Roger Federer Thinks 32 Seeds May Be Too Many

Written by: Staff on 30th May 2013

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

Roger Federer Thinks 32 Seeds May Be Too Many

epa03718457 Roger Federer of Switzerland in action during his 1st round match against Pablo Carreno-Busta of Spain at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 26 May 2013. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

Roger Federer has come out cautiously on the side of his former fellow Swiss star Marc Rosset, admitting that a Grand Slam with 32 seeds can often be a bit lacking in excitement during the early rounds of play.

The second seed at the French Open said that he had never been a proponent of the system, adopted around a decade ago, which was designed to keep elite seeds from facing each other too early in the fortnight-long event.,

Now, the tide may be starting to turn, with early men’s matches – and certainly many of those on the women’s side – turning into uninspiring slugfests before the big names start to face off early in the second week.

“I came through both systems, where we had 16 seeds back in the day,” said the 31-year-old with a record 17 titles at the majors. “(With 16 seeds) you do have much tougher draws early on.

“But I guess separating the best a little bit is good for spectators, fans, media maybe as well to a degree. Also the players because hard work throughout the season gets compensated and gets paid off in a little in a small way. But it can be a big way, too.

“Does it make a huge difference? I’m not sure. But I understand what he’s saying. He’s (Rosset) not wrong about it; that’s for sure.”

Federer needs to perhaps wrap his head around the issue – but not during Roland Garros, where he is bidding for his second title after winning it in 2009.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: French Open, Marc Rosset, Roger Federer, Roland Garros, Sports, Swiss tennis news