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Guy Forget, the tournament director of Roland Garros, recently gave his thoughts on Roger Federer's achievements at the claycourt Slam in the Rafael Nadal era. Forget believes Federer would've been immensely successful at Roland Garros in Nadal's absence, and might have even won 5 or 6 titles there.
Roger Federer is all set to make his return to action later this month at the Geneva Open, following which he will also play the French Open. The Swiss will then start his grasscourt season in Halle, in the hope of mounting yet another title challenge at Wimbledon.
Speaking to a local tabloid on Wednesday, Guy Forget claimed that playing Roland Garros was a logical decision by Roger Federer as it would allow him to test whether his body could handle the exertions of competitive tennis. The tournament director also opined that Federer could take it up a notch at Wimbledon if he fared well in Paris.
"That Roger Federer comes to play Roland Garros seems logical to me," Forget said. "This will allow him to play, and especially to test himself. Clay is a living surface that requires you to be precise in your investments. The better Federer is at Roland Garros, the better he will be at Wimbledon."
Guy Forget then talked about a hypothetical scenario where Rafael Nadal didn't exist. According to Forget, Roger Federer would've taken home half a dozen Roland Garros titles if he hadn't repeatedly run into the Spaniard.
"If Rafael Nadal had not existed Federer would have had at least 5 or 6 titles at Roland Garros, I am convinced of it," Forget said.
Roger Federer could potentially face Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2021
Roger Federer has been outclassed in nine claycourt finals by Rafael NAdal throughout their rivalry. The French Open title had eluded the Swiss for a large part of his career until Nadal lost early in the 2009 edition.
Roger Federer stepped up to the opportunity then, winning his first and only Roland Garros trophy in stirring fashion. That also enabled the Swiss to complete the "Career Grand Slam", and he went on to finish the season as the year-end No. 1 too.
During the interaction, Guy Forget was also asked whether the duo could clash in the 2021 edition of the tournament, which begins later this month. Forget replied in the positive, asserting that the match-up could happen in the second week.
"Regarding this edition, I think it can quite happen in the second week," Forget said.
It is pertinent to note that Roger Federer could potentially meet Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros due to his current ranking of No. 8 in the world. The Swiss currently stands more than 1,500 points ahead of World No. 9 Matteo Berrettini, so his ranking cannot slip further down before Roland Garros.
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