Roger Federer has been, up to now, the undisputed star of this season. The victories at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami, after six months on the sidelines, allowed the Swiss to take off great satisfactions. He moved also from the 17th position of ATP Ranking to the 4th.

And all of this was totally unexpected. Who would have thought that, after 2016, Federer would win a Grand Slam and two Masters 1000? Especially defeating his nemesis Rafael Nadal thrice in a row! What is surprising, as well as victories in themselves, is the level of play of the Swiss Mestro, his athletic freshness, and his backhand that has become incredibly winning weapon.

However, now that the clay swing is about to begin, Roger has decided to take a break, resting and recovering from the psycho-physical point of view, after starting 2017 full of commitments and tournaments. And then, after a few weeks to train on clay, he finally play the French Open.

We all know that Federer will try to go back in all-in in the grass swing and in the American summer tournaments, and then at the ATP Finals in London. It is clear that, retracing the career of the Swiss tennis player, we can say the love story between Federer and the red clay, has never fully blossomed.

First of all, unlike many of his rivals, Federer's playing style, which has evolved through his career, is effective in general on all surfaces. But for features, technique, athletic shape,it fits better on fast surfaces, such as grass and hard.

However, on clay, his performances were never entirely convincing. Of the 91 titles won by Roger's career, only 11 have been won on red clay, 63 on hard, 15 on grass and two on carpet. Most likely this was also because of the presence, on the other side of the court, of Rafael Nadal, who in the past years has often been the main obstacle for Roger in the final victory at the French Open and in other important tournaments, like in Rome.

The only triumph at Roland Garros came for him in 2009, when Rafa was surprisingly eliminated by Robin Soderling. In the Masters 1000, Roger boasts seven overall victories on clay, four in Hamburg and three in Madrid, one of them on the blue clay.

The playing surface, as also mentioned by Federer on several occasions, doesn't fit very well for him. From a technical standpoint, the high of the ball rebounds, becomes an issue for the game of the 18 times Grand Slam champion.

Especially when, in the past, Rafa pushed at him with his forehand full of top-spin, on the backhand of his opponent. A virus for which which has amazingly found a cure this season, as seen in the three matches between Australia and the United States.

From the physical point of view, tennis on clay is wasting a lot of energy. The game from the baseline is the basis on this surface, and despite Roger has showed in time to be able to adapt well to this type of game, his attacking style suffers a lot.

All conditions that made the Swiss deciding to concentrate his physical and mental energies in tournaments where he knows he can have the chance of victory. A choice that Federer has often done in recent years. At least, since winning the French Open.

And not to snub tennis on clay, but for all the reasons we have explained above, to better preserve his energy. Enthusiasts will therefore have to wait two months (but who knows) to review Roger playing an official match, when the French Open will start.

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