TENNIS:ROGER FEDERER will have proved he is the greatest tennis player the game has seen if he wins the French Open, old foe Tim Henman said yesterday.
Henman, a former world number four and one of a select band of players to have beaten Federer at Wimbledon, said the Swiss maestro was the favourite to break his Roland Garros duck and become the sixth male player to win all four majors in his career.
Federer faces Argentine fifth-seed Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals in Paris today, and if he lifts the Musketeers’ Cup on Sunday he would join Pete Sampras at the top of the all-time list with 14 grand slam titles.
“I think it would make him the best. I really hope he can win it, it really would be the icing on the cake,” Henman, who retired in 2007, said.
“If you were to ask me who was the best player I had seen and the best player I had played against he would win on both counts. He’s so humble and down to earth.”
Far from being content to rest on his laurels, Henman believes Federer will not follow in the footsteps of Bjorn Borg and retire early and will aim to put the grand slam record out of reach.
“He’s got plenty of his career ahead of him, his game technically and mentally takes so little out of him. I would much more question (the longevity of Rafa) Nadal because his game is as physically demanding as it gets,” he said.
“He (Federer) doesn’t put stress on his body and I definitely think he could be around for another four or five years.
“He will certainly want to improve his record in the French and you have to remember he’s still only 27.”
From the moment Nadal was knocked out on Sunday, Federer has been on the most nerve-jangling journey of his career and the jitters are likely to get worse over the next few days.
“We’re all nervous at this stage of the competition,” Federer admitted yesterday. “I felt it. Yesterday I felt it, and I felt it again today before the match. I was tired, I was nervous, and I didn’t feel really good,” the world number two said after beating Frenchman Gael Monfils in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.
Del Potro has never managed to win a set off Federer in five meetings but the Swiss did not want to undermine the 20-year-old’s challenge.
“He’s improved in incredible ways since one year ago. I think he was only ranked 50 in the world this time last year. Just shows how quickly things can change in tennis,” said Federer, who will be contesting his 20th consecutive grand slam semi-final.
“I expect a very difficult match against Juan Martin. I have a lot of respect for him.
“I have a good record against him, but it doesn’t mean a thing right now because it’s too big of a match, too dangerous, and he’s playing too well at this tournament to underestimate him.”
Nadal’s conqueror Soderling will face Chilean 12th-seed Fernando Gonzalez in the other semi-final and both players realise their match is likely to be just a sideshow to the main act today.
