Federer Aiming for No.1 Spot at Stuttgart

Rafael Nadal is currently the darling of the tennis world. He was already world no.1 ahead of Roger Federer coming into Roland Garros but has further embellished it with a 11 title at the French Open since first competing back in 2005.

Federer meanwhile sat out the clay-court season to rest his body and simultaneously devote more time to prepare for the Wimbledon and other tournaments.

The next tournament he will be seen in is the Stuttgart Open in Germany. Ahead of the upcoming event, Federer spoke to the media about Nadal’s win, his own ambition and his opponents.

He has been very open about his admiration for Nadal and he showered praise on the Spaniard. “We can only bow to each other and congratulate each other. Incredible.”

“Absolutely only the superlatives remain there. To win a tournament 11 times is almost unthinkable”, Federer stated on the French Open victory.

His most imposing opponent in Stuttgart will be German No.3, Alexander Zverev, who bowed out of the French Open in the quarter-finals. He was positive about the youngster’s capabilities.

“I think he learned a lot from the three five-set matches he played in Paris. I expect a lot from him in the coming months. With such a markup and good returns that he has, there is always something possible”, he said.

Despite leading Federer by 100 ATP points in the rankings, Nadal can be leapfrogged by the Swiss legend with just three wins in Germany. If he does achieve that, he will add to his existing record of being the oldest player to be ranked No.1 in the history of men’s tennis. And he was upbeat about it.

“This is an extra motivation [becoming World No.1]. The holidays were wonderful. I had no setbacks, so I’m fit”, said Federer when quizzed about his mindset.