Australian Open 2011: Roger Federer endorses Rafael Nadal’s top seeding
The 16 times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal deserves to be the number one seed for the Australian Open 2011 starting in Melbourne from Monday.
While talking to the media on Saturday, the 29-year-old Federer said, “He should be favourite, he is holding three slams. I hold this one still, but, just! Of course I won the World Tour Finals and I have been playing really well in the hard courts right now but he has been the one that has been dominating the slams really, and hardly had any tough matches really in the last three slams. That clearly makes him the favourite, I think. I do not have any problems not being the favourite.”
World number one Nadal, who made his debut on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour back in 2001, finished 2010 as the world’s top ranked player, despite having a slow start to the season.
He picked up three grand slam titles in 2010, the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. The Spaniard got the better of Robin Soderling of Sweden to win the title battle at Roland Garros, followed by his three set victory over Tomas Berdych at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
The Manacor-born completed his career Grand Slam on the tour after winning the Flushing Meadows title, beating Serbian Novak Djokovic in the final. With that win, he completed his career grand slam, just a year after Roger Federer achieved the same feat.
Despite the fact that Nadal was defeated by Federer in the final of the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, the Swiss still believes that Rafa is the clear favourite to win the title in Melbourne.
While commenting on his own chances of winning another major title, the Swiss maestro added, “It is what it is. It is not easy to win slams. That means I have done something quite extraordinary for many seasons. The season is not over after that. Maybe you are not holding a slam, but you still have three more chances to win a grand slam.”
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