AFP, New York :
Roger Federer insists he will keep playing into 2015 but will not become obsessed over winning an 18th Grand Slam title, a target which is slipping further and further away.
The 33-year-old Swiss was knocked out of the US Open semi-finals in straight sets by Marin Cilic, the world number 16 on Saturday, a loss which extended his failure to reach a final in New York to five years.
It’s a long stretch of disappointment for a man who won five successive titles between 2004 and 2008 but whose last appearance in the championship match was in 2009 when he was upstaged by Juan Martin del Potro.
“It’s not important to my life. I don’t need it to be more happy or anything,” said the Swiss veteran when asked how significant an achievement it would be to capture an 18th major.
Federer’s caution is understandable.
His 17th and most recent Grand Slam title was his seventh crown at Wimbledon in 2012 and even that came after having to wait over two years since his 16th at the 2010 Australian Open.
