With less than two weeks to go until the French Open, Roger Federer is finally back on the tour. Federer makes his latest return on clay in Geneva on Tuesday.
After missing more than a year following two knee operations, it was surprising to see Federer commit himself to play in the French Open. The Swiss maestro has not competed at Roland Garros in four of the last five years due to injuries and scheduling preference. And with a lone title in 2009, it has been the least productive Grand Slam for Federer.
The Swiss never really faced problems in switching from clay-courts to grass. And with very few matches under his belt, he will hope that playing at Roland Garros will prove beneficial to his Wimbledon bid.
On Monday, Federer said he expects to return to the top tier of tennis even though the next generation of players will have gained ground during his lengthy injury lay-off.
“I’m just concerned about where my game is at. The guys on tour are all in a good rhythm. The level that everybody is producing in great. I want to achieve that as well again. I’m excited about the comeback.” Federer told reporters.
He further added, “I believe I will be part of the top tier. One thing is for sure, I would expect that the generation of Tsitsipas, Zverev, Rublev, Medvedev have all again gotten better naturally because they have more experience. Dominic won a Slam in the meantime. Rafa, Novak are still where they are. You would think that the game has improved again. For me, that’s going to be an extra challenge, extra hard for me to find that level.”
Roger Federer returns to the tour on clay in Geneva
Doha was Roger Federer’s first appearance since January 2020 and an Australian Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic. (Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)
Federer, who turns 40 in August, will play the Geneva Open in his home country and the French Open later this month. The ATP-250 tournament in Geneva should give a small preview on where Federer’s fitness stands heading into the French Open.
While his two main rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be looking to add their 21st or 18th Grand Slam respectively, the Swiss knows he has a huge challenge on his hands if he is to be a factor at the biggest tournaments again.
