Former pro makes Federer retirement prediction and talks about how Nadal will surpass the Swiss
Tim Henman had a word of warning for Roger Federer, stating that he expects Rafael Nadal to overthrow his total of 19 titles.
Tim Henman has revealed that he expects Roger Federer to have another two years in him before hanging his boots. The Swiss ace has been in brilliant form in 2017 and is expected to get the ground running in 2018, where he will be desperate to repeat his feat.
The former tennis pro also had a word of warning for Federer, stating that he expects Rafael Nadal to overthrow his total of 19 titles with the Spaniard starting as favourites for his 11th French Open title. Both stalwarts combined to take all four Grand Slams in the past year, with a host of top draw stars such as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic taking time off through injury.
Federer had a disappointing end to the 2017 campaign, losing the ATP World Tour semi-finals to David Goffin, thus ending a fine run, leading to a total of seven titles, including two Grand Slams - the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Nadal also held his own in 2017 with two Grand Slams - the French Open and the US Open - taking his tally of titles to 16, three behind the Swiss ace's 19.
Nadal had the last laugh, beating Federer to the top spot in the year-end rankings despite losing to the Swissman on four occasions this year, in the finals of the Australian Open, the Miami Open and the Shanghai Masters, as well as in the fourth round at Indian Wells.
Both players will be on for the Australian Open and Henman does not expect the 36-year-old to slow down anytime soon.
He told Express Sport: "I'd say he has a good couple of years left. He's defending champion at Wimbledon, the one that means the most to him. He's definitely going to play that. I definitely think a good couple of years, you just have to wait and see. My crystal ball is a bit murky on that."
"He could do. Who's the favourite for the French Open next year, it's gotta be Nadal by miles. So I wouldn't be surprised if he did overtake Federer. But only time will tell," he added on if we could expect Nadal to overtake Federer down the line.
