Published 13:43 IST, July 15th 2020
Roger Federer's ex-coach calls Swiss 'perfect', claims Dominic Thiem will end 'Big 3' rule
Stefan Edberg, the Swedish great who has coached Roger Federer in the past, recently called the Swiss ace "perfect" while also backing Dominic Thiem to succeed.
Former Swedish World No.1 and 6-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg recently opened up about his relationship with Roger Federer. Stefan Edberg, who coached Roger Federer between January 2013 and December 2015, also talked about the player he thinks comes closest to the Swiss ace. The Swedish legend revealed his views while appearing on EuroSport, where Stefan Edberg was in conversation with other tennis greats like Boris Becker and Mats Wilander.
“Roger Federer is almost the perfect tennis player”: Roger Federer ex-coach
During the conversation, Stefan Edberg spoke about his opinion of the Swiss ace. He said that it seems like Roger Federer floats around the court and seeing him play is easy on the eye. He went on to reveal that Roger Federer has the complete package of grace, power and touch. Roger Federer’s former coach also said that the player has everything a tennis player can wish for. Calling him the most 'perfect' tennis player on and off the field, Stefan Edberg concluded by calling Roger Federer a special player.
Dominic Theim could break the Big 3: Stefan Edberg
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are widely regarded as the 'Big 3' of tennis. Collectively, the trio have 56 Grand Slams between then and are always the favourites in whichever tournament they enter. However, Federer’s ex-coach believes that Dominic Thiem could be the player capable of breaking the Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal stronghold in world tennis.
When asked about who he feels can get ahead of the 3, Edberg suggested that Dominic Thiem could be the player to do that. The former player referenced to Dominic Thiem’s Australian Open run as the reason for it. He said that Dominic Thiem showed in the Australian Open that he could have won it, as it was a good chance for him.
Earlier this year, Dominic Thiem came extremely close to winning his maiden Grand Slam title, when he made it to the final of the Australian Open in 2020. However, despite leading 2 sets to 1 in the final against Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem ultimately lost out to the Serbian. Speaking about Dominic Thiem, Stefan Edberg also said that he thinks if Rafael Nadal isn’t there, the 26-year-old has a great chance to win the French Open as well. While concluding, Edberg said that he sees Dominic Thiem as the closest challenger to Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the future.
Apart from Thiem, Federer’s ex-coach also mentioned players such as Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who according to him show a lot of potential and could break into the Big 3 in the future. Dominic Thiem will have another chance to win his maiden Grand Slam as tennis resumes after the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Austrian recently claimed that he may have to sacrifice one of the two Grand Slams out of the US Open and the French Open.
Image Courtesy: instagram/rogerfederer, instagram/domithiem
Updated 13:43 IST, July 15th 2020