This year, for a change, Roger Federer looks forward to the switch to clay.
Only hours after his upset loss at the Sony Ericsson Open last week, Federer was back at practice, hitting across the street on clay courts.
The clay season begins this week on the men’s tour, and Federer looks forward to defending the French Open title he won last year to complete a career Grand Slam. He no longer approaches with trepidation the court surface that for so long tripped him up, and in the wake of a so-so showing last month on U.S. hard courts, he’s ready for a switch.
Federer has entered clay-court events this spring in Rome, Estoril and Madrid, but everyone knows he’s pointing primarily toward Paris, where the French Open begins on May 24.
