For somebody who has won 20 Grand Slam titles, the most by any Tennis player, it’s a heartbreak to think that this year’s Roland Garros would be his last. Roger Federer, 37, has also hinted that the upcoming French Open could be his last tournament.
Federer, who has stayed at the top of the ranking chart for a record total of 310 weeks, decided to return to clay after skipping it for 3 consecutive years in the 2019 season. He currently holds the 3rd place in the ATP Men’s Rankings following Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. After turning professional in 1988, he was continuously ranked in the top 10 from October 2002 to November 2016.
Federer pulled out of the recently concluded Italian Open saying that he was not 100% physically fit. He also admitted that any tournament that he plays could be his last.
Federer has skipped clay tournaments in the year 2016, 2017 and 2018. He said that the reason why he returned to the clay courts after skipping it for 3 consecutive years is envy. He has to face tough battle from Nadal and Djokovic in the upcoming tournament to lift the famous Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy one more time.
The French Open, which starts from May 26, is the 123rd edition of the tournament. Defending champion Rafael Nadal, 32, is seen in much better shape than his previous tournaments of the year in Rome where he lifted his first title of the year after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Final.
Novak Djokovic, 31-year-old from Serbia, who is in the top of the ATP Rankings since November 2018, has won 15 grand slam titles till date. Being one of the fit athletes in the game now, Novak is one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
In 2018, Rafael Nadal stunned Austrian Dominic Thiem in straight sets in the masterclass finals. Nadal holds a record of a maximum number of clay court titles in the Open era and 11 times Roland Garros title winner.
Is it going to be Djokovic, Nadal , Federer or somebody else who is going to make the Roland Garros 2019 his slam?
Ms Kalinga