Roland Garros aka French opens started May 27th and will end 10th June. Rafael Nadal is the defending men's singles champion.
Federer got off to a historic start yesterday by defeating Tobias Kamke to equal the Grand Slam record set by Jimmy Connors at 233 wins. On the occasion of his record-tying 233rd victory in a Grand Slam match, Roger Federer was asked Monday whether he recalls which player he beat for his first win at a major tournament.
A reporter reminded him it was Michael Chang at the 2000 Australian Open. ''Was it? Well, that was a beautiful victory, then,'' the 16-time major champion replied with a grin.
While comparing players across eras can be difficult – Connors rarely played the Australian Open, meaning Federer was able to tie the record much faster – it’s easier to conclude that Federer is just really, really good at tennis. Which we ALL already know, since his brilliance over the last decade has been very consistent. Federer sets his sights on another Connors record: 109 singles titles, which he’s maybe another decade away from reaching. :-)
A mostly-in form Federer took out German Tobias Kamke 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 and he was joined in the second round by No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is hoping to become the first man in 43 years to hold all four majors at the same time. History here and now was the talk of Paris town at Roland Garros.
"I'm very happy, because Jimmy Connors was a huge champion and still is," Federer said, “so it's a great pleasure... I think that's a big one, because that was longevity. Jimmy is obviously one of the greats of all time, and was around for 20 years. This is my 13th or 14th French Open as well. It all started back in 1999 against [Pat] Rafter and I have hardly missed any Grand Slams... Obviously I love the big tournaments. I have been so successful for such a long time and to already tie that record, at 30 years old is pretty incredible, so I'm very happy."
Connors won eight Grand Slam titles while going 233-49 from 1970-92, an .826 winning percentage bettered by Federer's .869.
Federer has to be pleased that Romania's Adrian Ungur upset David Nalbandian 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 as the Argentinean has troubled him in the past. But this is "Mr Second Week" we are talking about – a man who has not been knocked out before the quarterfinals of a Slam since 2004 Roland Garros and is playing his 50th major in a row when so many other veteran players frequently contend with injuries.
"When you look at the tournaments like this and you step back, you realize you have been playing for quite a long time," Federer said. "I remember playing against Rafter – I was playing differently at that time. Now I walk on the court and a lot has changed. I have more confidence, and people come to see me playing. When I started, I loved playing against those famous players I used to see on TV. Now I'm playing against younger players, a new generation. It's also very nice. It’s great I didn't suffer that many injuries over these years. And I always had fun playing tennis."
At 30 Federer is trying to become the oldest man to win a Grand Slam tournament since Andre Agassi who was 32 at the 2003 Australian Open. Federer has gone more than two years without a major title - his longest drought since winning his first at Wimbledon in 2003.
Go Roger Federer! I hope you win!!
Good luck Roger Federer (my best and ALL time favorite Tennis player), Rafael Nadal (my second best favorite player and Novak Djokovic (my current favorite player {depends on who he's playing, lol})
2 comments:
Hey folks check out roland garros daily schedule and results updates Roland Garros 2012 Results
Why Federer? He's a spent force. Time to take a bow!
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