Roger Federer says he has no intention of hanging up his tennis racket any time soon and has targeted the 2012 London Olympics which will be held on the grass of Wimbledon.
The Swiss maestro completed a career grand slam when he beat Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open on Sunday. It also took him level with the all-time record of 14 grand slams held by American great Pete Sampras. With Federer set to become a father for the first time later this summer, it led some to speculate that Federer might consider retirement over the next few years. But he told CNN in an exclusive interview that his motivation was still as strong as ever. “I love the game too much to walk away from it,” he said. “My wife wants me to play on for many more years so our child can see me play, that has been a big dream. “Definitely until the 2012 Olympics in London, which will be held at Wimbledon,” he added. Debate: Is Federer the greatest player ever Federer has won the Wimbledon title five times and was beaten in an epic five-set final last year by world number one Rafael Nadal. His record at the All England Club will be added incentive for the 27-year-old to extend his career until 2012 in search of elusive first gold in singles at the Olympics. He was knocked out in the semifinals at the 2000 Sydney Games, the second round in Athens in 2004 and quarterfinals in Beijing last year to James Blake. But Federer did pair with Stanislav Wawrinka to win gold for Switzerland in doubles at the 2008 Games.
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Federer spoke to CNN after his three-set victory over Soderling at Stade Roland Garros. . He said he was relieved to have won a grand slam again after losing the world number one slot to Nadal and giving up his Wimbledon and Australian Open titles to the Spaniard. “It’s been a fantastic day — to get the elusive French title in the end was unbelievable. I always believed I was good enough to get it – but holding the trophy, after all I’ve been through was just unbelievable. I’m so proud right now you can’t believe it.”
Soderling, who put out Nadal on the way to the final, also praised his Swiss conqueror. “For me he is the best ever and I should know as I’ve player him many times,” the world-ranked number 12 told CNN.
