Roger Federer Not That Good If Different Surfaces Were To Exist – Giles Simon

Roger Federer of Switzerland wipes his face during a training session ahead of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London June 22, 2014. REUTERS

Frenchman Giles Simon said Roger Federer could be eliminated as early as the first round if the ATP uses distinctly different surfaces in every tournament, adding the Swiss along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic would have never been dominant in Grand Slam tournaments if those situations were to exist.

Simon, who was recently hospitalized after a minor accident, told in an interview with Swiss sports writer Adrian Ruch that someone in tennis is pushing for the use of similar surfaces, though he didn't specify that person.

The former top-10 player believed Federer has been against that idea because 'he thinks he can adapt better to different situations compared to Djokovic, Nadal or Murray.' However, Simon believed Federer would have never so dominant in Grand Slam play if ATP is going to use very distinct surfaces in succeeding tournaments.

"My opinion is that if very different surfaces were to exist, with very slow red clay courts and very fast indoor courts, Roger would have won only half of his titles. Obviously, if Federer plays against Nadal on grass, two days after playing on hard courts, he is sure to win. But to switch from very slow clay court to a fast grass court wouldn't be easy even for him," Simon said via Tennis Earth.

The Frenchman added that the Swiss Master could be booted out as early as the first round by a great server like Milos Raonic of Canada if he's put in that situation.

Simon's comments drew the ire of several tennis fans and pundits, especially pro-Federer flank. They insist Federer, who has been viewed as arguably the most dominant player to ever play on three different surfaces (hard, clay, and grass), has already proven throughout that he can adapt to any court situations during his prime.

Fortunately for Simon, the author of the article cleared that the Frenchman did not single out Federer, as he believed Nadal and Djokovic could have experience difficulties in equalizing their Grand Slam success if this kind of situation were implemented.

"According to the original source, Simon said that all of them (Nadal, Djokovic and Federer) would have won just half of their titles if the surface had been different, he didn't single out the Swiss," Tennis World USA said of their update on the Giles Simon's story.

The 32-year old Federer is at peak of his training for for the North American hard-court season. He's set to compete at the Rogers Cup, Cincinnati Master and the US Open championships in Flushing Meadows late August.