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You can not accuse Roger Federer of exaggerating his chances at Roland Garros this year. Ten years after his triumph in Paris in 2009, the third seed meets expectations that he could produce a fairy tale at the 21st Grand Slam title.
"I'm not sure it's in my racket," said the 37-year-old at the question of knowing he could go to the end. "But I hope that I can put myself in this position in the depths of the tournament against the best."
Federer, who offered a day off Friday, will face Lorenzo Sonego, No. 73 worldwide, in the first round. Seduced to meet Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, if Federer ran to Paris, he could face 29th Matteo Berrettini in the third round, Marco Cecchinato or Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Marin Cilic or Stan Wawrinka in the quarter.
Federer faced Roland Garros for the last time in 2015. After spending the entire European race in clay over the past two years, Federer has qualified for the quarter-finals in Madrid (where he scored two points before losing) and Rome after playing back-to-back matches the day before). After finding his clay legs, the No. 1 of the end of the year ATP, five times, states that he feels ready for his 18th birthday.th Roland Garros campaign.
"I think I was able to train hard enough and I also played tough matches in Madrid and Rome … I really feel like I'm playing under pressure and playing with nerves was important to me, so I feel totally ready, "he said.
"I think before each Grand Slam, of course, if you can avoid long and difficult games in the beginning, it will increase your chances for the tournament later. But in some ways, I'm happy to be here, and I just want to pass this first round for the campaign to start. That's my goal right now, do not think too far. "
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Freed from expectations, Federer can swing freely and let the results take care of themselves.
"I've played here for many years. I started here at 20 years old. I've won here 10 years ago. It was one of the greatest moments of my life, so I do not know what to expect in terms of results. It's a bit like Australia in 2017. I had no expectations. I am just happy to be back in good health. Until now, I would say that my preparation went well. In Madrid, my body reacted well to a surface that I had not played for many years. So today, I took a day off because my team thought I had nothing to prove in training.
"I'll play 45 minutes tomorrow, and it looks like I'm playing Sunday, so I'm ready to start."
In addition to his triumph at Roland Garros in 2009, which allowed him to finish his Grand Slam career, Federer also reached the final in Paris from 2006 to 2008 and in 2011.
Did you know?
Federer is 65-16 at Roland Garros. He reached the second week of his last 11 appearances.
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