'Roger Federer is not just his victories but how he plays', says top coach

In confirming the postponement of the Australian Open, the ATP announced that the men's qualifying round will take place from 10 to 13 January in Doha, Qatar, after which the qualified players and their respective teams will travel to Australia to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The start of the women's qualifying session remains to be established. An ideal scenario for Roger Federer. The Swiss tennis player had announced the probable renunciation of the Australian Grand Slam for a matter of timing: he would have liked to return calmly from the second knee operation by return of post. The extra weeks "offered" by the ATP could favor his return to Australia. Not bad for the fans of the Swiss champion who, otherwise, would certainly never have played in the land of kangaroos again, in light of his probable retirement at the end of 2021. Ivan Ljubicic recently stated that the legacy of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal goes beyond their Slam wins or records. The former World No. 3 also believes Federer and Nadal will continue to be involved in tennis long after they retire.

Ljubicic on Roger Federer's greatness

"In my opinion, there is no clear answer," Ivan Ljubicic said in comments made to the Tennis Magazine Italia. "Do you know how many people tell me that they think Roger Federer 'is the greatest, whatever happens'? Here, I am not convinced that the most successful is automatically the greatest. Or that only one name must be mentioned. I have all the respect in the world for an absolute champion like Pete Sampras," Ljubicic continued. "He is a champion who has won 14 Grand Slams, a huge amount. And how he played tennis, it was fantastic. But he always said very clearly that he was only interested in winning. And that the more others left him alone, the happier he was. And it went like this: he won, he stopped, he disappeared. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have left an important mark in the history of tennis," the Croat added. "Roger is not just his victories but how he plays, how he lives tennis, how he behaved, what it represents for people. This endless rivalry of theirs, and their victories, are unique things. They changed the sport. What we see now in tennis is the result of what the two of them have done since 2005. They "created", in a sense, as did Djokovic." Ivan Ljubicic then went on to talk about the future of the sport without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. "Replacing Federer and Nadal will be difficult," Ljubicic said. "But I don't think tennis is in danger as a sport: the same was also thought after Borg and McEnroe, or after Agassi and Sampras. Perhaps, in the short term, those who win after them will not have the same appeal, the same charisma. But maybe they will get it over time."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3ao705J