Roger Federer hopes to see Tiger Woods win another major title
Roger Federer, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, is hoping to see fellow sporting great, Tiger Woods, overcome his recent struggles and win another major title down the road. Woods hasn't won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open when he joined Jack Nicklaus as the only golfer to win the career grand slam three times.
Earlier this month, the 14-time major champion pulled out of the Dubai Desert Classic with a back spasm after a poor shooting performance on the opening day. Woods has struggled to make an impact since his 15-month sabbatical from the sport, finishing 15th in December's Hero World Challenge before failing to make the cut at Torrey Pines.
Federer kick-started the new year by capturing the 2017 Australian Open, his first Grand Slam title since the 2012 Wimbledon. In the latter half of his career, Federer has taken a back seat to the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka, who have dominated the sport in recent years. Therefore, Federer can relate to Woods' losing streak and wishes to see the American triumph once again.
Roger Federer to Tiger Woods: 'Keep going'
"I really wish, of course, he (Woods) could come back and win again — I wouldn’t want anything else but that. It would be great," Federer said ahead of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, via The National. While comparing his career with Woods, Federer highlighted the injury struggles and battles with younger players before advising the legendary golfer to embrace losses with a positive attitude.
"I think you have to get used to the whole losing part a little bit. You don’t want to accept it like it’s become a normal trend, but it’s definitely something you have to learn how to deal with. For me it was normal growing up to lose, lose a lot sometimes. Tiger, for instance, had a very dominant childhood as well. Virtually everywhere he went, he won as a junior already. I didn’t have that. So for me, it was a bit of a different upbringing. I wasn’t supposed to be the next tennis superstar. He wanted to be the best golfer in the world and he achieved that. So yeah, quite a different life," said Federer while comparing himself with Woods.
The third-seeded Roger Federer will face Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. He could also face World No. 1 Andy Murray and countryman Stan Wawrinka in latter stages of the tournament. Federer, yet to lose a game in 2017, is eyeing his eighth Dubai Open title.
