Roger Federer said winning the French Open championship in 2009 was both the hardest and sweetest of them all because of the presence of the best clay-court player of all time Rafael Nadal, adding that it was by far the most emotional victory of his career.
Federer, who will not compete in this year's edition of the French Open due to a lingering back problem, still vividly remembered the moment he defeat Sweden's Robin Soderling to take his first Roland Garros crown and complete a rare career Grand Slam in 2009.
The Swiss Master admitted he tried to come up with a different playing style and strategy to solve the puzzle that was Nadal on clay. However, it was not until three straight finals loss and a shocking Nadal defeat at the hands of Sodeling that Federer finally seized the opportunity to win the elusive crown.
'I think it was the definitely the hardest to win, I think the others to some extent came too fast, too easy. For The French Open I had to wait until 2009, I tried to reinvent myself on clay a few times,' Federer said in the pre-French Open presentation.
'I wanted it so badly, the crowd pushed me and when I see the moment where I fall to my knees, I still get emotional today when I watch it.'
Federer, 34, still managed to reach a Roland Garros final in 2011 but none can topple his victory in 2009 on the red dirt of Paris.
Seven years after his triumph, the 17-time Grand Slam champ has been reduced to a mere spectator as injuries continue to pile in. Federer may have just one French Open title in his career, but he's undeniably the second best clay-court player in an era where the greatest netter on that surface dominates.
'Having the best clay-court player ever made the thing extremely complicated for many players, not just for me, to win the French Open. To win was epic for me, it's one of my favourite moments to look back on,' Federer said of Nadal, who moved to no.4 seed following the Swiss' withdrawal.