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The Swiss has been extremely solid in his first Roland Garros appearance since 2019.

Roger’s back at #RG and he’s marched through six sets without too much trouble in Paris. Next up the 2009 champion will face Casper Ruud of Norway.

Here are five takeaways from Federer’s performance through two rounds in Paris.

He’s Loose

From first ball on Day 1, Federer has played loose, confident tennis. Things were complicated today against Otte at times, but Federer saved all four break points he faced and was never really in any kind of big trouble. He looks fluid, his shot selection makes perfect sense and he’s connecting the dots extremely well in rallies.

He’s also firing on serve, connecting on 75 percent of his first offering and winning 80 percent of those points. You do the math—he’s not going to get broken very often with those numbers.

Federer is also loose in terms of his expectations here in Paris. This might be a more important contributing factor with regard to his potential success. Asked before the tournament if he felt he could win the title he didn’t seem to have an answer. In fact, it didn’t even seem to matter. He just wants to experience the tennis and play his best. As long as he doesn’t suffer some kind of injury ahead of Wimbledon his first trip to Roland Garros will be a major success for him.

He’s a very dangerous animal when he’s playing care-free like that and the more he can keep it up the more dangerous he will be for the top players he faces in week two.

Experience is Helping Him

Federer’s next opponent, 20-year-old Casper Ruud, is a talented clay-courter from Norway. He was also born about six months before Federer made his first main draw appearance at Roland Garros. This fact is not just a novelty, there’s an advantage to be gained from all of Federer’s vast experience, and he’ll use it in the next round and in all the rounds to come. With 344 Grand Slam wins under his belt, Federer knows a thing about dealing with the types of pressure that come with the Grand Slam stage.

Meanwhile, Ruud won his third match at a Grand Slam today. He’s got some catching up to do.

Maestro Mode

Let’s not forget that Federer is without a doubt one of the best clay-court tennis players of all time and this is because of his tremendous variety and tennis IQ. Behold some of the drop shots that Federer can hit on this surface, or the way that only five players still in the draw have come to the net more than him.

Federer can do it all on this surface, and he uses his serve on clay as a point-starter. It has enabled him to win 28 of his 29 service games while only hitting 10 aces through two rounds.

The Next Two Matches Are Key!

With Stefanos Tsitsipas looming as a potential quarter-final match, Federer will want to be aggressive, keep holding his serve and power through his next two matches as quickly as possible. He has spent just 3:17 on court thus far. With Ruud next and either Nicolas Mahut, Diego Schwartzman or Leonardo Mayer in the round of 16 he can really do himself a huge favor by winning with efficiency—he’s certainly playing well enough to do it.

So Far, So Good

The next round will likely be a tougher test, and it will surely be a wild ride in the second week, but for now Roger Federer’s clay court season has been an astounding success.

Nadal's Nikes celebrate his glorious Roland Garros history.
Rafael Nadal is leaving a festive French Open footprint on the red clay of Paris.

Nadal's Nikes celebrate his glorious Roland Garros history.

Watch: 5 Things We Learned From Nadal's RG Wins

The 11-time Roland Garros champion is wearing a special edition of the Nike Air Zoom Cage 3 Glove that celebrate his past Paris triumphs.

The zippered shroud of the shoe is practical pageantry designed to keep clay from creeping into his shoes and sporting a graphic from every shoe the king of clay has worn capturing his 11 Roland Garros crowns. 

Here's a closer look.

The multi-colored kicks are emblazoned with the number 11 to signify his title total with "Rafa" and Nadal's trademark bull logo on opposite heels.

So what happens to these commemorative shoes after Nadal wears them?

Nadal said he typically donates his shoes to charities, gives some to his cousin, who wears the same size, presents others as gifts of appreciation to tournament staffers and some find a home on exhibit in Nadal's museum, that also houses his Grand Slam silverware, on the grounds of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.

"Honestly, every week we give gifts for foundations or trusts or charities, or people who have helped me through the tournament," Nadal said. "I make them gifts or my family, one of my cousins has the same-sized shoes as I have. Well, as usual, I take part in the decision. If I don't want to wear something, I don't wear it.

"But on this particular topic, Nike had the idea of doing something to celebrate my 11 victories here, which is why I have different shoes. The most important thing, anyway, was the fact that I should feel good in these shoes. I'm feeling very much at ease with these shoes, and I'm playing with them."

Photo credit: Getty Images/Nike

The Canadian stayed long enough to win her first main draw match at Roland Garros. The heavily anticipated first meeting of Bianca Andreescu and Serena Williams will have to wait—the 18-year-old Canadian sensation has withdrawn from her second-round match with American Sofia Kenin.

Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn ahead of her 2R vs. Sofia Kenin.

Kenin gets a walkover into the 3R and will face either Serena or Nara. #RG19

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 29, 2019

Andreescu, who made her return from a two-month layoff due to a shoulder injury on Day 3 with a three-set win over Marie Bouzkova, pulled out of her doubles match earlier in the day, citing the injury as the reason.

ROLAND GARROS: Concerning news – Bianca Andreescu has pulled out of her intended doubles match today alongside Fanny Stollar of Hungary. The reason cited is "right shoulder injury." No word yet on how this affects her second-round singles match on Thursday against Sofia Kenin

— Tom Tebbutt (@tomtebbutt) May 29, 2019

The Canadian is currently on a run of 11 consecutive wins in completed matches, but she did retire with an injury in her last match at Miami.

Kenin will move on to face either Serena Williams or Kurumi Nara in the third round. It is the American's first trip to the third round at Roland Garros (second main draw appearance).

More to follow…

The No.4 seed was considered one of the tournament's top favorite. One of the top favorites to win Roland Garros, and a No.4 seed, is out.

Kiki Bertens retired from her second-round match on Court Philippe Chatrier after four-plus games, citing an undisclosed illness. After meeting with doctors briefly she left the court, handing Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova the trip to the third round.
The Madrid champion said she woke up early this morning vomiting and had no energy on court today.

"Yesterday I felt good. No problems at all," Bertens told the media in Paris. "I was practicing, resting, and I felt really well. Ready for today.

"And then this morning I woke up at 3:00, and then I felt really sick. Vomiting, diarrhea all night long, all day long. I felt a little bit better before the match. I had some sleep, and I just wanted to give it a try, but then as soon as I start warming up right before the match, it started again. Yeah, there was not any energy left."

Oh no 😰

Kiki Bertens, a favorite to win the title, forced to retire due to illness.

"I don't have any power and I don't feel well."

Very sad and unlucky for the love-able Dutchwoman. #RG19 pic.twitter.com/U8kQ9H1ojo

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 29, 2019

Bertens, considered to be one of the WTA’s most lethal clay-courters, won the title in Madrid two weeks ago and entered today’s match with a 13-3 record on clay in 2019 and a 92-38 record on the surface overall. She was a semi-final here in Paris in 2016.

More to follow….

Dominic Thiem survived a bumpy opening match on Day 2 in Paris, but he'll need to be better to give himself a chance for the ultimate prize.

By: Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday May 28, 2019

Photo Source: (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

To contend or to pretend—that is the question.

Dominic Thiem‘s first-round victory over Tommy Paul out on Court Suzanne Lenglen left a bit to be desired on Monday. It wasn’t the fans that were disappointed, they appreciated the ebbs and flows of an unexpected struggle and lapped up the looming specter of an upset, as American wild card Tommy Paul got into the kitchen of the No.4 seed and threatened to take a two sets to one lead.

Paul lead 4-0 in the third-set breaker and it was hard to tell whether the charged up spectators on Roland Garros’ second-biggest showcourt where chanting “Domi, Domi” or “Tommy, Tommy.”

Surely they were energized by the unheralded American’s exploits as he staked himself to a can't-miss type of lead in the breaker but Thiem quickly answered back and took seven of eight points to win the set and effectively seal the match.

Paul had life, but Thiem had the weapons to end his struggle quickly and efficiently. It was a classic bloodletting in the fourth, and it will–hopefully–serve to remind Thiem of how well he needs to play in Paris to come away with anything but disappointment.

“I wasn't playing my best today, that's for sure,” Thiem later explained. “We all could see what happens if I don't play my best tennis. He was playing amazing then. It was very, very close. And of course the key moment of the match was the tiebreak in the third set.”

The third set was most certainly the key to the match but what remains to be seen is whether or not it will be the key to unlocking Thiem’s biggest ever achievement.

If Rafael Nadal is favorite 1a and Novak Djokovic 1b in Paris, then Thiem is very likely a 2 in a men’s field crowded with mega stars. Or is he 2b behind the surprisingly effective Roger Federer in Paris?

2b or not to be? Never mind, it doesn’t matter…

What does matter is the fact that the Austrian has the potential to make a significant impact on this tournament, if he can only find his most succinct and sublime tennis when it matters.

On Monday he was anything but sublime for the better part of three sets. He didn’t seem to be quite lucid out there and his shotmaking was hit or miss. On one point his imprecise footwork left him out of position on the backhand side, the perfect opportunity to take a measured approach and hit a defensive ball; instead he went for broke and sent a shanked backhand somewhere in the direction of the quinzième arrondisement.

On another point he closed at the net and artfully placed a perfect backhand volley into a far corner of the forecourt where Paul didn’t even try to track it down. Parfait.

But the helter-skelter struggle for consistency continued for far too long and it was only a courageous and transcendent moment that saved Thiem from falling two sets to one down.

He would have been staring at a loss in a worst case scenario or in the best, a fifth set suspended due to darkness.

Neither would have been ideal in a tournament where every ounce of energy will eventually matter. If he is to progress to the semi-finals and have any shot of ending Novak Djokovic’s quest to hold all four majors, he’ll have to be better in Paris—and quickly.

“I was really looking forward to the match,” Thiem explained in press. “It was taking long until I could step on court today, and then I didn't feel really good. Didn't play my best tennis.”

It needs to be said that there were moments of drop-dead gorgeous tennis from the Austrian, the kind of crush-your-face-into-the-terre-battue physicality that has become legend. He tapped the accelerator after winning the third set and played like a beast unleashed.

“The most positive thing I am taking from the match today is the fourth set, because I freed myself,” Thiem said. “I played way faster, way tougher for him. I moved him around way more. That's what I tried to build up on this fourth set.”

Thiem finding some boom boom off the backhand.

(@Eurosport_UK)#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/zP7vB2AiJV

— Matthew Willis (@MattRacquet) May 27, 2019

There’s no doubt that this was the case. Thiem’s unrelenting physicality, when viewed in person, can raise the hair on your neck. He plays like an electric wire gone rogue, striking sizzling ground strokes and sending the ball from corner to corner with naïve malice.

You can see the poor tennis ball morphing into an egg-shaped whirl of fuzz. Woe is the opponent when Thiem does what he does with efficiency and clarity. Gone are his legs and lungs when Theim is all there, settling into a comfort zone, teeing off and every so often throttling back just to ensure that he doesn’t become his own worst enemy.

But it was Thiem who was nearly gone on Day 2. That’s far too soon for a player of his caliber, for a No.2 favorite who is hoping to take the next step closer to the trophy he covets the most.

It’s not unacceptable and it can be fixed. Dominic Thiem will win this tournament someday. But if he is going to do the unthinkable and win it next week, he’ll need to be better, and quickly.

The 37-year-old still packs magic in that racquet.

Dave Winter/Icon Sport via Getty Images

Nicolas Mahut was worried that he wouldn’t be able to play at Roland Garros. But those worries faded on Day 1 as last year’s doubles champion created one of the magic moments of Day 1.

The Frenchman helped to create a special atmosphere in the new Court Simonne-Mathieu on Sunday when he rallied from two sets down to defeat Marco Cecchinato 2-6 6-7(6) 6-4 6-2 6-4.

The victory was extra special because of the pressure Mahut felt when he received a wild card from tournament organizers.

“It's rather complicated,” Mahut told the press. “First of all, some people took some risk by giving me this wildcard. I know that the captain, Thierry Champion, and the national technical manager also, and the president [of the FFT], as well. It wasn't obvious, because I hadn't been playing well, and I had been hurt over the past few weeks, and they trusted me.”

Mahut ( 🎥@Eurosport_RU ) pic.twitter.com/ZphBr593Wd

— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) May 26, 2019

An extremely grateful Mahut was quick to give thanks to those who trusted him. And he went on to explain just how close he was to rejecting the wild card in the lead-up to the tournament.

“I would like to seize this opportunity to thank them, because it wasn't a given. And for the anecdote last Friday, a week ago—well, before the qualifications we were training. It didn't go well. My back was still hurting. And I felt like giving back the wildcard and saying, ‘I won't be ready.’ Then my staff said, ‘Look, you have until Sunday. Take some time, take some rest.’ I felt better and better. Saturday and Sunday I was feeling better. And I had a week of preparation with coaches, with Jean-Michel. They didn't let go.”

Mahut gave credit to his wife for telling him to relax and play it by ear.

“My wife every evening would tell me, Relax, don't put any pressure on yourself. Things will go well. And I trusted them and this was my payback today.”

He was overwhelmed with joy when it was all said and done.

“It is by far my best victory in Roland Garros, in a French tournament, I hadn't had many,” said Mahut, who entered the tournament with a 6-16 lifetime record at Roland Garros. “And playing on this extraordinary court, I felt that if there was a possibility of playing on this court, it would be incredible and there would be an incredible atmosphere.

“And this is what happened today. He was winning two sets, and then I made an effort in the third, fourth, and in the fifth it's no longer the 20th seeded against my rank of 250. And it's also an advantage of being French when you play Roland Garros. And this victory will rank very high in my memories.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been paying attention to the game's legends. Here's what he sees.

What’s the difference between the ATP’s BIG 3 and the “rest” of the ATP? Stefanos Tsitsipas was asked that question after his Day 1 victory in Paris over Maximilian Marterer of Germany.

The Greek, no surprisingly, had a thoughtful answer:

“I know that with them I have to be twice more focused and not give points away,” he said. “They control the court so well. They know what they're doing. They know where they're playing, so everything is actually counted on these small details.”

Tsitsipas owns wins over Federer and Nadal in 2019—he knocked off Djokovic in Canada last season.

“I have seen the difference when I play the rest of the guys and them,” he said. “They don't overplay, don't do crazy things. But they play so right, and they always actually are confident with themselves, with anything they are doing. I think that's the difference that I have seen.”

The Tower of Tandil is not focused on results just yet as Paris looms.

By: Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild

Juan Martin del Potro has only seven matches under his belt this season, and he’s coming off a serious knee injury that for a spell in 2019 caused him to have to consider yet another season-ending surgery. And yet today the Argentine is back on the tour and he looked more than ready for prime time in Rome, where he won two rounds and then pushed Novak Djokovic to three sets and three hours in an epic quarterfinal.

So where exactly is Del Potro in terms of his best tennis?

Not quite there he says.

“I played great tennis for almost three hours in very high intensity with the No.1 of the world, which is a very good signal looking to the future,” Del Potro told reporters on Saturday at Roland Garros. “But I know how is my present at the moment, I know how far is my best level.”

The Tower of Tandil may say that he’s not quite there in terms of form and fitness, but those who witnessed that hair-raising encounter with Djokovic would surely disagree. He struck has backhand ferociously and kept Djokovic on his back foot for large portions of the match.

It was the old Del Potro, the lion-hearted purveyor of mighty groundstrokes and striker of fear in opponents' hearts.

“I’m getting back to my old backhand and that helped me for my whole game,” he said. “I played a lot of backhands down the line, making a lot of winners [against Djokovic in Rome]. Now I can mix it up with the slices, different shots that improved a few years ago, and if my wrist still helps me I will be playing harder backhands as well as my forehands and I will have a complete game for this year.”

Del Potro knows that it’s early, and he also has the wisdom of years and tears behind him. This is a man that has endured four wrist surgeries and one who last year had his patience rewarded when he reached his second career Grand Slam final and his first since 2009. Del Potro broke the record for most Grand Slam singles appearances between finals last year in New York—he had played 21 majors between his trip to the 2009 U.S. Open final and the 2018 U.S. Open final.

He surely looks primed to reproduce that level and potentially return to that stage of a major sometime soon, but he’s unwilling to compromise what he believes will be a strong second half of the season by rushing his still-not-quite-perfect knee here in Paris.

Today Del Potro spoke of the period after the Delray Beach Open in February and his next appearance on the clay at Madrid in May. After suffering a setback in Florida, many suggested surgery as a potential option for Del Potro but he told this reporter that he knew deep down it wouldn’t be the right move.

He spent another three months away from the tour and today Del Potro feels he benefitted greatly from the decision.

“Of course I had experience with these tough moments of my career and also I had the support from my family and friends and the people who helped me to keep trying and keep going because for the sport it’s the worst part of the show when you get injured and you cannot do what you want,” he said. “I took some experience with my wrist to feel the same things with the knee. I spoke a lot with my doctor and basically after Delray Beach when all the people around me recommended surgery I heard very deep in my heart to try a different way for the last time and then we found Angel Cotorro, the Spanish doctor. He tried a different treatment and it helped me at the moment and now I’m playing without surgery on the knee and I think that is because I had a different experience with my wrist and I took a good decision for the moment.”

As a two-time Roland Garros semi-finalist that is rounding into form, it seems easy to assume that Del Potro is ready for the next step here in Paris. But it's not such a simple equation. The 30-year-old is still very much in trial mode with his knee as he prepares to play his first best-of-five tennis since the rupturing of his right patella occurred last October in Shanghai.

If the knee feels good and the body gives him the proper sensations, he’ll be a force, but if it doesn’t, that’s okay—there’s still plenty of time and now that the knee is responding to treatment the future looks bright.

“I have high expectations in the future but not now because I want to be calm. … I will try to play as best as I can but I am going slowly.”

The American talks about her new relationship with Sven Groenevel and how it's just what she needed.
Sloane Stephens is thrilled to not be coachless anymore.

The No.7 seed talked to reporters for 15 minutes on Saturday in Paris, telling them that she has been in Paris a little bit longer than expected thanks to her second-round loss to Johanna Konta in Rome last week.

“I have been practicing,” she told reporters. “This is the longest I have been at a slam ever. It's been actually quite nice. Got a lot of shopping done, got to hang out.”

She later added: “I mean, yeah, I like—being in Paris extra is not—who's complaining? Definitely not me.”

Another thing that the 2018 Roland Garros runner-up is not complaining about is having a coach. She hired Sven Groeneveld, former coach of Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Monica Seles and many others, and is happy to have structure and planning playing a critical role in her life.

“I'm not gonna lie,” Stephens said of the three month period between parting ways with Kamau Murray and hiring Groeneveld. “It sucked. It was not enjoyable. A lot of the time it was—I mean, it was just all over the show. We don't need to go back there. We are totally moving forward.”

Media day at @rolandgarros has a pretty nice view 🌿🌺😍 pic.twitter.com/vltTIIugFe

— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) May 24, 2019

Some players that co coachless seem to really relish the experience as a chance to step of the treadmill and relax about things, but Stephens seems to have missed the professional guidance of a world class coach, and she’s not shy about admitting that.

“It just wasn't as fun,” she said “I wasn't having fun on the court. Just a lot of things were not where they should have been, and I think now with Sven having some structure and having someone who is, ‘This is what we are trying to get, this is what we need to do,’ like, everything is in order. … In my life, I think that's just what I needed at that moment, and he's been great so far.”

Stephens will open her eighth career Roland Garros appearance with a first-round tilt against Misaki Doi of Japan. The American is slated to face Elina Svitolina in the round of 16 and could potentially face Kiki Bertens in what would be a blockbuster quarter-final if the seeds hold.

It seems that she is approaching the tournament with renewed confidence and vigor. At 26, there is still lots to accomplish for Stephens.

“I think for myself there is only a few things in tennis that I really, really, really wanted to do, and I'm kind of just putting my mind to it now so I can get there and do it, and I can leave the game how I want to on my terms,” she said, before adding with a smile: “I'm not leaving the game any time soon, don't worry…”

The Laver Cup will be a part of the ATP's official calendar going forward.

The Laver Cup and the ATP are partners now.

The news broke on Friday as the men’s tour has announced that it will make the annual event a part of its calendar in addition to providing logistical and operational support such as marketing, social media, officials and physios.

Laver Cup will be held for the third time this September in Geneva, and Roger Federer voiced his support for the move in a statement, saying "As I come closer to the end of my playing career, it's wonderful to know that the Laver Cup will be part of the tour that I've dedicated more than 20 years of my life to. This partnership is a wonderful example of how the tennis family can unite to promote and grow the sport we all love."

Founded by Federer’s agency, TEAM 8, the Laver Cup has been a major success in its first two seasons in Prague and Chicago.

Joining forces: #LaverCup becomes an official part of the @ATP_Tour calendar. #ATPxLAVERCUP #TennisUnrivaledhttps://t.co/h1TZYY0f8y

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) May 24, 2019

World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who played the event in Chicago last September, also voiced his support. "The Laver Cup is a true celebration of tennis that is loved by the fans and embraced by the players. I experienced it first hand as a player, and as President of the ATP Player Council I'm proud to support this collaboration.”

The event showcases the best talent in men’s tennis in a unique format that in its first two seasons has seen Federer, Nadal and Djokovic join forces on the court. It has been embraced by the fans, who are eager to get a glimpse of the game’s greats in a less formal competition.

"The Laver Cup has struck a chord with fans worldwide in a very short time," said ATP CEO Chris Kermode. "It's been great to see the passionate participation of the players and the response from the fans at the sold-out events in Prague and Chicago. This event has great potential to reach new fans around the world, and all of us at the ATP are excited to include the Laver Cup as an official part of the ATP Tour calendar and have it featured alongside other tournaments on all our platforms."