Roger Federer is aiming for a tenth crown

19/10/2019"At home" at the Swiss Indoors, the Basel wants to win a new title. He knows that time is running out

Tennis » The party will be very beautiful again at the Swiss Indoors, from Monday in Basel. Roger Federer's quest for a tenth victory on his lands promises a lot. Looking for a title since his … tenth success in Halle last June, the Basel would welcome a failure as a real affront as the tournament counts for him. At age 38, the man with twenty Grand Slam titles knows that time is running out, even if he seems to have no grip on him.

Next year after a program that will see Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics, the US Open and the Laver Cup go on in less than three months, will Roger Federer be as well armed to resist the representatives of the Next Gen who just put the nose to the window last week in Shanghai?

No complex

In the absence of Daniil Medvedev, who was to be the headliner of the tournament in Vienna before forfeiting to spare, the next generation will be represented at the Halle Saint-Jacques by Alexander Zverev (ATP 6) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP 7). The German and the Greek will not feed any complex in front of their elder, whom they both beat this year. The fact of having worked closely with him for a week during the recent Laver Cup in Geneva, they said, was a kind of blessing. At his contact and that of Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas did not discover what was the path that can lead to excellence?

Roger Federer would be on his guard not only if he had to cross the road Zverev or Tsitsipas, but also throughout the week. With a very dense table – 11 of the world's top 30 will be in the game – the danger can come from everywhere for the master of the place. For example, he could face a man like Marin Cilic (ATP 25), winner of the tournament three years ago, or the American server Reilly Opelka (ATP 37), against which to succeed in an indoor break. really nothing obvious.

Imperative success

Defeated by Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in a final that will remain for him as the mother of all the defeats due to the two volleyballs overused on his serve, by Andrey Rublev in Cincinnati, by Grigor Dimitrov at Flushing Meadows and finally by Alexander Zverev at Shanghai, Roger Federer intends to prove that he remains the best player in the world indoor. He does not forget either that his last coronation at the London Masters dates back to 2011 already. In his eyes, it is imperative to win a tenth time next Sunday in Basel to get back into good orbit before London where Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev will not give him any gifts.

Absent in Basel in 2017 and 2018, Stan Wawrinka will return to a tournament that has only rarely smiled. Semi-finalist in 2006 and 2011 but beaten four times in the first round between 2012 and 2015, the Vaudois has not yet managed the coup that would allow him to really register in the history of Swiss Indoors . It can be explained simply: the shadow of Roger Federer in which he evo-read since the beginning of his career is even more oppressive in Basel than elsewhere, even for, we must never forget, a triple winner in Grand Slam. ats