The tournament Roger Federer only ever won once with Andre Agassi claiming it would have been a ‘crime’ if he never triumphed
Andre Agassi says it would have been a travesty had Roger Federer not won one particular tournament during his career.
The Swiss Maestro was dominant on grass and hard courts, but he did not quite have the same success on clay, largely due to Rafael Nadal.
The Spaniard beat Federer in three successive French Open finals, leaving the 43-year-old desperate to triumph in Paris and complete the set of Grand Slams.
His moment finally came in 2009, and Andre Agassi was delighted to see Federer join him in the club of Grand Slam champions.
Roger Federer entered the 2009 French Open having lost the last three finals in Paris.
Nadal once again entered as the favourite, but after he suffered a shock defeat, the former World number one needed to take his chance.
He did just that as Federer defeated Robin Soderling to claim his one and only French Open title and make history in the process.
Agassi, who prevented Federer with the trophy, commented on his victory and how it is important both for Federer, who equalled Pete Sampras’ record hail of 14 Grand Slam titles, before setting a new record by winning the Wimbledon title a month later.
“Yeah, well, he got the magic number French Open,” eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi said back in 2009.
“The quantity has less relevance with where he found himself that day than getting over the line in Paris and winning in a tournament that’s eluded him for his career, and a career that he could have won I think five or six times.
“I mean, pretty amazing to watch him get over that line there. I just really think the guy deserved it. He’s earned it.
“He’s been playing clay for the last five years, if it wasn’t for Nadal, he probably would have won five of those things and arguably won two Grand Slams back-to-back, the stats sort of speak for themselves. For him not to have won there in his career would have been a real crime.”
What is Roger Federer’s French Open record?
Federer played at the French Open on 19 occasions throughout his career, winning 73 matches and losing 17.
He reached the final on four occasions and each time his friend and former rival Nadal was standing on the other side of the net.
Federer’s last French Open came in 2021, when he reached the fourth round before withdrawing from the tournament.
On the way to winning his 2009 title, he defeated Tommy Haas after coming back from two sets down, and he came through another five-set match against Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals.
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Maria LawsonCloseMaria Lawson is a reporter in the ESPN investigative and enterprise unit. She is an ESPN-American University investigative fellow from Frisco,
