Roger Federer’s Record on Clay Courts Will Not Impact His Legacy

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 10, 2013

commentComment        

Roger Federer's third-round loss at the Madrid Open derailed his quest to improve his standing on clay. 

But even if Federer never wins another clay-court match the rest of his career, his legacy is in tact. He remains perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time.

Kei Nishikori defeated Federer, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. It's the second consecutive tournament that Federer has played in which he failed to reach the semifinals. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. 

It's still shocking when Federer goes out of a tournament before the semifinals. We may need to get accustomed to that. 

No biggie. Federer's legacy is safe. He secured that in 2009 when he won a then-record 15th Grand Slam. He added two more to keep Nadal and Novak Djokovic at a distance. 

The whole surface superiority debate in tennis is odd. Tennis is the only major sport where athletes are asked to prove their worth by playing on surfaces completely foreign to the turf they learned the game on.

Still, when fans debate the greatest players of all times, they check to see if they've won on all three surfaces and all four Grand Slams. If so, how many times?

Federer has won 17 slams and has 76 titles. He has eclipsed his childhood idol, Pete Sampras, in nearly ever category.  

To offset Federer's achievements on grass and hard courts, Nadal would have to win a few more times at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.  He's certainly capable, although it will be difficult because Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have superior skills on those surfaces.



Federer's winning percentage on clay (77.1) is better than what Nadal has achieved on hard courts (76.8). His 87.3 percent career wins on grass tops Nadal's 80.6 percent.

Where Nadal separates himself is his 92.9 winning percentage on clay, the surface he grew up on. Meanwhile, Djokovic on...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!