Roger Federer has
accomplished just about everything during his illustrious 16-year professional
career. The Swiss maestro has won 17 grand slam titles, 78 ATP titles, and an
Olympic gold medal, which he won with countrymen Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008
Beijing Olympics. In addition, Federer holds several Open Era records including
weeks at world No. 1 (302), reaching every Grand Slam final at least five
times, and appearing in 10 straight grand slam finals, 24 overall. As one of
seven men in history to complete the career Grand Slam, Roger Federer is
arguably the greatest male tennis player of all-time. For a man that had won
more grand slams titles than any player in history, I wonder, “How does Roger
Federer stay motivated now that he is the one holding the record?” In this
blog, I will be discussing Federer’s chances of winning more grand slam titles
by analyzing his recent form.
Roger Federer
Grand
Slam Titles
Australian Open: 4 Singles
French Open: 1 Singles
Wimbledon: 7 Singles
U.S. Open: 5 Singles
Olympic Gold Medals: 1
Doubles
Career Prize Money: $80,748,177
(as of 3/17/14)
After Federer won his seventh
Wimbledon in 2012, there was a noticeable decline in his game. For the first
time in career, Federer began to look his age. The areas of Federer’s game that
saw the biggest decline were his movement, serve, and forehand. During his
matches, Federer appeared to be a step slower than usual. When pulled out wide to
the forehand side, Federer was either unable to get to the ball, or gave
opponents a weak reply. Additionally, Federer’s serve, which was known for it’s
pinpoint accuracy, was now the source of uncharacteristic unforced errors. As a
result of the decline in Federer’s game, questions about retirement began to
seep its way into his press conferences.
The 2013 season was
definitely a year to forget for Roger Federer. For the first time since 2003, he
failed to reach a grand slam final. Moreover, Federer’s record 36 consecutive
Grand Slam quarterfinal streak was broken following a shocking second-round
loss to Sergiy Stakhovsky. In the 19 tournaments Federer played throughout the
year, he managed to win only one title, the pre-Wimbledon tune-up in Halle. Federer
would finish 2013 ranked No. 6 in the world, his lowest year-end ranking in 11
years.
At the conclusion of a
disastrous season, I had two questions regarding Roger Federer game: “Is the
decline in his play due to his age, and can he turn it around in 2014?” In the
offseason, Federer made several drastic changes regarding his game. The first
change Federer made was the type of racquet he used. Federer for many years
used a racquet that was far smaller than most of the players on tour at 90
square inches. The switch to a racquet with a larger racquet head (98 sq.
inches) will provide Federer with a larger sweet spot, and added power to his
shots. Conversely, switching to a different frame requires a fair amount of
time to adjust, and could result in even more inconsistent play.
A perfect example of someone
who struggled following a racquet change was world No. 2 Novak Djokovic. It
took the Serb almost a year to become comfortable with the change from a Wilson
racquet to a Head frame. Federer began playing with a different frame following
his early Wimbledon loss; however, he quickly went back to the smaller frame
because of how uncomfortable he felt. Making a racquet change in the brief
offseason is a decision Federer believes is necessary in order to continue
playing high-level tennis. I believe a tennis racquet is like a spouse. You
must know it, understand it, and trust it, or else the relationship is not
going to last.
The second change Roger
Federer made was a coaching change. In the offseason, Federer hired tennis
legend Stefan Edberg. With coach Severin Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain,
still at the helm, Federer hired Edberg part-time to offer insight on ways to
improve Federer’s game. One area the six-time major champion Edberg can
definitely help Federer is the serve-and-volley. Edberg is arguably the best
serve-and-volley player in history. Advising Federer to establish a better
relationship with the net would be wise strategically because Federer possesses
excellent volleying skills. In addition, with today’s players being so strong
from the baseline, the serve-and-volley will allow Federer to end points
quicker, thus preserving his body from the wear-and-tear of prolonged rallies. Roger
Federer has racked up a lot of miles on his body during his 16-year
professional career. The addition of the serve-and-volley to his game will
allow Federer to remain competitive with the younger, and stronger baseliners
on tour.
Another area Stefan Edberg
can help Federer is the backhand groundstroke. Edberg, contrary to Federer,
possessed a strong backhand, and a much weaker forehand. What Edberg can
improve in Federer’s game is the consistency and the variety of his backhand. By
helping Federer get more margin on the backhand groundstroke, Federer will be
able to keep more balls in play, as well as use the backhand as a set up shot to
run around and hit a forehand. The use of variety on the backhand will help
Federer in multiple ways. Federer possesses one of the most beautiful
one-handed backhand slices in history. Incorporating the slice frequently in
rallies will allow Federer to transition to the net, while offering a change of
pace shot that can be used offensively or defensively. Initially, I was
uncertain about how much Stefan Edberg could actually offer Roger Federer.
However, after analyzing the weaknesses in Federer’s game, I realized that
Stefan Edberg could be a great coach for Federer. The partnership is slated to
continue through the 2014 season. I look forward to seeing in the coming months
the effect Edberg has on Federer’s game.
Based on what I have seen
from Roger Federer in 2014, reporters should begin using a different “r” word
during his press conferences, resurgence. Off to his best start since the 2012
season, Federer is 19-3 this year, with a 4-2 record against top 10 opponents. After
falling to No. 8 in the world rankings following the Australian Open, Federer went
on to win the ATP 500 event in Dubai, beating Djokovic in the final. Federer’s
impressive run continued at the BNP Paribas Open last week, where he nearly
captured his fifth title at the masters’ series event. As a result of his
strong play, Federer has risen to No. 5, with no points to defend at this
week’s Sony Open.
The resurgence in Federer’s
game is primarily due to the improvement of his health. For a large portion of
the 2013 season, Federer was nursing a back injury. The injury was sustained
during last year’s BNP Paribas Open, and resulted in the future Hall-of-Famer
taking a seven-week break in the spring. Federer detailed that he reinjured his
back after Wimbledon, and it hampered him for the rest of the year. For a
player like Federer, who has rarely dealt with prolonged injuries during his
career, managing the back injury was a relatively new experience for the Swiss champion.
The doubt that crept into Federer’s game last season has since been replaced by
the confidence tennis fans are accustomed to from the all-time great.
The question is, “Can Federer
win another major?” Similar to part one of the blog series, I strongly believe
that Federer can win more grand slam titles. A better question to ask would be,
“Which major gives Federer the best chance of capturing another Grand Slam
title(s)?” Federer has the greatest opportunities at Wimbledon and the U.S.
Open because both events are played on faster court surfaces, which are better
suited for the Federer game. The Australian Open is definitely not out of the
question either because Federer is still one of the best hard-court players in
the world. However, the two factors that could prevent Federer from increasing
his grand slam tally are further injury problems and a dwindling desire to win.
If Federer can manage both of these factors, 20 career majors is certainly a
possibility.
How many more majors do you
think Roger Federer can win? Please let me know in the comments section below.
In my next blog, I will
discuss the lack of a great rivalry on the WTA Tour.
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