The Swiss star is one of the oldest remaining players on tour at 37 and has been dominant throughout his 21 seasons.
A 20-time Grand Slam champion, Federer recently won the 100th ATP title of his career in Dubai and will hope to add a handful more before he calls time on his career.
Rafael Nadal, who turns 33 in June, and Novak Djokovic who is 32 in May are also steadily entering their twilight years although they continue to top the rankings and sweep up most of the major prizes.
The trio have dominated men’s tennis over the past 16 years, winning 52 of the last 63 Grand Slams since Federer won at Wimbledon back in 2003.
And there is expected to be a major void when the trio are eventually gone – which has led to questions as to whether the men’s game will suffer without them.
But Federer has repeatedly declared he is confident there is enough quality in the next generation to take up the mantle – and has named four of the younger players on tour who he particularly tips to become major stars.
He told the Tennis Channel at the Miami Open: “I must say I cannot count anybody out. It’s a great group. I really enjoy watching them and playing against them.
“Of course [Stefanos] Tsitsipas has impressed me by beating me at the Australian Open.
“I thought he played really tremendous tennis over the four sets, he brought it every single point and that was impressive.
“Seeing Felix Auger Aliassime doing it the last couple of weeks has been unbelievable.
“He came to Dubai to train with me in the offseason. I know him quite well and to see him take the next step is phenomenal.
“Daniil Medvedev now, who I play in the next round, I played him twice last year in a tough match in Shanghai and one where he was very tired in Basel, that one I don’t count.
“Honestly he was very tired, he finished super late and everything and he’d played a lot of tennis.
“Then I like the game of [Denis] Shapovalov. He’s a great shot maker, he can take the racket out of anybody’s hands.
“I think he’s a great player. Then there’s all the other guys who also have something very special. I like the Next Gen.”
Federer will take on Medvedev in the fourth round of the Miami Open as he looks to close in on a fourth title in south Florida and his second crown of 2019.