Former Croatian tennis player and coach Goran Ivanisevic supports Roger Federer in his decision to withdraw from the Roland Garros. He felt that the Swiss legend made a smart move keeping his physical health in mind.
Federer withdrew from his current Roland Garros campaign a day ahead of his fourth-round clash against Matteo Berrettini. The decision raised a lot of eyebrows as a lot of people felt that it was a complete disrespect to the tournament. However Invanisevic feels that the Swiss made the right call as he achieved his desired target in Paris, that is to gain match fitness for the grass court season.
“I think Roger made a smart move in Paris,” Ivanisevic told Tennis Majors. “He tested his body, whipped himself into shape a bit, and got exactly what he wanted; three matches under his belt and then he did not want to risk getting injured. Wimbledon is his number one goal.”
The Croatian coach feels that Federer will be a threat at the Wimbledon and hopes that the 39-year-old is not drawn on the same section as Djokovic.
“To be honest, I would not want to see him (Roger Federer) in our part of the draw there.”
However, the former Wimbledon champion feels that the Swiss is not the only player who can challenge Djokovic at Wimbledon. He also feels players like Rafael Nadal will have a chance. Also, he adds big serves like John Isner, Reilly Opelka and Marin Cilic as potential threats along with the Next Generation youngsters.
“There are the usual suspects nowadays: Nadal, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Medvedev,” Novak Djokovic’s coach said. “There are a lot of dangerous floaters with big serves such as Raonic, Opelka, Isner. Cilic as well, who won’t be seeded, but who just won a title in Stuttgart.”
Despite being in his thirties Djokovic has shown no signs of slowing down. His fitness level is so high that he may continue to dominate the tennis world for a few more years. Hence when questioned about the Serb, his coach claimed that the World No. 1 can play at the top level for as long as he wants. But he also suggests him to reduce the load from his body and play lesser tournaments.
“He (Novak Djokovic) is a genius, a person who always strives to become better,” Ivanisevic said. “He will play at this level for as long as he wants – two, three, four years. He is hungry for wins and records, and he is happy when he is on the court.”
“He said that he is going to lighten his schedule even more next year, although I am not sure if he can play less than this,” added the Croat. “He is playing because he loves the game and enjoys it. For how long exactly, no one knows,” Ivanisevic concluded.
