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Roger: "I want to play in Rio 2016"

4K views 51 replies 32 participants last post by  Corey Feldman 
#1 ·
Good luck to him I guess but he'll be nearly 35 - if he actually is still competitive by then it'll say a LOT about the state of the game and particularly the youngsters in that case. On the plus side he doesn't look likely to be threatened by any Swiss youngsters so he'd certainly qualify I'm sure...

Roger Federer says he won't play as often in the next few years and hopes to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The 31-year-old Federer says he'll be more mindful about the tournaments he plays in the future to make sure he can keep playing at a high level.

"I have to make sure that I take care of my schedule, of my body, of my mind," he said Thursday before an exhibition match with Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. "Hopefully I can still stay on tour for many more years and hopefully play the Olympics here in three and a half years or so, so I have to look far ahead and not just the next six months."

Others in the exhibition include Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Robredo and Tommy Haas. The Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, are also participating. Federer has competed in four Olympics, winning gold in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Games and silver in singles at the London Games. The Swiss player said he'd love to make it to Rio in four years. "There is a lot of passion for sports here," said Federer, the winner of 17 Grand Slams. "It's a hot place to play tennis right now."

Federer, who ended the season No. 2, said this year was especially difficult for him because he was committed to the Davis Cup and London Games, which took him away from practice and his family. "I've played a lot of tennis. It's been a big challenge, especially with the Olympics and the Davis Cup this year," he said. "I found my way back to world No. 1 and it took a lot of sacrifices. I'd like to be home a little bit more often and in a relaxed fashion."

Still, he said it was a rewarding season. "I'm very happy that I'm still playing at a very high level," said Federer, who won six titles this year, including Wimbledon. "I had one of my best years on tour this year, and one of the most emotional ones, of course. Next year tournament victories will probably be more important than the rankings, that's why I need to make sure I practice a lot next year."

Federer played 21 tournaments in 2012, the most among the top four players. No. 1 Novak Djokovic played 18, No. 3 Andy Murray played 20 and Rafael Nadal, nursing a knee injury, played 18. "I'm not going to play 25 tournaments, but every tournament that I will be playing I'll be emotionally attached to it, because I either won there before or because I've been there many times or because I love the city or the country and the fans," he said. "Today, I've reached a point in my life that I can pick and choose where I want to play and how much I want to play."

One of the tournaments he left out of his 2013 schedule was Miami, the Masters event in March he has played since 1999 and won twice. "Miami was a tough decision for me," he said. "But I have to take some time off, first of all, but most importantly, I need to practice. This year I couldn't practice at all. Something had to go in the calendar and that was Miami, unfortunately." Federer said he thinks he will need two Grand Slams and five to eight titles in other tournaments to get back to No. 1. "It's difficult, but I'm happy to set that challenge and I'll give everything I have," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/06/sports/tennis/ap-ten-federer-future.html?ref=tennis
 
#2 ·
He'll still be top 60 and top 3 Swiss I think, and even if he's not (if he gets injured), he'll get a WC. It's just a matter of wanting to play even though you're not a Slam contender, which he likely won't be by then.

It'll kill his W-L ratio, but then again, I've always thought that was a shit way to judge greatness.
 
#33 ·
Federer makes up for declining movement with his unusual natural talent. even at 35 if he chooses to keep playing he almost certainly will be top 20. just look at how at 31 he compares to someone even right out of the top 10--- he's tons better

at 35 he could still be competitive in all liklihood unless something serious happened. top 5 probably not but obviously if he 'wants' to he can just do a smaller schedule and compete in Rio
 
#3 ·
Agassi was competitive at that age. But the sport was much less physical than it is now. It's hard to tell now how he will be playing at that age. But I don't imagine Federer playing when he is ranked 54. As soon as he drops out of the TOP 10 he will retire.
 
#4 ·
do we really need a thread for something which is not a news at all ?

I agree with Just like Heaven when she's angry about such trolling threads with no real news and a big interpretation of a few words about Nadal, but it's the same about Federer :shrug:

And Ash86 is an expert in such kind of trolling threads :rolleyes: (even though that poster can also bring good news about Nadal especially)

he's in Brazil and that's certainly not the place and the moment where he will say "I will not play in Rio 2016" :rolleyes:

if the goal is to discuss about when Fed will retire, there are already threads about it.
 
#7 ·
It's news because it's been reported by the NYTimes. :rolleyes: And I have nothing against Fed - I said good luck to him if he wants to try. I actually admire the fact that he still clearly loves the game and doesn't seem like for one moment he's questioned that - that's not true for most other top players. If you think it's trolling, that's your opinion.
 
#6 ·
I agree with duong. Furthermore, the quote is - once again - off when it comes to number of tournaments played. Do anyone seriously think Nadal played as many tournaments as Djokovic this year? Every mandatory is counted, whether or not they turned up for it.
 
#8 ·
He can.
Winning Olympics at 35/36 will just make the legend even bigger.
 
#13 ·
Duong is absolutely right, this is very old news and maybe there is thread about it already.

Do you expect Roger (currently in Brazil) to say : "I won´t play in Brazil 2016 ?". That would be much thread worthy.
 
#14 ·
Don't believe what Fed is talking. It's easier to say something like that when you are still at the top of the game. Once when he starts falling in rankings he'll be thinking differently. He isn't the guy who would be satisfied with being average, at the end neither one great champion hasn't been
 
#31 ·
Did they? I don't remember that. I thought the 4 1/2 hour battle to get to the final after those previous failures proved how much he (and Del Potro, for that matter) cared about it. Just a shame he didn't seem to have enough left in the tank to put up a real fight against Murray, who I thought was playing the tennis of his life that week: we could have had a really good match instead of the one-sided one we did get.
 
#24 ·
I still can't believe he didn't win it in 2004. In 2008 and 2012 he had already declined and was vulnerable to other great players. He did pretty well in 2000 but he was very young.

But really, losing to 19 yeard old Berdych in the second round.....
 
#25 ·
So we're going to see at least 4 more years of Roger Federer on the tennis tour. It'll be interesting to see how he fares out - whether there will be a change in his game/style/tactic, and I wonder how far down (or possibly not - does anyone think he'll still remain in the top 3 in 2016?) the rankings he will drop down to by then.
 
#27 ·
on the face of it, DELUSIONAL


but if you look at the current field of youngsters (age 17-22), you'll realise that they're all mugs, so its actually very likely they federer will remain in the top 5 in 2016, djoko, nadal and murray will probably end up winning slams in their 30s given how weak the next generation are, theres literally noone to challenge them
 
#28 ·
Good luck to him I guess but he'll be nearly 35 - if he actually is still competitive by then it'll say a LOT about the state of the game and particularly the youngsters in that case. On the plus side he doesn't look likely to be threatened by any Swiss youngsters so he'd certainly qualify I'm sure...



http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/12/06/sports/tennis/ap-ten-federer-future.html?ref=tennis
No.

It will say NOTHING about the state of the game or the youngsters. Federer isn't/won't be your run of the mill 35 year old - if he doesn't pick up any big injury he will most certainly be very competitive in 2016 (top 8 for sure) at 35, because he is just that good. It is not a reflection on how bad others are, but what a rare talent Federer is.
 
#32 ·
Tommy Haas will hopefully still be around and Federer and him can play in Olympic Finals :D.

Also unless Raonic improves a lot in the next three years, Fed will still be able to whip him around the court no problem :eek:. I'm not including Tomic for obvious reasons and Nikishori will either be injured or only improved a little :/.

Edit: Johnny Groove peaking at 26/27 beating Federer? I would pay to see that; I mean that in a positive way too :]
 
#38 ·
It could happen but don't be surprised if it doesn't. It's clear that Federer doesn't want to upset his millions of fans, and as a well oiled PR machine, anything he does say will give his fans hope for the future, be it the near future or the distant future. I have no doubt he wants that singles gold, considering his BIGGEST rival Nadal has one himself, as well as one of his biggest rivals Murray. Of course Fed can overlook Murray, but given the fact Nadal still has a chance, be it small, to overtake Fed's slam record, Fed wants the gold to remain GOAT. All I can say is we will see.
 
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