Mikhail Youzhny has always been one of Roger Federer’s favorite victims, a Russian who failed the Swiss in 17 meetings. After retiring from the ATP world tour, the Muscovite embarked on his coaching career contributing to the rise of Denis Shapovalov in the last twelve months.
During a recent interview with Russian outlet Sport Express, Youzhny also expressed his opinion on the famous ‘Big 3’: “I think Roger Federer is by far the most versatile of the three, he can do anything. Later, I would say that Nadal and Djokovic are more constant and even more stable psychologically.
Once you’ve said that, it’s very hard to decide between them and I don’t think it’s very helpful. They all have their qualities and they all value our sport perfectly. I know the big question is trying to figure out who will win the most Grand Slam tournaments.
If you want to be very pragmatic, I would say that Novak Djokovic is the least in a good position because he is late, even if he is younger.” Roger Federer is not new to giving interviews. Being one of the biggest tennis celebrities, the 20-time Grand Slam winner has given numerous interviews during his 2-decade-long career.
Federer on spending time on other things
Roger Federer’s absence from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships broke a 23-year-long streak of him playing in the iconic grasscourt Major. “It feels very strange to me not to play Wimbledon this year and to watch it on TV.
I’ve been there every time since 1998,” said the 20-time Grand Slam champion. “But it is also a time of more rest. I’ve been on the road for so long that it was also nice to experience a little more calm and to be in one place more often, which already happened due to the coronavirus.
It gave me the opportunity to be selective in figuring out my travels. To give something back. Many friends always came to see me, now I could turn it around,” he said further. Federer has time and again expressed that he is aware he does not have many years left as a professional tennis player.
“Time will tell how I want to deal with this, how often I keep looking for interest. I think about that now sometimes, but not often. My main focus is on how to make my comeback in tennis. I work hard on that and I think about it every day,” said Federer, who is set to play at the Laver Cup and the ATP Basel Open in September/October.
