Swiss tennis player Roger Federer returns the ball to a young Turkish player during an exhibition match after a press conference at the ATP Istanbul tennis Open in Istanbul yesterday. (AFP)
AFP/Istanbul
Switzerland’s 17-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer yesterday Monday said he still believed Rafael Nadal was the favourite to win the French Open next month despite the Spanish star’s troubled start to the clay court season.
Federer, who took his sole French Open title in 2009, this week is refining his own clay court game at the Istanbul Open, the first ATP World Tour event to be held in Turkey and the first time that Federer has visited the country.
But Nadal, who with the exception of Federer’s win has taken every French Open since 2005 to make nine in total, has shown a dip in form over the past weeks, failing to get past the third round at last week’s Barcelona Open. Federer said he believed that Nadal was still the man to beat on the red clay of Roland Garros, along with the in-form Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic.
“At the French Open, Rafa for me is still the favourite alongside Djokovic who has been playing so well.
“Even though his (Nadal’s) form is not as good as in previous years, I still believe when the French Open rolls around he is going to be very difficult to beat,” he told a news conference in Istanbul.
Federer, 33, is himself looking for his own form on the slower clay after a long hard court season, having lost in the third round to Gael Monfils at the Monte Carlo Masters this month. But he said the Istanbul event was ideal for his preparations.
“It’s about getting used to the sliding, deciding how aggressive I want to play,” said the world number two.
“I have been on hard courts for seven-eight months so it needs some adjustments.
“My game is going to get better and better as we move along.”
Federer, who so far has been unable to add to his sole French Open win in 2009 and won his last grand slam at Wimbledon in 2012, acknowledged that this year’s French Open “is clearly a big goal of mine.”
“But to play well at the French Open I need confidence. I hope that I can pick that up in Istanbul.”
Federer, who celebrated his arrival in Istanbul by thumping a ball into the Bosphorus that divides Europe and Asia, is the star attraction in the Turkish mega city along with the Bulgarian world number 11 Grigor Dimitrov.
With Federer seeded one and Dimitrov two, the pair are slated to meet in the final in Istanbul. After receiving byes for the first round they should begin their campaigns from tomorrow.
The next two Masters 1000 events could each be missing a major drawcard if the top two players in the world ration their clay-court time in preparation for next month’s start of the French Open.
Spanish media reported that world number one Novak Djokovic may well skip Madrid which begins in a week in order to rest and not burn out due to a heavy pre-Roland Garros playing schedule. A decision is expected before the weekend.
The Serb already owns four titles this season and has a healthy lead of well over 5,000 rankings points over number two Roger Federer, playing this week in Istanbul.
Djokovic, only man to win titles at the first three Masters events in a season (Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo), is said to be concerned about over-playing and entering Paris fatigued. He has not played since claiming the Monte Carlo title eight days ago.
Were he to skip Madrid - he missed it in 2014 due to a wrist injury, returning a week later to win Rome over Rafael Nadal - Djokovic would not be penalised.
Under ATP rules, a player with at least 600 career matches - Djokovic currently stands 634-142 - can miss a Masters event without penalty.
