Roger Federer has received great praises from fellow tennis players. Recently, Argentine Leonardo Mayer credited the Swiss maestro as a “genius” in their sport.

“Federer is a genius,” Mayer told La Nacion when asked about his thoughts on the top players on tour. “A tennis genius.”

Mayer had only played Federer twice on tour. The pair’s first encounter took place in the hard courts of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. Mayer played Federer, who is six years his senior, in the first round of the 2015 US Open. Federer leads their head-to-head series 2-0.

Who else is dominating tennis? According to Mayer, the other two players in the Big Four, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, have also been taking over the sport in the recent decade. He said that the Serbian player is like a tennis machine, one of the best returners in the game while he compared Nadal to a “gladiator.” Mayer hinted that Nadal’s playing style like a ruthless Spartan has made the nine-time French Open champion one of the most “impressive” player to play with on tour.

Federer: The Genius

Does Federer deserve to be called a genius? If genius pertains to achievements, then Federer can really be hailed as a tennis genius.

The 34-year-old won his first Wimbledon in 2003. The Swiss went on to win three of the four grand slam tournaments by 2004, making Federer the top-ranked player in the world. Since then, Federer had gone on to win more grand slam titles including three Australian Open titles, six Wimbledon titles, four US Open titles, and one French Open title.

Federer is on a grand slam drought since winning his 17th grand slam title at the All England Club in 2012. He made three trips to the quarterfinals and six semifinal appearances in grand slam events. He had been crowned a grand slam runner-up thrice (2013, 2014 Wimbledon and 2014 US Open).

Federer’s sweet single-handed backhand and court strategies have made him one the biggest stars to ever grace the sport of tennis. Although he had been unsuccessful to win another grand slam trophy in the last few years, Federer remains a serious threat to other tennis players. He has been exceptional. At 34, he is still playing and winning tournaments. He credits his longevity to smart work instead of hard work. He weeded out the matches that he doesn’t need. He adapted his form to the game and it is what keeps him going.

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