Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin.
Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador.
“I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters.
Photo: AFP
“I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said.
“I don’t feel like an alien, which is a good thing because you can feel like that very quickly,” he said.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner praised Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz looking ahead to next year’s Australian Open.
Federer held out hope for his remaining contemporaries Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who would both be absent from the Laver Cup.
“With Rafa we don’t know — it remains to be seen. It’s hard for me to make a prediction on Rafa because of the little tennis he has played this year,” Federer said.
“Novak, winning the Olympics and playing somewhat let’s say a full season — he didn’t bow out because of injuries, he chose to play less which is normal when you get a bit older,” he said.
“I feel like he has chances moving forward. I look forward to Australia which is the next Slam. I think he’s definitely going to be one of the favorites along with Sinner and Alcaraz. I think the Australian Open story will be a very cool one to follow,” he said.
Nadal pulled out of the Laver Cup with injury, but his compatriot Alcaraz would take part as a member of Team Europe against Team World.
German Alexander Zverev would also play for Team Europe and Federer said he was “so close” to winning a maiden Grand Slam, but needed to attack more in crucial moments.
“I see someone who’s playing much too passively, much too defensively when it matters the most.
“I think [Zverev] has to remind himself to try to not be too passive and then I think honestly something really great can happen for him,” he said.
Team Europe won the first four events, starting in 2017, but Team World have won the past two.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS