"I have kept myself in good shape, obviously I had an amazing team around me"
Monday 13 January 2020 11:33, UK
"I'm aware that at 38 I shouldn't be the favourite," Roger Federer has declared himself fit and ready ahead of the Australian Open.
With Novak Djokovic looking in perfect shape after helping Serbia to victory at the inaugural ATP Cup and Rafael Nadal showing no signs of trouble with his game or his fitness, the 'Big Three' are once again in the running for another Grand Slam crown.
Despite having played no competitive matches since November, 20-time major winner Federer, has said he's been happy with his preparation at home in Switzerland.
"I've trained long and hard in the off-season and I didn't have any setbacks, which is crucial," Federer said at a promotional event in Melbourne.
"Last week I was asking myself 'am I happy to go to Australia? Or should I just stay here and stop packing immediately? Because I can.
"I could easily just stay home and I was like, 'no, no, I'm really happy to go to Melbourne and kick off the season there'.
"I have kept myself in good shape, obviously I had an amazing team around me."
A six-time winner at Melbourne Park, Federer won the Australian Open title in 2017 and 2018 but lost to Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round last year.
But with Federer, Djokovic and Nadal having shared the last 12 Grand Slam titles between them, the world No 3 admits it will be hard to prize a major title away from them.
"I'm aware that at 38 I shouldn't be the favourite, it should be someone probably in their 20s, but the three of us have been able to stay as the favourites which is great for us," Federer said.
"Both guys are already showing great signs. I was watching a little bit of their ATP Cup match and thought that was a great match. Both guys, injury free, are always tough to beat."
Check our news, reports and reaction from all major tennis events by following us on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
