What Roger Federer's Loss to Andreas Seppi Means for French Open

Roger Federer was ousted from the 2015 Australian Open by Andreas Seppi in the third round by a score of 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. The loss marks the first time since 2003 he failed to reach the semifinals of the season's first major, raising questions for the months ahead. 

BBC Sport passed along word of the result:

There was a time during Federer's remarkable career where him failing to win a major tournament aside from the French Open was a huge surprise. At his peak, he made dominance look so easy that it probably wasn't fully appreciated.

That's no longer the case. He's still one of the best players on tour but winning on the Grand Slam stage has become far more difficult. The Swiss sensation captured just one title in the sport's biggest events over the past four years.

It's tougher for him to string together seven top-end matches. Add that to the fact the other members of the "Big Four" remain strong and the solid group of rising stars and the road to the championship includes more hurdles as he gets older.

He did add a major accomplishment to his resume during the Aussie Open buildup when he secured his 1,000th win. Fittingly, it came as he captured the Brisbane title. Courtney Nguyen of SI.com provided his thoughts on the accomplishment.

"It feels very different to any other match I've ever won," Federer said. "1,000 means a lot because it's such a huge number. Just alone to count to 1,000 is going to take a while. It's funny emotions right now, but clearly very proud and happy."

ESPN Stats and Info provided some further notes about the milestone victory:

Above all else it shows he's still playing at an elite level. Perhaps he's lost a half-step over the years and can't hit shots with the same consistency he once did, but he's still in terrific shape and is a threat to win every tournament he enters.

Looking ahead to the French Open, it always represents a tricky test for Federer. He's only won the event one time and it's also the major where he sports the losing winning percentage. So it's not just the clay mastery of Rafael Nadal that's held him back.

A deep run there after falling short of the title in Australia would be a great sign ahead of a busy stretch that includes Wimbledon and the US Open. There's an extended stretch before that arrives, so a lot depends on how he performs in the months ahead.

Federer's quest for major title No. 18 continues.