Roger Federer: Low Expectations Will Bode Well for Swiss Star in French Open

It may seem odd to think that Roger Federer will enter the French Open with low expectations considering he has won 16 career Grand Slam titles, but with both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal playing at an extremely high level, Fed is somewhat of a forgotten man.

There is no doubt that the consensus is that Federer will reach the semifinals, but that is certainly a departure from the way things used to be. The future Hall of Famer only has one career win at the French in 2009, but it has usually been accepted that he and Nadal would meet in the finals.

Because of how dominant Djokovic has been on every surface and how good Rafa has always been at Roland Garros, Federer looks like an afterthought ahead of the tournament. Federer surprisingly hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2010 Australian Open, and there is some thought that perhaps he is past his prime, but at the age of 30 he can still bring it.

Although Federer is coming off a loss to Djokovic in the semis of the ATP Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, he managed to win the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open prior to that. With that in mind, he has shown that he can win a clay-court tournament against the other top players, although there is no question that he was lucky to avoid both Djokovic and Nadal in Spain.

It's tough to say for sure why Federer has been unable to break through at a major tournament for two years, but I don't believe it's merely a physical thing. When Federer is on his game and playing fairly mistake-free tennis, he can still beat anyone on tour. Fans had come to expect Federer to win essentially every Grand Slam, and when he lost a couple in a row, it had to weigh on him a bit.

Federer has grown accustomed to excellence, but the pressure really began to mount in late 2010 and early 2011. He hasn't won a Grand Slam since that time and pressure probably has a lot to do with it. Federer is always going to experience some pressure since he has more career Grand Slam wins than anyone else, but the general thought is that Djokovic and Nadal have taken over this era.

Djokovic and Nadal are the guys pursuing Federer's record now, and that puts the pressure squarely on them. Nadal is fully expected to win the French Open, while Djokovic is certainly expected to contend, as well as win the other three majors. Federer knows what that is like, and for many years he thrived under that pressure.

Now that it is all but gone, though, he can play much freer and easier. That isn't to say that he is going to beat Nadal and Djokovic in the French Open since that is obviously a tall order, but there is something to be said for playing as the underdog. Federer has always been the hunted, but now that he is the hunter, perhaps it will bring out the best in him.

Djokovic and Nadal are going to have to hold serve so to speak at Roland Garros and Federer knows how difficult of a spot that can be. Even if Federer doesn't ultimately win the French Open, he is in a position that should be quite advantageous to him moving forward.

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