Roger Federer just won the Miami Open. Prior to that he finished runner-up at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Three months into the 2019 campaign, Federer is No. 1 in the race to the Nitto ATP Finals.
So he’s going to win the French Open, right? Plus, Rafael Nadal is hurt!
Woah, woah, woah, slow your roll.
In actuality, it is unlikely that even the craziest of Federer fans is thinking like that. The 37-year-old Swiss hasn’t played on clay since 2016 as he prepares for his upcoming return to the red dirt in Madrid and Paris. He hasn’t played at Roland Garros since 2015. He hasn’t been past the quarterfinals at RG since 2012.
Moreover, Nadal—who withdrew prior to an Indian Wells semifinal against Federer and skipped Miami because of a knee injury—is already practicing on clay without any apparent issues. Dominic Thiem, the 2018 French Open runner-up, fared well even on hard courts (upset Federer in the Indian Wells final). Novak Djokovic lost early again in Indian Wells and Miami, but that certainly didn’t hinder the remainder of his 2018 season.
It’s obvious that clay-court expectations for Federer should be tempered. Sportsbooks that are listed at Amazing.bet have him as a +2500 fifth choice to win the French Open, behind Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem, and Alexander Zverev. And just ask Federer, himself.
“I’m not very confident going into this clay-court season,” the world No. 4 admitted after capturing the Miami title. “I can tell you that because…I don’t know…I [don’t] even remember how to slide anymore. I’m taking baby steps at this point. To be honest, I didn’t play one point–not one shot on clay, I don’t believe–last year. Two years ago I played two days. Three years ago I played not feeling great in Monaco and Rome and all that…. I really don’t know what to expect.
“And I think what this win does for me, it just takes even more pressure off from the clay-court season. And I anyway wanted to play the clay in not a relaxed fashion but, ‘Let’s just go and do it and prepare well.’ That’s what I’m looking at now the next four or five weeks with my fitness coach and coaches…, figuring out how we’re gonna go about it.
“Madrid…let’s see what happens, anyway. Obviously I want to be ready for Paris. I hope all of that work is going to pay off for the grass-court season and also for the (summer) hard-court season.”
Yes, Federer is already looking ahead to surfaces that suit his game much better than clay—even though he won’t play on them until late June and into July.
Sure, he’s finally playing on clay again. But he’s not crazy about. And your expectations shouldn’t be, either.
how’s he gonna fare on the slow stuff?
Fed will do just fine!!!
Well, Rafa won RG in 2017 and he hadn’t been past the quarterfinals since 2014. I expect it depends on the draw…but let’s see how he does in Madrid before worrying about RG.
well he makes it sound like he’s not too bothered about the clay tournaments, but obviously he’d be delighted to win RG a second time. Unlikely, but not impossible right?
It would be pretty funny if RG was the only slam he won this year.
These are the people Fed lost to at RG the last five years he played it, with the round they made it to that year:
2011: Nadal (champion)
2012: Djokovic (F)
2013: Tsonga (SF)
2014: Gulbis (SF)
2015: Wawrinka (champion)
It’s not like Fed was losing in the early rounds to low-ranked players. It took a very good player/performance, in the given year, to beat him. And, despite what he’s saying, Fed hasn’t forgotten how to play on clay.
Is he likely to win this year? No. Does he have a decent shot? Of course he does. Given recent form, I’d easily put him in the top 5 favorites. And at 25-1 he’s a great bet imo.
It would be some achievement for a 37 year old. Not impossible,but unlikely. I’m looking forward particularly to seeing him at Madrid where it suits his game
Fed will do just fine on clay as long as he doesn’t have to play against Rafa or Nole.
Nothing new.
Or Thiem or Tsistipas or… Would love to see him play FA2.
I don’t see either of those guys being drawn into his quarters at Madrid or RG. 🙂
Aside: Federer got his RF logo back from Nike. He said he wanted it back primarily because it was important to his fans.
““They are my initials. They are mine.
“I hope rather sooner than later, that Nike can be nice and helpful in the process to bring it over to me.
“It’s also something that was very important for me, for the fans really.”
“‘The RF logo is with Nike at the moment, but it will come to me at some point,” Federer said.
Wonder how much he had to pay Nike.
A Decade after he won it the first time, and question marks regarding Rafas fitness, and Novaks state of mind at the moment, could be what Federer needs to grab a second FO title ….
That’s too far fetch. If he can’t win at AO, why would he win at FO? Wimbledon maybe. If Thiem could beat him at IW, I don’t see why Thiem couldn’t beat him at the FO should Rafa and Djoko fail to reach the later round.
I even think that Tsitsipas may just beat him a second time at the slams should they meet.
I’ll eat my hat if Fed wins FO. As Lucky says: it’s absurdly far-fetched
Hello Allison xxoo
Hello everyone. Miss everybody. I still alive.
Ratcliff hi there miss you too hun, this forum aint quite the same without you lol, agree about Fed and the FO, just meant that it could be his best chance, if both Rafa and Nole fail to show up XX 🙂