'I still consider Roger Federer, Nadal, Djokovic favorites but...', says former No. 1

Roger Federer has skipped most of the sporting year that has just ended, preferring to proceed with an operation on his right knee and carefully managing his schedule. The Swiss gave a single start, represented by the semifinals reached at the Australian Open. From Australia to Australia, Federer plans to start again from the prestige event based in Melbourne. The Swiss announced he was working to be competitive at the Grand Slam at the beginning of the year, a necessary momentum for the implications of the season itself. As Craig Tiley recently stated, Federer would be ready to preside over the ATP Cup, should he actually decide to perform at the Australian Open. Below is the complete schedule of the Swiss tennis player, constantly updated. Former World number 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero believes Thiem, Zverev and Tsitsipas will give Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic a tougher time at the Slams in 2021. Ferrero also talked about Nadal's dominance at Roland Garros, claiming that it doesn't surprise him anymore.

Juan Carlos Ferrero on the Big 3

In a recent interview with Tennis Majors, Juan Carlos Ferrero shared a similar view. "Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have shown us this year that they still have the ambition and the body to compete for the biggest titles in our sport," Ferrero said. " If they win some more Grand Slam titles it would not be a surprise, but I feel that in 2021 there will be other favorites, other players with increasingly good chances to win Slams, not just Djokovic and Nadal as it has been before. Dominic Thiem would be one of those guys for sure. I still consider them (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic) favorites, but not as much as before," the Spaniard added. "I think people see that players like Thiem, Tsitsipas or Zverev already have good chances of winning against them as well." Nadal has won a record 13 French Open titles - the most singles tiles won by any player at a single Major in tennis history. "Rafael Nadal is the best player in the history of Roland Garros, nobody has even come close, he has reached so many milestones in Paris," Ferrero said. "Therefore, I cannot be surprised with his superiority over anyone there." Federer's won the Fans’ Favorite Award a record 18 consecutive times, the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award too, a record 13 times, the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award twice, ATP Comeback Player of the Year in 2013, and the ATP Player of the Year honors five times in his career.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/37KattG