Roger Federer: All-Time Grand Slam Leader Needs a Win More Than Ever in Paris

Roger Federer needs a victory at the French Open to prove that he can still compete with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. 

In Federer’s most recent outing, he was eliminated by Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked player, in consecutive sets.

The Swiss player is widely considered to be the greatest tennis player in history, but he is now on the wrong side of 30 and past his prime.

Federer is 0-for-8 in his most recent Grand Slam appearances. He made the finals only once in those competitions.

His main competition in the past few years has been Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal took over for Federer as the world’s No. 1 on August 18, 2008. From 2008 to today, Nadal has won 10 of the 14 matches between the two men.

Djokovic began to seriously threaten Federer’s No. 2 spot in the world rankings early in 2011. Since then, the Serbian has won five of their six meetings.

Federer has made a surge in recent months and briefly became the second-ranked player in the world, pushing Nadal down to third. But the Spaniard has been dominant during a string of tournaments on clay courts and is now right behind Djokovic’s again. 

Federer, at 30-years-old, has a physical disadvantage against his two most well-known opponents. Nadal and Djokovich, both 25, are still very much in their primes.

If anyone can overcome the odds and challenge younger stars after losing a step, it’s Federer. But he needs to continue surging, as he had been earlier this year, and he needs to do it soon. The longer he waits, the older he will get and the more difficult a comeback will be.

Federer is the only person besides Nadal to win the French Open since 2005, although he did not beat the Spaniard on the way to the title.

Still, Federer may be the only person who has the chance to beat Nadal at Roland Garros. If he wants to prove that he can still compete with Djokovic and Nadal, the French Open is the perfect place to make that statement.