

18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova chimed in on Roger Federer’s shocking Day 5 upset, saying that the Swiss maestro could have used a longer off-season.



More: Federer Vanquished by Italian Seppi on Day 5



Federer, who won his first career Davis Cup in late November before heading for India to take part in the Inaugural IPTL season, started 2015 with six consecutive victories, including the Brisbane title. But he fell on Friday to Italian Andreas Seppi in four sets, snapping his run of eleven consecutive trips to the Australian Open semifinals.



“You have to think that a lack of an off-season had something to do with it,” Navratilova said. “He had to be low on reserves coming into the tournament. As healthy as he was, playing great tennis, the Brisbane match that he beat Raonic in the finals took a lot out of him as well.



“But Davis Cup, and he played the IPTL, traveling all over the place and he had a week of exhibitions in Switzerland, it’s just too much and when you get older it gets hard.”



Navratilova isn’t surprised that Federer is more prone to the occasional off day, but despite the fact that he’ll be 34 by the last major of the year, the Czech legend still--after much unpleasant on-air deliberation--says she thinks he’ll take No. 18 home before he hangs up the stick for good.



“Can he [win a Slam]? Yes. Will he? The problem is when you get older," she said, "it’s not that you’re not consistent enough, it’s when you are a little off you’re more off. You can still win matches like that when you’re 25, 27, but when you’re thirty something, on your bad days you lose. And you can’t afford to have that bad day.”



Then came the aformentioned deliberation, and some good-natured ribbing from her on-air colleagues. Then, finally, the answer we all wanted to hear.



“I still have to say yes he will,” said Navratilova. Then, swiftly and mercifully, the subject changed.

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