Roger Federer: Star Must Have Strong Showing at French Open to Keep Elite Status

Roger Federer has not found much success in Grand Slam tournaments recently and has not won a major since the 2010 Australian Open. He needs to notch a victory at the 2012 French Open if he wants to maintain his stature as one of the top players in the world.

It certainly will not be easy for him to accomplish that task.

For starters, he has to get past Rafael “The King of Clay” Nadal, who is fresh off a Rome Masters victory and has reasserted himself as the top player on the clay surface. Federer and Rafa are likely to meet in the semifinals as the No. 2 and 3 players in the tournament.

Then there's Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 player in the world, who has been nothing short of dominant over the past few seasons. It is likely he will be in the finals at Roland Garros and represents a major obstacle to overcome.

Federer has only captured the French Open once, but he has made the championship match a total of five times. He simply has not had much luck and ran into Nadal each time he fell short. His only win came against Robin Soderling in 2009.

It is obviously not the surface type he excels at, but Federer is going to need to dig deep and find it within himself to pull out a win. He cannot keep faltering in major tournaments, as it will eventually catch up to him both mentally and physically.

At 30 years old, Federer does not have much time left as an elite tennis player. He has to use the final years of his prime to his advantage and capture a few more Grand Slams before hanging up his racket.