In the world of tennis, one of the most well known and celebrated stars of today is Roger Federer. The Swiss tennis legend has achieved some of the highest honors in the game, but for one. The Olympic Gold has proven to be elusive thus far. But now, 38-year-old Roger Federer is seemingly going to get one more crack at it.
There is no doubt that he is a very gifted athlete who could beat any tennis player in the world on his day. However, the doubt does start to creep in when you factor in Federer’s age. At thirty-eight years, does he still have what it takes to deliver?
Well, the answer to that question is a bit nuanced. On the one hand, the Dubai tournament in early 2019 which he took part in and won, was more than just another tour-level victory for Federer. As his 100th ATP title win, it was a testament to his longevity, and also a statement – his age is not getting in the way just yet.
Federer has had an illustrious career. He has played professionally for over two decades now and during this tenure, he has been more than just a great tennis athlete. FedExpress has been a role model who is always positive, hard-working and nearly perfect in every way. His discipline and dedication have been unwavering, and not a word he utters is out of line.
However, despite the victory in the Dubai tournament it is safe to say that Roger Federer is not in the peak of his career but rather in the autumn of his career. In terms of the pinnacle of the sport, nothing beats the Grand Slam tournaments. And this was the first year that Federer failed to win one.
In his defense, Federer has featured in Grand Slam finals this year, losing in an epic final to his greatest rival at the moment – Novak Djokovic. He has also won three of the five tournament finals he appeared in, showing that he has not yet lost that winning touch.
His recent form should put the fear of “FedEx” back in the minds of competitors in his upcoming tournaments. As the 2019 season winds to a close, the legend will hope he can show the same form he had at Basel when he features at the ATP World Finals.
In the Basel event, Federer lived up to his favorite billing, having going into the tournament with odds of 6/11. Stefanos Tsitsipas led the rest of the competition, with decent odds of 13/2. After that, there was a lineup of lesser-known players, Alex De Minaur, who is currently playing in the Next Gen Finals with 12/1 and Reilly Opelka also 12/1. Click this link for more predictions for all top sport events in 2019-2020.
You can also get the latest such options for the ATP Finals that will be played next week as well, with Federer the second favourite at 9/2 behind the now second-ranked Novak Djokovic at 13/10.
Motivated by the Coveted Olympic Gold Medal
Federer is fueled to keep playing to the best of his abilities not only because of the love for the game but now also the hunt for the one significant trophy to have slipped his grasp all these years – an Olympic Gold Medal in the singles category.
Thanks to the possibility of vying for the Olympic Gold in August of 2020, Federer will not be throwing in the towel anytime soon. There have only been 15 players to have won the singles Olympics Gold thus far, and only Andy Murray, an opponent that Federer knows all too well, has won it twice. Another opponent and rival that Federer has had some nail-biting encounters with is Novak Djokovic.
As far as Federer is concerned though, there is no denying it would be a perfect way to say goodbye and bow out of professional tennis. Having won the Grand Slam singles seven times, the Davis Cup once, and even the Olympics Gold in the men’s doubles category, the only missing piece of the puzzle is a singles Olympics Gold.
A couple of years ago, Federer was asked about his chances of winning the Olympics Singles Gold before the inevitable retirement. He actually said that his best chance was probably in the 2004 Olympics when he was playing some of the best tennis of his career and had won three Grand Slams that year.
In previous attempts at the Olympics, he came fourth in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney but was knocked out in the second round in 2004 in Athens (this was a disappointment given he was world number 1 then). In Beijing in 2008, he reached the quarterfinals and came closest in 2012 when he lost to Andy Murray.
In the most recent Olympics in Rio in 2016, Andy Murray became the first-ever men’s tennis player to win the Olympics gold twice and Federer had to miss out on the competition because of a knee injury which ruled him out for the remainder of that season as well.
What do you think Federer’s chances are in Japan next year if he manages to keep himself injury-free?
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