By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, October 17, 2019
Roger Federer will return to red clay next season. The 2009 French Open champion announced he will play the 2020 Roland Garros.
Photo credit: Reuters
Absence makes the heart grow fonder—Roger Federer made heart rates faster in his long-awaited clay-court return.
Federer thrilled fans returning to red clay play after a three-year absence this season.
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The 38-year-old Swiss will revist the terre battue next season. Federer announced he will play the 2020 Roland Garros.
It will be Federer's 19th career French Open appearance.
The Swiss owns a 70-17 career record in Paris.
"I will play the French Open. I probably won't play much before it, because I need time away," Federer told CNN. "Before that we need a vacation, we need a break, and especially if I am playing in the Olympics."
The announcement comes days after Federer revealed he plans to play the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 2009 Roland Garros champion posted a 9-2 record on dirt this season reaching quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome and knocking off buddy Stan Wawrinka in the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Federer charged into his eighth Roland Garros semifinal where he fell to Rafael Nadal.
A masterful Nadal navigated brutal, blustery conditions and his aggressive archrival rolling past Federer for the first time in five years, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and roaring into his 12th Roland Garros final with his 22nd consecutive win in Paris.
Despite roaring support from the crowd and a break lead in the second set, Federer couldn't stall the familiar force of nature slashing snarling topspin through unforgiving, swirling wind gusts that sometimes soared to 40 mph.
"I accept this, because the conditions are the same for both, unless he had less wind than I had," Federer said after the semifinal. "It was difficult, but I accept that. He played in an incredible way. He has incredible abilities on clay. I knew that ahead of time.
"I don't look like I fight, but I do. And I tried to believe in it. I tried to turn the match around until the end. But the further along down the match, the better he seemed to feel in the wind. But I had some opportunities. It's a pity I wasn't able to maybe win the first set. With the wind, everything was possible. But once again, it was impressive to see him on clay."
In retrospect, Federer said he felt playing the clay season after he captured the Miami Open helped him stay sharp for the grass-court season.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion posted an 11-1 record on grass and held two championship points before bowing to Novak Djokovic in an epic five-set Wimbledon final.