Federer’s Prospects in Roland Garros 2015

Published 05/31/2015, 11:33 AM EDT

Follow Us

Roger Federer, who holds several records in the present era and a player who is regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time has held the World No. 1 position for 302 weeks (including 237 consecutive weeks); has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles; reached each Grand Slam final at least five times (an all-time record); has won the Australian Open four times; Wimbledon, a breath-taking seven times; and has five US open titles and a single French Open title to his name. Needless to say, he is a legend.

Coming to the point, the highly competitive Swiss is now 33-years-old and at this age, tennis can be quite challenging in terms of physical strength. A few months away from his 34 birthday, Federer has already defied odds by holding the second rank in ATP, leading to this year’s French Open. Now, let us look at the realistic chance that Federer has of winning or rather succeeding in this year’s French Open.

Federer comes into the tournament after mixed success during the European clay-court season: with a win in Istanbul and a second-placed finish at Rome, also with early exits in Monte-Carlo and Madrid. The Swiss has a 27-5 record this season. Roger advanced to the fourth round of Roland Garros on Friday when he defeated Damir Dzumhur in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.  He is through to the Fourth Round of Roland Garros for 11 straight year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The Swiss hit 38 winners to 22 unforced errors and lost serve just once, when serving for the second set at 5-2. He quickly regained the advantage with another break in the ninth game before racing through the third set to seal victory in 88 minutes. There were numerous backhand strokes that were an absolute treat to watch and even his 23-year-old opponent (being a Federer fan himself) wouldn’t mind sleeping happily irrespective of a loss.

“Strange feeling”, Dzumhur said later, “Like I’m dreaming.”

The match against Dzumhur looked more like a practice session to prepare him for the tougher rounds later in the tournament.

“I’m not always as relaxed as one might think,” Federer said, “Because there’s a lot to play for.”

But his path now gets quite tougher as he meets Gael Monfils of France in the next round. The French Show-man is making a habit of five-setters this tournament and he has been rather entertaining to watch. Monfils advanced 4-6, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 against Pablo Cuevas.

“Paris is different, it is magic,” said Monfils. “I don’t know how, but I’m here… I think I can show some new emotion, I can show some tennis and can show some side of me I don’t even know. I think the crowd just brings me something, something else, and I think it just showed a bit today.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The Frenchman was down a double break in the fourth set before storming back, to force a decider. Monfils hit 48 winners and saved six of the 12 break points he faced in the three hour, 22-minutes battle. At this point, strong emotions from the French crowd were absolutely visible. After every point, the crowd were up off their seats and cheered loudly for their beloved native.

Being aware of the draw and his opportunities, Federer appears anxious at this year’s French Open. But one positive aspect for Federer is that Nadal, Murray and Djokovic are all on the same side of the draw. This could be a good setup for Federer to reach the Finals of yet another Grand Slam. However, with a rather easy path to the finals come higher expectations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Coming back to the match against Monfils, an interesting read about “7 reasons to watch Roger Federer vs. Gael Monfils” would definitely sway you to watch the match. It is indeed a match between the all-time Grand Slam champion against one of tennis’s all-time showman.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/05/roger-federer-gael-monfils-sunday-french-open-time-seven-reasons-to-watch  

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Rishvik Pandra

29Articles

One take at a time