Roger Federer skipping Roland Garros a 'no brainer', says John McEnroe

Roger Federer/AFP

Roger Federer's decision to give clay court season a miss was a 'no-brainer' says John McEnroe who also feels that Novak Djokovic will enjoy a deep run at the Wimbledon championhips. Defending champion Federer (36) will be eyeing his ninth title at Wimbledon, where he begins his campaign against Dusan Lajovic.

Federer missed the clay season for the second consecutive year to rest his body ahead of Wimbledon. "As far as Roger (is concerned), he didn't play the clay court season last year and he won Wimbledon. To me it was probably a bit of a no-brainer that he was going to do the same thing. Why would (he) be doing something different and take a risk? It worked so well," McEnroe,told reporters late last night from the United States.

"Look what he just did. He went and won Australia (Australian Open) again. It's incredible what he's done," McEnroe added. McEnroe, who won the Wimbledon thrice, also said that Novak Djokovic was "heading in the right direction" and predicted a good run for the Serb at grass court Major.

"He said his elbow is not bothering him. We hope he can win more majors. He seems to have had a level of fitness that we've seen over the years over the course of last five or six years. That's been a work in progress," McEnroe said. "Physically it's not quite as demanding as the others ones, (at) Wimbledon, it's more mental. Perhaps he can take it a step further and make a real deep run. It wouldn't shock me if he made a deep run this year. But I think he's a heck a lot closer than he was a year ago," said McEnroe.

McEnroe also feels that tennis has become more physical and quicker now. "Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are all-time greats. When push comes to shove over a longer period of time, its tougher to beat them,¿ he said when asked about the next generation of players and how little they play best-of-five set format.

The legendary tennis star, who shared a great rivalry with Bjorn Borg also noted that in tennis, it's good to have rivalries. "In a one-on-one sport, it's critical to have great rivalries. I think it helps quite a bit. Obviously when Roger and Rafa are winning all these majors, that sparks more interest, you need that," he signed off.

Also Read - Wimbledon 2018: Roger Federer To Start Campaign Against Dusan Lajovic

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