“This guy’s arguably the greatest player of all time,” four-time Open champ John McEnroe said Thursday on ESPN. “He’s still playing some excellent tennis….I think Federer’s going to win another Major. I don’t know if it’s going to be this one here, but he seems to be healthy. He hasn’t played his best tennis, but he wants to save it for the Majors, let’s be honest right now. I mean, he wants to win an Open or a Wimbledon.”
Federer doesn’t seem overly focused on the immediate future, and says he plans to remain around for a while.
“I feel my game allows me to, you know, still play for many more years because I have a relaxing playing style,” he said. “I have almost played a thousand matches on tour and that leaves its toll, but I’m very professional when it comes to massages, stretching, diet, sleep, all of that stuff.
“So I have always looked in the long term as well for a long time.”
The last man 30 or over to win the Open was Pete Sampras in 2002, when he was 31.
Federer played Sampras’ great rival, Andre Agassi, then 35, in the 2005 Open final, so he has a role model of someone who was successful at that age.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that was his 20th US Open I think in a row,'” Federer said. “I’ve got a ways to go.
“This is my 13th time here, 12th time maybe in the main draw, so it’s definitely an inspiration seeing guys being around for a long time like Ken Rosewall, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, and then there are tons of other players who were there for a long time.”
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