Roger Federer Wins French Open 2009

Federer Finally Wins Roland Garros

I don't know about you, but this is about the last year I expected Roger to win the French. Given his performance leading up to the French Open, I thought he would, at best, reach the quarters. Even if the Nadal work to injure himself, which, given the troubles he's had with his knees - is always a possibility, I didn't think Federer was playing up to the level it would take to win another major. Granted, he is hands down the second best clay court player on the tour. He proved that when he took down Nadal in Madrid.

Federer Steps It Up

in his winning speech, not only did he think the crowd for supporting him and fluent French, he mentioned later in his interview with John McEnroe how difficult the matches following Nadal's loss were. Why? Because the media, among others, put immense pressure on him to win his first French Open now that his nemesis was out of the way and the road to victory was open. I thought if anything is going to derail Federer on his quest to conquer the red dirt, it would be this. Pressure. But boy did surprise us all.

The Final - Fed is as Cool As a Cucumber

Federer wasn't the only one with nerves on Sunday. Soderling obviously felt the moment, for seemingly the first time in the tournament, as his stroke stiffened and his legs got heavier. Truth is, both players had also been playing a lot of tennis. Five set matches with long drawn out, grinding rallies that would have left any athlete short of breath. But Federer's experience came in to play at just the right moments. Saving a near straight set defeat against Tommy Haas in the fourth round, immediately following the stunning upset of the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, by the big swinging Swede, Robin Soderling. While the young French hope Gael Monfils did not prove much of an obstacle to Federer in the quarters, his match against Del Potro in the semi's went the distance.

The Career Grand Slam

In the final, it was an early lead (Roger is a great front-runner), combined with a tired Soderling, but most of all - an unrelenting will to conquer his destiny to lead Federer to win his first French Open title, and thereby being only the sixth man in the history of tennis to win all four majors. This feat is technically called the Grand Slam. However, because media and commentators alike refer to every major as a Grand Slam, the term career now needs to precede the words grand slam in order to clarify that it means all four majors, not just one.

Who Else Has Won All Four Majors?

Besides Roger Federer, only two other players, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver have won the Career Grand Slam in the open era (the open era marked the turning point in tennis where any athlete, paid or unpaid, was allowed to compete). In the entire history of the game, there have been only three others - Fred Perry, Don Budge, and Roy Emerson - to accomplish this distinguished feat.

Is Roger the Best Player of All Time?

John McEnroe thinks so, as he signed off his interview with Federer by naming Roger as the greatest player to have ever played the game. There are still doubters of course, that will point out Rafael Nadal's winning record against Roger. And then there is the old-school club, that probably will never think anyone is better than Perry, Budge, Laver, or any number of players from the past, regardless of what they accomplish. What does Tales of Tennis think? For now, we do believe Roger is the greatest player to have ever played the game. A few years from now, Nadal may eclipse Federer's many records, but for now - the glory belongs to Roger. Let's let him enjoy it for a bit, I think he deserves it.