Roger Federer could win next Grand Slam at Wimbledon: Rod Laver

Australian tennis great Rod Laver believes Roger Federer could still win a Grand Slam title, predicting that it would likely happen at Wimbledon this year.

Laver, an 11-time Grand Slam winner and two-time calendar Grand Slam achiever, revealed in an interview with Sports360 last month that Federer could still add one more major title to his all-time record. The 77-year-old, who remains a popular figure in the sport, claimed the Swiss Maestro could probably hoist his 18th Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon, where Federer won most of his major singles titles.

“I thought even this time he looked like he was playing great tennis those two matches prior. So when you see that, you think ‘well, yeah, Roger’s got a chance,” Laver said after Federer lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal round of the Australian Open last month. “So, yeah, somewhere around the line maybe Wimbledon is an opportunity for him to do that.”

Federer had a successful surgery on his torn left meniscus suffered a day after the defeat against Djokovic, which forced him to withdraw from the Rotterdam and Dubai Tennis Championships. But surprisingly, after just a few weeks of recovery, the 17-time Grand Slam winner is back on the practice court and appears to look healthier than pundits expected.

There is still plenty of time for Federer to gear up for Wimbledon and avenge last year’s final round loss against Serbia's 'Djoker'. However, there are concerns about whether Federer would be as sharp on the tennis court, especially against the top players in the ATP World rankings.

Federer’s next competition will be at the Indian Wells next month, but the 34-year-old is expected to miss a huge chunk of tennis competitions before participating at Roland Garros, according to the Swiss’ schedule posted on his official website. He will then play in Stuttgart and at the Garry Webber Open before heading to Wimbledon.