Home

Tennis

“More Difficult for Him”: Tennis Legend Raises Doubts Over Roger Federer Winning Another Grand Slam

Published 03/09/2021, 5:00 AM EST

Follow Us

via Getty

Roger Federer has docked his ship in Doha-Qatar to embark on his comeback on the ATP Tour. In the meantime, tennis legend Lindsay Davenport has raised some concerns over his return to tennis.

Most importantly, the 39-year-old has not played tennis in 13 months because of two knee surgeries. Additionally, Federer desires to win more titles and defeat the best players in the sport.

Considering this, the 55 WTA titles winner, Davenport, examined the Basel-born’s situation in ATP 250 Doha. She shared the insights on an episode with Tennis Channel.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“Bad Luck”: Roger Federer Opens Up on Novak Djokovic’s US Open and Adria Tour Controversies

Davenport praises Federer’s outlook aiming for Wimbledon

In the pre-tournament press conference, Roger Federer expressed his feelings going into the season. From that, Lindsay Davenport has picked up a few notable points.

via Getty

“His expectations are pretty low,” the former World No. 1 explained. “When you’re 40 years old and coming back from double knee surgery last year, you don’t know what to expect. He thinks his knee is okay.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Contrarily, Lindsay stated that you would not know how the body would respond until you are out there on the court. The challenge for Federer would be to change directions and to play points under stress.

But the Swiss maestro has claimed that his primary goal is to be ready in time for Wimbledon Championship. Hence, Doha naturally becomes a perfect place to start his preparations.

The three majors champion added, “I love Federer’s outlook, which was, ‘I just want to be 100% for Wimbledon, so any matches I get until then is a bonus’.”

To conclude, Davenport answered whether the Most Slams race against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is on Federer’s mind.

“I wonder how could it not be for these guys that are up there,” she said. “But I think Roger knows that it’s more difficult for him than it is for the other two to add to their tally.”

She added that while Federer is looking forward to Wimbledon, Rafa is two months away from sealing his 21st at French Open. Now, it would be up to the 20-time Grand Slam winner from Switzerland to excel in every expectation.

“If There’s One Person…”: Rafael Nadal’s Uncle Makes Huge Prediction on Roger Federer

Who can pose a threat to Roger Federer at Qatar Open 2021?

via Getty

The second seed of the tournament, Federer, will first face the winner between Jeremy Chardy and Dan Evans. According to TC expert, the Swiss maestro would be hoping to play Chardy instead of Evans.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

To explain, Evans moves around with the ball, whereas Chardy will match in the middle of the court. The expert believes that Roger would not want a high pressured opening match.

Moreover, deeper in the tournament, the three-time Doha winner can meet Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev from the Top 10. Notably, Stan Wawrinka, Gael Monfils, Denis Shapovalov are also competing for the Qatar Open 2021 title.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Can Federer win his fourth Doha title this year?

Where Will Rafael Nadal Play Next?

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Purav Joshi

1,357Articles

One take at a time

Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.
Show More>