Tennis superstar and world No 2 Roger Federer believes that Argentine top-ranked player Juan Martin del Potro possesses the talent that can vault him to No 1 spot in the world rankings.
“He is already among the best, now he just has to train hard and stay on the same path,” said Federer, who was in Argentina to play two exhibition games against del Potro.
“He was No 4, he’s now 7, but he could be No 1. Sometimes the difference is in the small details,” he added.
Federer made the assessment after he was beaten, 3-6 6-3 6-4, by Del Potro in the first exhibition game.
The Swiss tennis superstar boasts of a 13-4 record against del Potro but the Argentine has won their last two matches, not counting the exhibition game.
Del Potro beat Federer in Basel final before emerging triumphant at the ATP World Tour Finals.
The Argentine also won his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open by beating Federer, 3-6 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(4), 6-2.
A year later, del Potro suffered a wrist injury, causing him to miss most of the 2010 season and lose ground in the world ranking.
However, del Potro bounced back and regained his status as one of the world’s top ten players.
Meanwhile, Federer also revealed that in 20 years, he could still be involved in tennis in one way or another, possibly as coach.
“I do not know. I’ll see what the situation with my daughters and my wife is. I still like to travel, but also enjoy being at home. I’m so happy,” Federer added.
After a two-game series against del Potro, the Swiss tennis player heads to Colombia to play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga December 15.
