US Open: Djokovic, Murray tip Federer to bounce back

Roger Federer

World No 1 Novak Djokovic and defending US Open champion Andy Murray have  warned those dismissing Roger Federer’s hopes of a return to the top of the men’s game that it is too soon to dismiss the 17-time grand slam champion as a spent force.

 

Federer was unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament in the fourth round in straight sets by Tommy Robredo, completing his worst set of results at the grand slams since 2002, the last year that he did not at least reach a final at one of the four majors.

Djokovic believes the Swiss is suffering a slump in form rather than a dramatic decline.

“Roger did not play close to his maximum level so it’s always a question of why is he not playing well,” Djokovic said.

“People need to give him a break a little bit, because I think it’s normal to expect that he’s not moving as well as he did when he was No. 1 and he was so dominant.”

“For me, he’s still playing really well and definitely deserves to be one of the top five players in the world, no question about it.”

Federer arrived at the US Open as the world No 7, his lowest ranking in a decade, after his shock second-round exit at Wimbledon and an American hard court season curtailed by a back injury.

Djokovic said it was not for him to advise Federer on what his future plans should be amid speculation over when the 32-year-old might retire.

“How long he’s going to play? That’s a question for him. But he’s what, 31, 32 years old? Tommy Haas is 35 and close to the top 10.

“So I think people are seeing Roger always being a top-three, top-two guy and competing for grand slam titles. That’s not happening, and all of a sudden it’s a huge surprise.”

World No 3  Murray admitted it was a surprise to see Robredo beat Federer, his first victory against the Swiss in 11 meetings, but believes a series of wins could restore Federer’s confidence and status among the game’s elite.

“I think a lot of players go through periods where they’re not playing their best tennis, and that has obviously been the case with Roger since around probably Wimbledon time,” said Murray.

“He had a few issues with his back this year as well. He’s still hitting the ball well.”