Roger Federer Needs Strong Showing at French Open to Prove He's Still a Threat

Roger Federer must have a strong showing at the French Open to prove to his opponents that he's still one of the best players in the world and capable of winning any tournament, including majors.

Federer will never dominate the sport of tennis like he did during his prime. The fields are too strong, and a long career has taken its toll on his body. But one thing nobody will ever be able to take away from him is his confidence.

He still enters every tournament with his mind set on walking away with the title. It's the same thing you see from great champions in other individual sports like Tiger Woods, who still talks about winning even though his game isn't at the level it once was.

Federer's skills haven't diminished as much as Woods', but he hasn't won a grand slam title in more than two years, and that's caused his mystique to take a hit. He doesn't carry around the same unbeatable aura he did when reaching 23 straight major semifinals.

Since that streak ended in the 2010 French Open, Federer has bowed out in the quarterfinals three times and only reached one final. For most players, those results would be terrific. For Federer, it's raised questions about his staying power.

A deep run on the surface he's had the least success would show he still belongs among the game's top names. Novak Djokovic has been on cruise control since the beginning of last year, and Rafael Nadal is one of the top clay court players ever.

Getting a victory over either one of those guys in Paris will ensure Federer stays in that elite class at least for a while longer. And it couldn't come at a better time with a busy summer that features Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.

Federer has won a total of 11 majors at Wimbledon and the US Open. A good French performance would put him in line to win at least one of those. It would also help him get over the Olympic hump. He lost to American James Blake in the quarterfinals four years ago.

On the flip side, an early exit from the French Open would raise more questions than ever about his future. Whenever somebody has been at the top as long as Federer, people are quick to declare the end of an era. There would be plenty of that if he fails to reach expectations.

He's been playing well during the warm-up tournaments, winning the Mutua Madrid Open and reaching the semifinals of the Rome Masters, so he should enter in good form. He must build off that success or it won't matter.

It's a key tournament for Federer, but he's never been one to shy away from pressure. His performance will be the biggest storyline of the entire tournament.