TENNIS – Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will play next week in the Rolex Master in the famous Monte-Carlo Country Club. Federer has accepted the wild-card from the organizers to take part in the first big European clay tournament of the year for the 11th time in his career. Diego Sampaolo
The tournament in the Monte-Carlo Principality is one of the very few events Federer has never won during his career. He reached the Monte-Carlo final three times where he lost to Rafa Nadal in three consecutive editions in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He will return to the Country Club after three years of absence. In his last appearance he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarter final.
He made his first appearance in this tournament in 1999 where he lost in the first round against Vincent Spadea with 7-6 6-0. He achieved his first win against Michael Chang with 6-4 6-3 in the first round in 2001.
In 2005 he won a great match in 2005 against Fernando Gonzales with 6-2 6-7 6-4 before losing the quarter final against Richard Gasquet
In 2006 he beat a young Novak Djokovic (then World Number 67) in three sets with 6-3 2-6 6-3 before meeting Rafa Nadal. The Spaniard beat Federer in four sets with 6-2 6-7 6-3 7-6 in a great final to win his second title in Monte-Carlo.
In 2007 Roger beat David Ferrer 6-4 6-0 in the quarter final before losing 6-4 6-4 to Nadal in their second consecutive Monte-Carlo final. One year later Federer won a great match against David Nalbandian in three sets before meeting Nadal for the third consecutive year in the final where the Mallorcan prevailed in straight sets with 7-5 7-5. In 2009 he lost the Swiss derby against Stan Wawrinka in straight sets with 6-4 7-5. In his last appearance in Monte-Carlo in 2011 he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarter final with 6-4 6-4.
This year Federer won his first tournament since June 2013 in Dubai and reached the final in Indian Wells (losing to Novak Djokovic) and in Brisbane (losing to Lleyton Hewitt) and the semifinal at the Australian Open.
There is a possibility that Federer may miss either Madrid or Rome as his wife Mirka is expected to give birth to their child at the end of April. The decision to accept a wild card to play in Monte-Carlo may be due to the fact that he needs practice on clay before the Roland Garros as he knows that he may skip either Madrid or Rome as he wants to stay with Mirka during the birth of their first child.
