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Bcehq2