Patrick McEnroe once again stressed the importance of Roger Federer to tennis, saying the game is a lot less interesting without the Swiss Master doing his magic on the tennis court.
The tennis legend and now ESPN analyst didn't mince words in expressing his disappoint of not seeing Federer play in this tournament. McEnroe believed Federer's sudden withdrawal is a big blow for the tournament not only because it brings down the depth of competition, it also leaves a big void to fill.
'Even first and second match blowouts are often must see tennis when Roger is playing,' McEnroe tweeted on Wednesday. 'Not only because of his erffortless style, but because at any moment, you may actually witness something that you have never seen before.'
McEnroe added that each of the remaining contenders at Roland Garros has different things to offer, but unfortunately none of them can match the entertainment factor Federer delivers in every match. He calls it the Federer magic.
'Murray and Wawrinka do not quite get the fans' blood boiling in anticipation of something really special. They do not bring in the fans the way that Mr. Federer does.'
'Maybe Rafa Nadal does, and certainly one Serbian fellow is writing his own history as we speak, but as they are on the same half of the men's draw in Paris, they will be always playing on the same way during this tournament. They have brillance in their own ways, but the magic of Federer?'
Federer, who won his first and only French Open title in 2009, ended his Grand Slam appearance streak after pulling out of the clay-court slam due to a back injury that had hampered him throughout the European clay-court season.
On his twitter account, the Swiss expressed his sadness over his decision to skip the French Open but he nevertheless promised to come back stronger next year.