Federer reckons he can play another 9 years

Some bad news for Roger Federer 's rivals: Retirement is so far off his radar screen he hasn't even thought about what he might do when he's done with tennis.

"I hope I play for a very long time," he said Friday, suggesting he may play until he's 35.

Considering he's only 26 and already within sight of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, Federer could force the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to wait a stretch, and that's not to mention all those teenagers whacking balls on practice courts around the world while dreaming of becoming No. 1.

Federer has held that distinction for four consecutive years and shows no signs of slowing down, with three Grand Slam championships among his seven titles this year. A victory at the Australian Open in January would pull him within one of Sampras' mark heading into the one major that has eluded the Swiss star -- the French Open.

For now, the target is a fourth title at the Masters Cup that opens in Shanghai on Sunday for the world's top eight players. With Nadal and Roddick fighting knee problems and Nikolay Davydenko burdened by a match-fixing scandal, the path seems less treacherous than usual.