AP Interview: Federer figures Nadal, Djokovic will pass him

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Roger Federer, for one, figures questions about wher Rafael Nal or vak Djokovic — or both? — will surpass his men’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles are moot.

That’s because he’s sure it’s going to happen. And he’s OK with that. Ending up in third place, Federer insists, would be just fine.

“I think way it’s going, obviously, Rafa and vak will win more,” Federer said matter-of-factly during a recent interview with Associated Press in city he uses as his preseason training base, “because y’re that good. And season y h (in 2019), again, shows that re is more to come for m.”

He didn’t say this with a wistful sigh or a disappointed glance at floor or a trace of regret. That’s just way he sees things at moment. Entering Australian Open, scheduled to begin Monday in Melbourne (Sunday EST), Federer les list with 20 majors, followed by Nal with 19, n Djokovic with 16.

So as soon as end of this tournament, Nal could pull even with Federer for first time. Wher or t it truly matters who comes out on top when all is said and done, everyone is going to be paying attention to how it shakes out.

Including Federer, who surpassed Pete Sampras’ old standard of 14 a dece ago.

Don’t mistake an honest outlook for disinterest.

“I guess you do care, to some extent, just because it’s rmal,” Federer said, n mentioned how much it meant to him that Sampras was sitting in Centre Court stands for . 15.

“I looked up to him so much that I felt, also, uncomfortable maybe, sometimes, breaking his records. It’s t something I ever wanted to do. It just happened to be like this. But of course I knew it was a big, big-time moment in our sport. And I think those are moments you will remember,” Federer said. “w, at end, if somebody else would pass you, I mean, I guess it’s OK, because that’s what sports is all about. It’s a lot about numbers. It’s a lot about records. But I h my moment and I always said everything that comes after 15 was, anyway, a bonus. And especially after knee injury (in 2016), everything that came after that was a bonus. I would have taken one more Slam, and I was able to get three more -- and three amazing ones.”

Nal, currently . 1 in ATP rankings, and Djokovic, who is . 2 ahe of Federer, each took home two major trophies last season.

Djokovic won Australian Open (beating Nal in final) and Wimbledon (beating Federer in final after saving two championship points).

Nal won at Roland Garros (beating Federer in semifinals) and U.S. Open (facing neir of or two).

“I always say same: I would love to be one who wins more,” Nal said, “but I am t thinking (about it) and I’m t going to practice every day ... for it.”

After his seventh championship in Australia a year ago, Djokovic said: “I do want to definitely focus myself on continuing to improve my game and maintaining overall well-being that I have — mental, physical, emotional — so I would be able to compete at such a high level for years to come, and have a shot at eventually getting closer to Roger’s record.”

Federer’s most recent Grand Slam triumph arrived at Melbourne Park in 2018.

He is 38, an at which one has won a Slam title in professional era; he doesn’t feel compelled to quit anytime soon. Still, time is certainly on side of Nal, 33, and Djokovic, 32.

“I honestly think it’s going to be quite exciting to see how much longer can y go. How much more can y win? y might have some more incredible years ahe of m. That’s my assumption,” Federer said. “It’s a bit of a golden time for tennis right w, doubt.”

Also of particular interest, of course, is when a new face will emerge from crop of 20-somethings who have been rising in rankings. re hasn’t been a first-time male champ at a major since 2014.

Ask Federer to name names, and he offers several, calling m “that whole group of guys.”

Among m, he said: Felix Auger-Aliassime. Denis Shapovalov. Stefas Tsitsipas, who upset Federer at Australian Open last year. Alexander Zverev. Daniil Medvedev. Karen Khachav.

“It’s an elite group of 10 w, which is nice. It’s t just maybe one or two that we thought were pretty good,” Federer said. “So I think it’s changed a little bit in last, sort of, 18 months. It’s just really, really hard to predict who’s going to win.”

Here’s something Federer is certain of, though: One day, someone will come along and accumulate majors way one ever h until he, Nal and Djokovic rewrote record book.

“It’s going to happen, inevitably,” Federer said, shaking his he. “And it’s almost t going to be that hard, maybe, anymore, later on, for some reason, I just feel like, because players will have seen what we did. And y didn’t see just one guy doing it, once every 30 years. y saw like three guys doing it, in shortest period of time, right after ‘Pistol’ (Sampras). So I just think players are going to believe more. I think maybe surfaces in some ways also allow you, maybe, if you’re on a hot streak, just to run through more years of domination, like what vak, Rafa and me, we’ve all done.”

Impossible to kw who, though. Or when.

After all, Federer never saw magnitude of his own success — or those of his rivals — coming.

“I didn’t predict I was going to have this many majors. I was hoping to maybe have one, to be quite honest, at very beginning of my career. When I played vak, I thought, ‘Yeah, he’s good. He might win a major.’ You kw? ‘Rafa, he’s probably going to win French. Maybe once. Or a few times.’ But you don’t go 12 times re. Or, you kw, streaks of t having lost matches on hard or clay for, I don’t kw, nine months. It’s just stuff that eventually builds,” he said. “So, hard to tell, but re’s a ... group of guys that I see w probably winning at least, like, four or five majors -- which n can le to 15 or more, of course.”

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