Roger Federer, who lost surprisingly in straight sets to Novak Djokovic at the Roland Garros semifinals on Friday, said that his pick to win the title is Rafael Nadal, saying that he’s the man to beat at this claycourt Grand Slam tournament.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a good match,” Federer said.
“I have no idea what the conditions are going to be, if it’s going to be rainy or slow or fast. I mean, it’s never going to be fast here because this year the balls are very slow. Yeah, my pick is not a surprising one. I obviously pick Rafa. I think he’s the overwhelming favorite,” he added.
Federer does have a basis in his claim. After all, Nadal is a six-time champion at Roland Garros and Federer was a runner-up for three straight years against the Spaniard from 2006 to 2008 before finally clinching the title in 2009 (when Nadal lost to Soderling in the quarterfinals).The Swiss star said that the Serbian world number one will have the more pressure in the final since he’s achieving a feat that was done 43 years ago – that is, to win four Grand Slam singles title in a row.
“They’re used to it. Novak has more pressure because he’s never won here, I think. I was in the same situation twice for the four in a row. But Rafa has won six times here. Of course it would be great to win for a seventh time. But Novak he’s never won the tournament, so who knows? Maybe luck will be on his side again. Well, Novak therefore will have more pressure, I think, which is quite normal, even though everybody thinks that Rafa is going to win. I think Novak has more pressure on him. To be in this situation you have to win three Grand Slams in a row again, which is more difficult,” he said.
Watch Nadal vs Djokovic French Open 2012 Final Live Online Video Stream
