Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka has already lost twice to Roger Federer this season Reuters

KEY POINTS

  • Federer has taken an eight-week break after his Miami Masters win.
  • The Swiss ace will miss four clay court tournaments before returning for the French Open.

Stan Wawrinka has labelled Roger Federer a "unique player" and believes his compatriot functions in a different way compared to the other players on the tour.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion has displayed his best form in recent seasons in 2017, which included capturing three titles – the Australian Open, BNP Paribas Masters and the Miami Masters – in the four tournaments he has played thus far. Federer is as surprised at his level of play, especially since he is returning from a six-month injury layoff.

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The Swiss ace's return to form has been the talk of the ATP Tour this year with many tipping him to return to the top of the world rankings. However, Federer has maintained that chasing the number one spot is not his priority at the moment, but staying fit and performing at his best in major tournaments his main objective.

The 35-year-old has made it clear that he will focus on the Wimbledon, the US Open along with other grass court events as he has decided to skip most of the clay court tournaments. Federer is taking an eight-week break and will miss the tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before making a return at the French Open starting on 22 May.

"I think what Roger does always been different than (any) other player," Wawrinka said when asked if Federer's schedule served as an example for other players, as quoted by Tennis World USA. "He's a unique player. He's has his unique mentality. He's the best player ever. So he's always been kind of player who doesn't play too much. Even when he was 25, he was sometimes taking six weeks off for practice and getting ready for myself, in general, I think so far it's been good."

"The last 10 or more years, I always try not to play too many tournaments, play too much. I always try to take some break during the season for practice. For sure I think more you getting older, the more important is it to be careful with that," the three-time Grand Slam winner added.

Roger Federer