Roger Federer delivers surprise response when asked about French Open glory
ROGER FEDERER is aiming to keep up with the ‘top guys’ going into the 2019 French Open this Sunday.
Federer enjoyed a resurgence in form at the beginning of 2017, winning three of the seven Grand Slams in the last two and a half years.
En-route to rediscovering his best tennis, Federer opted not to play in the French Open and has been absent from the May Grand Slam ever since.
The Swiss star has traditionally struggled on the clay compared to other surfaces, but a huge amount of that is down to the relentless pressure of Novak Djokovic and immense power and consistency of Rafael Nadal.
Federer has won the French Open title only once before in 2009 when he beat Swede Robin Soderling in the final, the man who managed to knock out the King of Clay, Nadal.
Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have been ever-present in the Grand Slam winners list of the last 15 years, but with all three finding their best form once again in recent years, fans should not look past one of them winning the second major of the year once more.
Federer is very aware of the threat of his rivals but hopes he can conjure up something within himself to go far, though he has his doubts.
“I’m not sure if it’s in my racquet,” the 37-year-old said in an interview with the ATP tour.
“But I hope I can get myself in that position deep down in the tournament against the top guys.”
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Federer’s response might shock some fans, as those who follow the tennis legend will know he’s previously pulled out of Roland Garros because he’s been uncertain of being up to scratch to compete, and wanting to preserve himself for Wimbledon.
There’s been a change in mentality since the last three years and the fan favourite looks set to take centre stage in Paris once again, with all eyes on his progression.
The big three will always be considered favourites for a tennis slam, but there are other dark horses to consider who have emerged as top talents in the game.
Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas make up the second half of the world’s top six, with Kei Nishikori always proving a resilient fighter in slams as well.
Tsitsipas lost in the Madrid Open final to Novak Djokovic just weeks ago, beating Nadal on his way to the final day. Thiem also fell at the Serbian hurdle in the semi-finals, an impressive run in which he beat Roger Federer.
Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson and Juan Martin Del Potro will also be expected to go far in the tournament.