Here's what Roger Federer said on his Grand Slam future
What's the story
Tennis GOAT Roger Federer saw his bid to win his 21st Grand Slam end, as he was dominantly beaten by Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the semis of the Australian Open on Thursday. As he was not 100% fit to play, there were doubts surrounding his future. However, Federer has cleared the air, stating that he has no plans to hang up.
Match report
How did the match pan out?
The match, interestingly, began on a positive note for Federer, who broke Djokovic twice in the opening set, to lead 4-1. However, Djokovic pulled things back and won the tie-breaker 7-1. He was clever in the second set, as he got just a break to win it 6-4. With fatigue seemingly setting in for Federer, Djokovic easily sealed the match in the third set.
Confident
Federer confident of adding more to his tally
Upon being asked if he feels that he could add more Slams to his tally, Federer expressed his total confidence on the same. "I think by having the year that I had last year, also with what I have in my game, how I'm playing, I do feel that. You never know what the future holds. Especially my age, you don't know," he said.
Quote
Of course, I hope to be back: Federer
"I'm confident. I'm happy how I'm feeling, to be honest. I got through a good, nice training block. No plans to retire. From that standpoint, we'll see how the year goes. We'll go from there. Of course, I hope to be back," added Federer.
Twitter Post
Federer hopes to be back in 2021
"Of course, I hope to be back."
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020
That's what we like to hear @rogerfederer 😁#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Ttof8tfUEd
2020 schedule
Federer to play limited tournaments in 2020
As far as Federer's 2020 schedule is concerned, he would be playing a limited number of tournaments, with as many as 12 more confirmed, as of now. He would be playing nine more hard-court tournaments, along with two grass-court and a clay-court tournament. His schedule, this year, also includes the Tokyo Olympics. Age and fatigue are the possible reasons for his limited tournament appearances.
Federer's AO records
Some all-time records held by Federer at AO
As for some all-time records held by Federer: He has won the most number of matches at AO (102). He has won the most matches in straight sets at AO and Wimbledon (77). He is the only player to win thrice on both AO hard surfaces. He holds the record to feature in 15 semis and quarters of the tournament from 2004-2018, barring 2015.