Veteran tennis pro James Blake is impressed with Roger Federer’s accomplishments in his career and specifically mentions the Swiss’ durability and extended playing career as keys for Federer’s success.

“He’s a freak case in many ways. It is underrated that he is just never injured, because he is so well prepared. Some injuries, as I can appreciate, are plain bad luck: you can roll an ankle, slam your finger in a car door. Part of his greatness is his longevity,” Blake said in an interview with The Telegraph when asked about Federer.

The 34-year-old Federer turned pro in 1998 and has since accumulated a men’s singles record of 1,059 wins against 238 losses. Overall, he has 88 ATP titles including the all-time record of 17 Grand Slam championships.

Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Blake unofficially retired from the sport in 2013 and had a career win-loss record of 366-256 with 10 ATP titles.

Federer and Blake has met 11 times in their career with the Swiss dominating their head-to-head match-up, 10-1. The lone Blake win came at the 2008 Paris Masters when the American won via a walkover due to a Federer back injury. The only other time Blake won over Federer was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he beat Federer, 6-4 7-6 (2) in the quarterfinal round.

Except for a few injuries, Federer is considered an “iron man” in the sport missing just a few key tournaments, particularly the majors. Since 2000, Federer has played in all four Grand Slam tournaments every year on the way to the record haul for any player in the history of tennis.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES