'In the form in which Roger Federer keeps himself, this is...', says ATP ace

Roger Federer's recovery proceeds, but does not proceed quickly. The former world number one has canceled himself from the 1000 tournament in Madrid scheduled for next week and will not even play at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome. The Swiss will take the field in the home tournament in Geneva on May 16 before flying to Paris for Roland Garros. Tournaments on red that must help King Roger find the best form for Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympic Games. But one of his coaches Severin Luthi said in an interview that not everything goes as hoped and Federer is late: As a preparation it is a bit behind on the schedule. The training on the pitch is quite intense but we cannot do it as often as it would need in approaching a tournament. Speaking with 'Srf', Luthi, who is also the Davis Cup captain, praised the eight-time Wimbledon winner and talked about their relationship: "Roger is a very generous person, he gives you what he gets. I try to do everything in my power to give him a hand. He is a person who knows how to listen and I see my role as a coach more like that of a counselor. In the end it is he who takes the field, I just pass on to him from the bench calm and tranquility". Federer returned to competitions in the ATP tournament in Doha, in which he lost in the quarter-finals, beat Evans, but lost to Basilashvili. Only two games played in the last fifteen months by the almost 40-year-old racquet phenomenon who in words says he still wants to play for a long time, but who knows if after Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics he will still be of the same opinion. Serbia Open runner-up Aslan Karatsev recently spoke with Championat, where he disclosed that he used to idolize Roger Federer in his initial years.

Karatsev praises Roger Federer

"It's not that Roger Federer remains an idol," Aslan Karatsev said. "But I would like to play with him. I have looked at him since childhood, as he performed. So I'm interested in playing with him myself." The Russian also claimed he had no idea how Federer had managed to keep himself in good enough shape to compete actively with the younger players on the tour. "It's phenomenal (that he's playing till the age of 39), I would say," Karatsev added. "And in the form in which he keeps himself, this is a rarity. I don't know how he can keep himself in such physical shape. He moves great. Move like that at 40! This is phenomenal, I think so."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/33m3lRg