Swiss maestro Roger Federer holds the record for the maximum number of Grand Slam wins by a male player (20) in the history of tennis. (Getty Images)
Roger Federer has only one French Open title to his name
One of the greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer has been a dominant force on all courts except maybe the French Open.
The winner of a record 20 Grand Slam titles, Federer is arguably one of the best players the sport has ever produced. However, there has been one Major – the French Open – that has put this discussion on hold.
To date, the French Open remains Federer’s most difficult tournament among all four Grand Slams. The Swiss has managed to win just one title since turning a professional. That took place in 2009 where Federer defeated Robin Soderling in straight sets.
Apart from the French Open, Federer has won a minimum of five titles in each of the other three Grand Slams, showing his dominance on the other courts.
This indicates that the clay-court event possibly remains his most difficult Major to date. That said, let’s take a look at the former World no.1’s record at the French Open.
In his 23-year career, Federer has featured 19 times at the French Open, with the majority of them happening until 2015. After 2015, Federer has played just two tournaments at Roland Garros. In 2019, he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-final. And in 2021, Federer withdrew from the tournament ahead of his fourth round clash against Matteo Berrettini.
Out of his 19 appearances on the clay-court event, Federer has emerged champion once. However, he has finished runner-up four times.
The Swiss genius has a 73-17 win-loss record at the French Open, which is his lowest when compared to his numbers at the other three Grand Slams. Federer has won roughly 81% of his matches in the tournament. From his other Grand Slam performances, the next lowest record is at the US Open where he has won 86% of his matches.
However, it should also be noted that since 2015, Federer took a break from the Roland Garros for three consecutive years (2016, 2017, and 2018) in a bid to prolong his career. The Swiss also did not feature in the 2020 tournament as he played just one Grand Slam in that year. He is set to miss the 2022 Australian Open and it is to be seen if Federer participates in which tournaments in the coming 12 months.
The Swiss Ace’s greatest moment at the clay-court surface in Paris is without doubt emerging champion in the 2009 edition of the tournament.
Having lost to Nadal in the last three finals, few expected Federer to win the elusive Parisian title. However, the Swiss maestro sprung a surprise when he entered the final to meet Robin Soderling.
He registered an easy straight-set 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 win over Soderling to grab his only French Open. The victory also tied him with Pete Sampras for the maximum Grand Slam singles titles (14) – a record at that time.
However, things have not looked so great for the Swiss Ace since he has had trouble with injuries over the past few years.
With Roger Federer opting out of the Australian open and Djokovic being deported out of Australia, Nadal’s chances of winning the grand slam according to odds from Betway has increased to 8/1 in favour of the Spaniard.
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