Federer on way to greatness: Rod Laver
25th January 2007, 19:01 WST
Rod Laver says nine-times grand slam champion Roger Federer is a tennis artist and well on his way to becoming the greatest player to have ever picked up a racquet.Laver, himself considered by many as the best player ever, returned to Melbourne Park on Thursday to watch Federer's Australian Open semi-final against Andy Roddick in the arena named in his honour.
Asked if Federer could surpass Pete Sampras's benchmark 14 majors, Laver said: "boy, it certainly looks like he could".
"He's a great champion and has proved it all along that he plays his best tennis in finals. I think he's certainly on his way.
"When I look at Pete Sampras, we all thought, 'could you get any better than Pete Sampras and his mark as being a great, great champion?'
"I think Roger is really in the middle of his career ... wait and see on Roger. He's a great player and has won a lot of grand slams and the way he's compiling the grand slam titles, I think he's got a great chance of being the best ever."
Asked directly if the Swiss ace was the greatest player ever, Laver said: "I have to believe it because he's got every shot in the book".
"And his experience of late seems to be (that) he's stepping it up even further," said the California-based Queenslander.
"Just the shots that he uses in a match is quite incredible. He knows the safe zone and he knows when to hit out and go for winners.
"You don't see him being passed very often when he comes to the net and that's because he comes in at the right time. Sometimes (there is) the surprise attack and other times it's just (after) dipping the ball at a person's foot.
"I think the art of Roger is probably the best player I've ever seen."
Laver, 68, said Federer was in a league of his own right now.
"Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body," he said.
"It's hardly fair that one person can do all this - his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position ... the way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground, and that's the sign of a great champion.
"And his anticipation I guess is the one thing that we all admire."
During an unparalleled career, Laver won 11 majors and remains the only man to have completed a calendar-year grand slam twice, having achieved the rare feat in 1962 and again in 1969.
He said he would love to see Federer pull it off.
"It's something he's very, very capable of winning and doing it but he's got to keep himself fit (with) injuries and that's something that's hard to do," Laver said.
"But if he could make it, that'd be just great because he's a great asset to the sport. He's a very modest champion."
Laver said it was impossible to say whether he was better than Federer.
"I guess I'm proud of his career as well as my own, but I think it's a feeling of it was a different era," he said.
"Wooden racquets were being used. Now, of course, you've got such more speed with serving and the spin on the ball.
"But also the other thing that Roger has that I don't think that I had was the amount of great champions that are actually in the draw.
"There are so many players now competing and the world is playing the game of tennis and I think that's the thing, it's hard to challenge and say my era was tougher than his era.
"But it was a matter of when you've got a small little racquet to play with ..."
AAP
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