World number three Roger Federer has been consistently participating in Grand Slam events, never having had gone through a long bout of illness or injury that would have prevented him from taking part in these prestigious events. In fact, the ongoing Roland Garros 2013 tournament is his 54th consecutive Grand Slam tournament.
When asked about the successful return of Rafael Nadal on tour and the struggles that he had to overcome in the process, Federer said: “I don’t know. I have never been out for seven months.”
His participation in 54 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments is a record on its own, a streak that begin in Australian Open in January 2000. This is the longest streak made among active players.
“For me, it’s just something I just kept on doing. Now here we are,” said Federer, seeded second at the French Open 2013 following the withdrawal of Andy Murray due to back injury.
“It’s incredible. I never thought I was going to play that many, have that many opportunities to do well at the Slams. And clearly I’m happy about it, but they don’t buy me victories, you know,” added Federer, whose record 17 major titles include the 2009 French Open. “But it shows maybe great stamina and (an) injury-free career, in a way.”
