Roger Federer: What Would a Win at the 2011 French Open Mean for His Legacy?

Roger Federer has done enough in his career—16 Grand Slam singles titles, all-time prize money leader—to define him as a legend in the eyes of most people, tennis and casual sports fan alike.

However, if he were to win the French Open this year, "legend" wouldn't be enough of a description to do him justice.

Perhaps "mythical" would be appropriate because winning at Roland Garros—aka Rafael Nadal's backyard—at this stage of his career would cement any claims made about him being the best ever to play the game. It would also be one of his most impressive feats considering how things have gone for him the past couple of years, where it looks like chinks in his armor have appeared.

Since he won his 16th Major last year at the Australian Open, there have been a lot of ups and downs: no Slam finals since then, but an undefeated run at the end-of-the-year championships; still solidly ranked in the top three, but a number of losses to the two players ranked above him—Nadal and Mr. Unbeaten, Novak Djokovic.

And Federer's French Open preparations didn't go as planned as this is the first time since 2001 he didn't reach a final of a clay-court tournament before the premier event.

Still, though, nothing gets Federer motivated like the Majors. He's already accomplished something a lot of tennis' greats—Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Sampras—haven't by winning all four Grand Slams over his career. Only two other players in the past 35 years have pulled off that feat: Nadal and Andre Agassi. Right now, Federer, Agassi and Nadal have something else in common: Neither one of the three have won multiple titles at all four Majors.

Agassi's retired, and with Djokovic living up to his potential—as well as Andy Murray not reaching his yet—Nadal can be hard-pressed to add more hard-court Major titles in the future. Despite not being the Federer of old, Roger could be the most likely to break out of the no-multiples-at-all-the-Slams group with a win at the 2011 French Open.

Victory at Roland Garros this year would take his legacy to unheard-of heights, where maybe "mythical" might even be too restricting. Perhaps "epic" would be the best choice when it came to describing his place in the game.