Richard Gasquet feels confident about Roger Federer's chances in the clay season. The Frenchman lost to the Swiss 6-2 6-3 in Madrid after just 55 minutes. In an interview, Gasquet said: "I think he can win the tournament, he is one of the favourites, the surface is hard, it's almost faster than a hard court, and with the altitude, his aggressive game benefits from it. Everything is together, so he can give his best here in Madrid. I understand his choice. Regardless of his ability on clay, you also have to remember that it's Roger Federer, who has grown up on this surface, he played on clay for his entire life and in the French Open we know a lot of things can happen. And he can reach the semifinals, and I think he also sees Wimbledon ahead, he wants to train for that too and not lose too much rhythm."
In an interview, Gael Monfils praised Roger Federer's character. They trained together in Indian Wells earlier this year and they faced each other 14 times. "I have been knowing him for a long time. I like him a lot as a person off the court, he always says good things. I find him very funny, I am happy for him. He is a tennis legend, he marks our sport with what he achieves", said Monfils.
Federer defeated Monfils in a third set tie-break, he will face Austria's Dominic Thiem next on Friday.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2VYnSJi
Tennis