Roger Federer's chase for an 18th Grand Slam title may not happen in this year's French Open, but the Swiss Maestro could realize that goal when he hits the grass courts of Wimbledon.
Federer's chance to add another title to his all-time record 17 Grand Slam wins may not be realistic to happen in the clay-court season finale, partly because of the Swiss' recent setback that required surgery and forced him to be sidelined for more than two months.
In all of Federer's Grand Slam victories, the 34-year-old won only once at the French Open back in 2009, when he defeated Robin Soderling in the final round. Ever since his Roland Garros glory, Federer only won two titles on clay surface in 2012 and 2015 at the Madrid Open and Istanbul, respectively.
Overall, Federer's 88 titles only comprised 11 trophies on clay-tournaments, which could mean lesser chance of hoisting the French Open title next month.
Moreover, with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal gaining steam as the favorites to win in Paris, Federer's chances to win in Paris are all but doomed.
However, that is not to say Federer, No. 3 in the ATP world rankings, would never get to mark another Grand Slam win this season. Analyzing the relation of Federer's statistics on his odds at winning his next major title, it could happen at Church Road, where he has won seven of his 17 major titles, tying Pete Sampras in most title wins at Wimbledon.
Federer, who won five consecutive titles at Wimbledon from 2003 to 2007, also holds a winning percentage of 88.76 at Wimbledon, which is a bit greater than Djokovic's 86.67 and Nadal's 81.6 winning percentage.
Federer also has a career 87.7 winning percentage on grass courts, far better than Nadal's 77.3 and Djokovic's 81.7.
But it has been a while since Federer tasted success in major events. His last Grand Slam win was at Wimbledon back in 2012, and since then has not been able to finish strong to capture another elusive major title.
Nevertheless, Federer seems confident about his plans for the seasons and chances for another Grand Slam victory, but that could only be the case if he remains healthy to play at a high level.
"It's important for me to not hurt myself in the summer. From the French Open (in May) to September, I would like to feel well because there is much at stake, dreams to realize and titles to win," Federer told Marca as translated by Tennis World USA.