Federer insists he still has game to be No. 1

As Federer prepares to defend his Dubai Championships title, the 31-year-old says Sunday he is playing "excellent tennis" and is confident he can overtake Djokovic for top spot.

Updated on: Feb 24, 2013, 21:01:25 IST

AP | By HT Correspondent, Dubai

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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have played in the last two Grand Slam finals and it's easy to imagine their rivalry overshadowing an aging Roger Federer and an injury-plagued Rafael Nadal in the years to come.

But the second-ranked Federer will have none of it.

As he prepares to defend his Dubai Championships title, the 31-year-old Federer says Sunday he is playing "excellent tennis" and is confident he can overtake Djokovic for top spot. He also brushed aside talk of retirement, insisting he can play for "many more years to come" and still can win another Grand Slam title.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion added to his total with a Wimbledon title in 2012 but lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open and the semifinals of this year's Australian Open.

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