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| February 06, 2007 | Tuesday | Muharram 17, 1428 |
Federer wants to rule for another five years
DUBAI, Feb 5: World No 1 Roger Federer is planning to continue his domination of the sport for another five years at least.
“I enjoy the battle so much on the tennis court with my opponent, practice is also fun,” the 25-year-old Swiss player said on Sunday.
“But playing in front of all the fans, enjoying the applause and everything, that's what will keep me going in tennis for at least the next five years.”
For now, though, Federer has his sights firmly set on matching Swede Bjorn Borg's achievement of five successive Wimbledon titles from 1976-80.
“To equal Borg's five-in-a-row would be a dream come true,” he said after being unveiled in Dubai alongside Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry and world’s top golfer Tiger Woods as Gillette's newest brand ambassadors.
“But I am not there yet so I have to just hope I can keep my run going and stay injury free.”
Federer holds 10 Grand Slam titles, four consecutive Wimbledons (2003-2006), three US Opens and three Australian Opens.
“The last three or four seasons have been phenomenal,” he said.
Federer began his 2007 campaign in style, winning the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia last Sunday.“To come out and not lose a set (in the tournament) was unbelievable,” he said.
“The next big goal is the French Open. If I can win that tournament, that would mean I would have won four consecutive Grand Slams.”
Federer, hot on the trail of Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam crowns, said his success was made sweeter because of his early struggles on the ATP Tour.
“I had a lot of losses early in my career, I was sad and disappointed with some of those matches,” he said.
“To finally overcome all those things and become such a great player is something I never thought possible. I am enjoying every moment of it right now.”—Reuters
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