Arriving in the stretch run of his glorious career, Roger Federer says he’s not thinking about the finish line.
Instead the 39-year-old Swiss superstar is energized by “one last big, huge opportunity” to win a Grand Slam title.
In a new interview with GQ Magazine to promote his role as ambassador for Swiss tourism, Federer reflected on his “relaxed” state of mind ahead of his Roland Garros return.
“I don’t know, I’m really relaxed about where my career is, where my life is,” Federer told GQ. “And I know that this [moment] is one last big, huge opportunity for me to do something great.
“I mean, it’s always like this when you have achieved as much as I have.”
At the 2019 Wimbledon, Federer came achingly close to capturing his 21st Grand Slam title.
A defiant Novak Djokovic denied two championship points in the final set fighting off Federer, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) to successfully defend his Wimbledon title in The Championships’ longest final—and first men’s major final decided in a fifth-set tie breaker.
Former world No. 1 Federer firmly believes he has another Grand Slam title in him—the question, he says, is this: Can his body withstand the rigors of winning seven best-of-five set matches over a two week span?
“Don’t get me wrong,” Federer told GQ. “I want to win more. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone through the whole [last] year of surgeries and the process of doing five weeks on crutches and rehab.
“I truly believe I can do it again. [But] I first have to prove to myself that the body can take it. The mind is ready to go.”