Federer world’s greatest tennis player: Roddick

Melbourne, Jan 28: Andy Roddick has described the Swiss master Roger Federer as the world's greatest tennis player. Andy will face Federer in the Australian Open semi-finals. Roddick and Federer have faced each other 17 times, and the latter has won 15 of those encounters.

The last time he downed Federer was at the Kooyong Classic exhibition event the week before the 2007 Open. Roddick had made the schoolboy mistake of playfully remarking: "No-one beats Andy Roddick 10 times in a row."

It was said in jest, but Federer had the last laugh when he spanked Roddick 6-4 6-0 6-2 in the Open semi-finals. “He has nothing to prove. He's the greatest. He's created quite an animal for himself, where if someone wins a set they''re questioning his form," Fox Sports quoted
Roddick, as saying. Roddick says it was ludicrous that Federer had to put up with claims he was past it when he lost the world No.1 ranking to Rafael Nadal last August, in 2008.

"I was really happy to see Roger win the US Open last year," the Open's No 7 seed said after defending champion Novak Djokovic retired from their quarter-final while trailing two sets to one and 2-1 in the fourth.

"If I'm being frank with you guys, he was a lot classier in that press conference with everyone here than I would have been if I was in that position. "The guy made two finals, a semi and won a slam last year and people are saying he''s off form. He deserves a lot more respect than that ... you're dealing with a guy who's probably the greatest ever," Roddick added.

The three-time Open champion was sublime in his 6-3 6-0 6-0 demolition of Juan Martin del Potro on Tuesday night, ruthlessly proving that while Argentina''s world No.6 may be up-and-coming, he remains some way off arriving as a grand slam force."I'm very happy, of course," Federer said.

Federer was at a loss to explain how he could play so freakishly well just two days after scrapping from two sets down against Tomas Berdych to squeeze into the quarter-finals.

"It just all happens naturally," he said. It was such an ominous performance from Federer, who will be appearing in his record-extending 19th consecutive grand slam semi-final, that he actually felt sorry for del Potro.

ANI