Roger Federer far from done in Grand Slams, say rivals

Roger Federer made his earliest exit from Australian Open in 14 years when he suffered a four-set loss to Italian veteran Andreas Seppi in the third round.

Melbourne: Rivals believe Roger Federer can still add another Grand Slam to his record tally after his shock early defeat at the Australian Open.

The Swiss maestro made his earliest exit from the tournament in 14 years when he suffered a four-set loss to Italian veteran Andreas Seppi in the third round on Friday.

The defeat meant the 33-year-old star has now not won a major title since Wimbledon in 2012, raising fresh doubts as to whether he can add to his record 17 Grand Slams.Federer, the world number two, said there was nothing to read into his latest Grand Slam loss and that he was still feeling fresh and playing at a high level.”

It’s not like I’m playing shocking or I’m feeling shocking. If I were you, I wouldn’t read very much into that,” he said.Seppi had lost all his previous 10 encounters and had only taken one set off the Swiss before dumping him out.Britain’s Andy Murray, who has been beaten by Federer in three of his five losing Grand Slams, said his rival still has it in him to win more majors.”

If I had to bet I would probably bet that he would win another one,” Murray said.”

He’s still playing great tennis. But Roger knows more than anyone how difficult these competitions are to win.”