Despite having some well-grounded reasons to take a break in order to recover, Roger Federer's absence during the clay court swing is causing a state of dismay amongst his die-hard herd of supporters as well as others who enjoyed his tennis during the past months. Recovering from a knee surgery and an extended recovery time, Roger Federer pulled out the rabbit out of his hat having one of the greatest comebacks in the history of this sports. Ranked 4th in the general ranking and sitting on the first seat in this year's leaderboard, the Swiss who will turn 36 in August seems to have left the game of tennis without a vital part of its core by not getting involved in the clay jousts.
Clay isn't Federer's best ally
Despite being successful on this particular surface, Roger Federer has mixed relations when it comes to clay. Just remember how much he had to endure in order to get his hands on the Frenc Open's crown. He lost several finals in the process, all to his historical rival Rafael Nadal. Last year, Federer made a different approach in resuming his season by attending the Masters 1000 from Monte Carlo, a genuine clay battleground. This year, 18 times Grand Slam champion will step off the stage for the next two months having his mind already set for the grass swing and the second American outdoor session. And besides those all clay related memories, Roger Federer already has 20 matches under his belt in 2017.
A 19-1 win-loss record with a minor glitch in Dubai where he lost to a qualifier in the opening stages. Those 19 wins are the mathematical expression certifying Federer's triumphs at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami.
Federer chose his own path
Other players in his position might have been tempted to quit given the circumstances.
An extended hiatus in 2016 due to injury had the opposite reaction with Federer still willing to improve himself. When you already have so many success stories in your pocket, you might find it difficult to accept that there is some space left for further upgrades on your game of tennis. Not for Federer who came back even stronger with some new weapons in his arsenal.
Catching our breath after the first quarter dominated by Federer, a cold analysis might give the impression that the world has discovered a groundbreaking device allowing it to time travel. The world is now in Federer's prime spinning itself around this great player. We'll be given some certainties during the second part of the season when Federer might wanna test his weaponry on a larger scale including Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.