Sayonara North America hardcourts. Hello, European clay. For the Americans, it’s a time of anguish, when even such simple matters as making a phone call or ordering dinner exacerbate the tensions of playing on a less than familiar surface.

It may be time for a re-think from Tennis Australia, which oversees the lowest event on the four-Slam totem pole behind the French, Wimbledon and the US Open.

“Yeah, [he was] too good. That’s why he should retire,” Federer said. “No, I’m kidding. He knows best. I’ve had my struggles against him over the years. He beat me at Wimbledon. He beat me in my hometown [Basel] twice. He beat me at the places where it hurt me most. But I got him back a couple times, which is nice, too.”