Koenig backs Federer for Grand Slam, but says it is difficult
ATP Tour commentator Robbie Koenig believes Roger Federer might be past his best but he still doesn’t rule his chances out of winning another Grand Slam before he decides to call time on his illustrious career.
Koenig, a former professional player himself from South Africa, doesn’t question the desire or enthusiasm that the Swiss has for the game but he believes he has gone past his prime, a prime in which he decimated everyone that came in his wake. Koenig says that Father Time has caught up with him and it will take a lot more effort than usual for him to win another Grand Slam title.
According to the South African, Federer still believes 100% in his ability to win another Grand Slam title before he retires and Koenig believes when someone who has achieved so much over the years with such ease, he is not wrong to think that he might have a last bow.
But he feels that when a player reaches the age of 30 and over, his reflexes slow down, and his instincts desert him, and it becomes increasingly difficult to win a match with ease. And there always comes a day when nothing goes in his favour and he ends up losing the match, something that would not have happened in his prime.
Federer started the 2015 season in fine form, nothing up a record breaking 1000th career win but he lost to the underdog Andrea Seppi in the third round of the Australian Open, crashing out unceremoniously.
Koenig, however, does not believe that Rafael Nadal will pose any threat to the Swiss master’s record Grand Slam haul. But he does believe Serbian Novak Djokovic is the man to watch out for in the next few years, but even he will not break his record.