PARIS, 1 January 2005 — World No. 1 and 2004 triple Grand Slam winner Roger Federer begin his new year assault in the Qatari desert on Monday but the Swiss maestro knows that it’s the springtime clay of Paris which could derail his dream of true greatness.
The 23-year-old goes into 2005 as the undisputed king of tennis with former players and pundits breathless in their praise of his achievements and his potential.
In 2004, Federer won three of the four Grand Slams, in Australia, at Wimbledon and the US Open, clinched eight other titles, lost just six times in 80 matches and boosted his bank account by $6 million to swell his fortune to 14 million.
But the slow red clay of the French Open at Roland Garros remains a puzzle he has yet to solve.
In six visits to the second Grand Slam event of the season, Federer has never got beyond the quarter-finals and has lost in the first round three times.
It’s a demanding, unforgiving surface and, as a result, only five men have won all four Grand Slam titles — Andre Agassi’s win at the French Open in 1999 took him alongside Don Budge, Rod Laver, Fred Perry and Roy Emerson as one of that select group.
Federer knows that should he fail to conquer Paris, his true position in the sport’s history will be in question.
American Pete Sampras, who quit tennis after his 2002 US Open crown took his tally to 14 Grand Slam titles, is adamant that the Swiss star has the all-round game to edge past his magical mark.
He also believes Federer will succeed where he failed — by winning a French Open title. “Roger is head and shoulders above the rest. He is the best athlete and moves the best on court,” said Sampras.
“Federer can play at the top of his game without consuming too much energy whereas his main rivals have to use up a lot of theirs. Of course, he can have an off-day in a big tournament and can be surprised but over the season as a whole, he is above the others, head and shoulders.”
The new ATP season, which will feature 68 tournaments, gets under way tomorrow with three tournaments in Qatar, Chennai and Adelaide.
Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin are regarded as the players most likely to dislodge the Swiss from his perch.
“Roger has taken his game to another level,” said Hewitt who lost all of his six matches with Federer in 2004 including a straight sets blitz in the US Open final.
“If it wasn’t for one bloke (Federer), I could have been holding up a few more Grand Slam trophies.”
Meanwhile, Agassi shows no sign of stopping despite facing a 35th birthday next April. He won one title in 2004, the Cincinnati Masters, to take his career total to 59 and became only the fourth player in history to win 600 matches.
Federer’s odyssey will hog the limelight but there are problems lurking.
The men’s game goes into the new year rocked by another drugs case with Austria’s Stefan Koubek, the world No 60, being handed a three-month suspension for using a prohibited substance.
Koubek claimed his doctor gave him an injection for triamcinolone acetonide, a glucocorticosteroid, for a wrist injury before the French Open in June which he had been told did not infringe the doping code.
Relaxed Philippoussis Keen to Wipe the Slate Clean for 2005
In Perth, Australia, as the New Year approached, Mark Philippoussis couldn’t wait to slam the door on a dismal 2004 and start afresh tomorrow as Australia began the search for a second title at the $800,000 Hopman Cup.
Speaking for the first time since last October abruptly ending a season which went a disappointing 11-19, the former Wimbledon finalist said that he and Alicia Molik will be working for a repeat of the host nation’s lone title at the eight-nation mixed teams event.
Back in 1999, Philippoussis and Jelena Dokic took the title. At this 17th edition, the born-again Scud is again keen to get back on court to prove to himself he can turn around his game. A few sessions of work in New York with John McEnroe have helped the current world number 109 to mend his mental attitude as well as his game.
And with a first round-robin clash with difficult Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia set for tomorrow at the Burswood Dome, Philippoussis is determined bring additional pressure on himself. “I have a simple goal,” said the man who once rose to world number 8 before losing a dozen first-round matches last season in a dizzying downward spiral which included 11 first-round losses. “I want to start the year off strong and enjoy myself, get back to tennis again.” Memories of the victory nearly six years ago are starting to dim. “It’s been awhile, it feels like ten years ago when we won it,” said Philippoussis.
