Former world's no.1 Roger Federer stressed the competitive juice hasn't worn out yet despite playing deep into the 30s, adding that equaling the achievements of great athletes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are motivating him to strive harder in the sport.
"Once I reached a certain level. I looked up to the great other athletes out there, like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Valentino Rossi and Michael Schumacher - people who did it so long, so many times and make you wonder 'How did they do that,?" Federer said of his mission of enhancing his legacy in tennis during an interview on Radio 4's.
"Next thing you know. it's like you're part of that in a small way, and every year that goes by you get closer to those people. They were definitely a big inspiration for me to keep working hard."
Aside from being in the same breath as other sporting stars, Federer also revealed that playing on Center Court before thousands of fans have always given him more reasons to extend his career.
"I must say - and this is honest - I don't know if I would still be playing if they would put me on Court 4 every day. That would be difficult for me, having played on all these wonderful courts around the world and now playing in front of a fraction of those people - that would be rough."
Federer might have already won 17 Grand Slam champions, but the hunger to add more remains the same. Moreover, he admitted that defending a title takes more effort than winning for the very first time.
"I realized very quickly that it's an entirely different thing winning something for the first time and then having to come back the following year and defend it," said Federer, who will kick start his 2015 campaign at the Brisbane International on January 5.
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