He's a bit like the Rolling Stones… For years, every Roger Federer season has been seen as a farewell tour.
The Swiss, 40 years old in August, will one day end up hanging up his stringed instrument.
But not this year.
This Monday, the Balois will begin one of his final Parisian recitals against the Uzbek Istomin.
Without being able to predict the number of dates that he will be able to ensure during the fortnight.
After fourteen months away from the circuit and two arthroscopies in the right knee, the former world No. 1 gave only three meager performances in 2021 and remains on a quack from his entry in the running in Geneva for his only appearance on a stage ocher.
Suffice to say that the virtuoso, short of practice, is still far from being given the reply to Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
Especially if you have to cross Cilic (winner of the US Open in 2014), Fritz (33rd) or Berrettini (9th) before ...
The Swiss legend came to train this Sunday on court n ° 3 at Roland-Garros.
His fans were there.
LP / Olivier Corsan
The man with the twenty Grand Slams, still world No. 8 thanks to the freezing of the rankings during the pandemic, would also have been able to put himself on the mute until before Wimbledon, so much he can no longer nourish ambition of triumph on the stage of Nadal, now coveted by Tsitsipas, Zverev or Rublev.
"He comes here to gain confidence"
“Roland-Garros is not my objective, insists the winner of the 2009 edition. The objective is the grass.
So I still have time.
»Federer is in Paris to do his ranges.
Accumulate hours live and test your resistance to the best of five sets.
Make already nostalgic the privileged few who will be able to attend the show in the stands.
Read also Roland-Garros: Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Zverev ... who wants the skin of Rafael Nadal?
“Clay is a living surface that needs to be precise in everything you do. The better Federer plays at Roland Garros, the better it will be at Wimbledon, ”explains Guy Forget, tournament director. “He is almost 40 years old, he must approach the matches in a different way, by seeking to shorten the points, observes the Belgian David Goffin. He comes here to gain confidence. With his operations, it's been two years since we saw him in Paris
(Editor's note: since his defeat against Nadal in the 2019 semi-final)
, but I found him rather sharp. "
Same tone with Gaël Monfils, who shared a weekend of preparation with the legend on the land of TC Nyon, on the shores of Lake Geneva. “I found that in two days, his level of play was really high, testifies the French. If he comes here, it is because he still feels good to do something very good. It's interesting how a legend like him will handle all of this. I think it's not going to be easy to find, for a lot of people here. »Prepare your handkerchiefs just in case. RF's first false note in Paris will undoubtedly be the last ...