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Cape Town - Former World No 1 Mats Wilander believes Roger Federer's days of beating Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slams are officially over.
Speaking to Eurosport in his role as a TV analyst, Wilander reckons Rafael Nadal is the only player on the ATP Tour capable of defeating Djokovic in the upcoming US Open, though he also challenged the crop of young talents to finally step up.
"Rafael Nadal is the only player who can beat Novak Djokovic in a five-set Grand Slam game," Wilander said.
"We need to have two boys in the semi-finals who don't call themselves Roger, Rafa or Stan (Wawrinka) or Novak.”
Wilander went on to suggest that Federer's Grand Slam winning days may be over, questioning whether or not he still has it in the legs to stand up to the sheer physical challenge.
"I think the biggest obstacle for someone like Federer is that he is going to play seven hard games," he added.
"No matter what the style is, you may have a problem against a great server or a bottom player."
Djokovic is the defending champion at the US Open after he beat Juan Martin del Potro in last year's final. He has also won two of the three Grand Slams so far this year.
Federer, meanwhile, hasn't won a Grand Slam since the Australian open over 18 months ago, and lost to Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon earlier this summer.
- TeamTalk Media
