Roger Federer says playing for Grand Slam titles—and knowing he can still beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and second-ranked Rafael Nadal—fuels his competitive engine.

The 37-year-old Swiss met the media in Geneva today to promote the third annual Laver Cup, set for September 20-22nd in Geneva.

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The 20-time Grand Slam king said winning majors and defeating his rivals matter more than ranking at this point in his career.

"For me, the ranking, at 37 years old, is no longer really the priority," Federer said. "But the idea for me is to be in good health, to know that I can win tournaments, to know that I can beat them (Djokovic and Nadal), and after that it is a pleasure."




The sixth-ranked Swiss, whose quest for a seventh Australian Open championship was denied by NextGen star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open fourth round last month, said he can win a Grand Slam title even if he drops from the Top 10.

"As soon as you feel that you have no chance and all, then it's a problem," Federer said. "Even if my ranking goes down further, it's not a problem for me. As long as I say I can win a Grand Slam as I did two years ago with a world ranking of 17, everything is in place. I prefer to be ranked 17th than third and not win a Grand Slam or tournament."




The 2009 Roland Garros champion is scheduled to play Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami in the coming weeks before deciding on a clay-court event he will play in preparation for his first Roland Garros appearance since bowing to buddy Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 quarterfinals.

Federer said he's trying to convince compatriot Wawrinka, whom he partnered to an Olympic gold medal in doubles, to make his Laver Cup debut this September.

Photo credit: @Laver Cup