Roger Federer is one of the all-time greats in the sport of tennis. With his recent win at the Australian Open, Federer has reinvigorated his career. The question is, does he have one good run left in him?
One of the most dominant athletes of his time, Federer ran through the competition for over a decade. He’s third all-time with 89 career wins in the Open Era. In addition, Federer’s 18 Grand Slams are place him first among men’s tennis. There’s no way around it, Federer is the best ever. However, at the age of 35, it’s looking like his career is reaching its end.
[DanielG]
Before his 2017 Australian Open win, Federer’s last Grand Slam victory was at Wimbledon in 2012. The drought can be linked to the play of younger players like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but Federer’s age also played a factor. This is why his chances of winning an 18th major looked quite slim, and his Australian Open win was so unexpected.
Since 1968, only one man ( Ken Rosewall) has won a major at age 35 or older. Despite Rosewall winning three after that point in his career, the odds are still stacked against Federer. The mileage that he has on his body will make it quite difficult to compete at a later age.
With the French Open upon us, it’s unlikely he continues his Grand Slam winning streak. Roland Garros has been the worst Major of Federer’s career, only capturing one French Open title at the event. It’s especially concerning when Nadal, who faced Federer in the Finals of the Australian Open, has such an outstanding record at the event.
The best chance for Federer to capture another Grand Slam title will be Wimbledon, as he’s won seven titles, tied for most of all-time with Pete Sampras. But all of that doesn’t matter if Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are at the top of their games. They’ve won Wimbledon the last two years.
There isn’t much time left in the career of Roger Federer. It’s not impossible he wins a 19th major, but it’s going to be an extremely uphill battle. Regardless, he’s still the greatest of all-time, and nobody can take that away from him.
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