One of the key attributes of top tennis players is that they know how to properly manage their playing schedules.  They must recognize when adjustments need to be made.  More often than not, that means guarding against overplaying, but every so often, the occasion calls for adding a tournament to the schedule. 

Roger Federer has opted to add a tournament by accepting a wildcard into next week’s Rolex Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.  It is a decision that may have surprised some, but it is the right move.

In the case of Federer, the sooner he can get his clay-court campaign underway and acclimated to the surface, the better.  That is not to say that clay is troublesome for the former No. 1.  On the contrary, he has proven himself more than capable of playing top-notch tennis on the dirt.  Federer probably would have already won in Monte Carlo and bagged more than one French Open title had it not been for Rafael Nadal’s superiority on clay. 

But Federer’s game is better suited to indoor and outdoor hard courts and grass.  This makes clay the surface where he is most likely to be upset early, especially considering how many clay-court specialists are still in the sport.  Federer can increase his odds of avoiding such an upset later in the clay-court swing by kicking of his campaign early.

Federer should also look to start early on the clay to keep building on his momentum not just for the next eight weeks, but going forward throughout the rest of the season.  Already, this year has treated him better than 2013.  Federer has won a title in Dubai, reached the finals of Brisbane and Indian Wells, and notched wins over Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, and Novak Djokovic.  There is no reason why he cannot continue to produce those kinds of results in Monte Carlo, where he is a three-time finalist.  After all, victory often breeds more victory.

In addition to the confidence that comes with match victories, Federer will also be keen to scoop up the valuable ranking points that they offer, which may have also factored into his decision to compete at Monte Carlo.  He is currently just over 400 points behind his countryman, Stanislas Wawrinka, who played more events during the 2013 clay-court season, including a quarterfinal showing at the Rolex Masters.  By contrast, Federer played only three events – Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros – and put up mediocre results at two of those three tournaments. 

That translates into ample opportunity to gain ground and likely surpass Wawrinka to move up to world No. 3.  Additionally, Federer may be looking to create a point cushion.  He has stated that he will take some time off when his third child arrives, so earning points now in lieu of points he may opt not to defend later would be a wise move.

Federer has a good look at capitalizing on his lack of results from last year because he can swing relatively freely with no significant amount of pressure on his shoulders.  All eyes will instead be on Nadal and Djokovic.  Given that setup, Federer has to like his chances against the bulk of the field.  Although a long shot, a win over Djokovic or even Nadal is not completely out of the realm of possibility.  He has a game that matches up well against Djokovic, and Nadal has looked slightly more vulnerable of late.  Securing a victory on the dirt over either of these two players would do wonders for his confidence going forward.

In short, there are no major cons to Federer opting to play in Monte Carlo.  The Swiss has everything to gain, and if he looks as sharp as he has throughout the first quarter of the year, he is a legitimate dark horse to take the title.  Having taken a wildcard into Monte Carlo, Federer could himself turn out to be a wildcard this clay season.