'Roger Federer can rightly hope for the trophy at...', says ATP legend

As soon as he came out of the 14-day quarantine, during which he was able to go out for 5 hours a day from his hotel to train, Novak Djokovic made himself desired by the Adelaide audience, who flocked to attend the first match of the exhibition tournament in the Australian city . The world number one has in fact deserted the first set against the Italian talent Jannik Sinner, being replaced by his compatriot Filip Krajnovic. The Serbian, however, then appeared for the second fraction, won 6-3, justifying himself in the end with the crowd: "I'm sorry, but I had to do some sessions with my physiotherapist and in the last two days I didn't feel at my best. . I didn't want to take too many risks. Thanks for making me have a great day, "he added. "We haven't played in front of such a crowd in 12 months, it's a special event." Victory also for Rafael Nadal, who in the Australian evening won 7-5 6-4 over Dominic Thiem. In the women's field, world number one and home favorite Ashleigh Barty beat Simona Halep at the super tie-break, while Serena Williams beat Naomi Osaka 6-2 2-6 (10/7). Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open eight times in his career, an Open Era record. The 33-year-old is the odds-on favorite to claim a ninth title at Melbourne Park next month, something that former World No. 1 Mats Wilander agrees with. He also talked about Roger Federer.

Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open eight times

"Novak Djokovic has a chance to reach 20 Slams this year," Mats Wilander said. "In fact, I think if he wants to overtake Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he has to make a big move this year because the younger ones will provide more and more challenges in the coming years." Roger Federer hasn't fully recovered from his knee injury yet, and is hoping to return to the tour in late February or early March. The last time Federer was seen on the court was at the 2020 Australian Open, following which he underwent surgery on his right knee in February and another procedure in June. "In Australia and Wimbledon, he would still have a chance to win," Wilander responded when asked to assess Federer's chances of winning another Slam. "He didn’t enter Melbourne this year. But if he doesn’t have a physical issue, he can rightly hope for the trophy at Wimbledon, where he can win at any time. Roland Garros and the US Open are a tougher affair, but Federer has targeted Wimbledon and the Olympics this year anyway," the Swede added.

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