Can Roger Federer reinvigorate himself with yet another Wimbledon title?

Another Grand Slam, another hope. These days, Federer enters every Grand Slam with amazing fitness and hunger. He indeed “slashes” his opponents with his powerful forehand and, without dropping a set, reaches the last eight, faces the tougher opponents, flies past them easily and adds another trophy to his collection. Federer’s fans don’t need an inception-style planning to escape such a dream. They are just in their own level 1 dream. A sudden kick or a shocker of an exit by Federer will make one come out of the dream, only to build a better castle-in-the-air next time.

Roger Federer gave the game a new flavor, yet retained a traditional playing style. Prior to him, men’s singles tennis was all about serve and volley and long rallies were rare. He made the game interesting by extending the rallies, yet remained a player who was good at the net and continued to remain in the single-hand backhand community. He changed the face of the game by making the rest push hard. He is indeed getting old but he adapts to conditions quickly. Need an example? Even since he met Sachin Tendulkar, he has quickly learnt to hit sixes into the crowd!

Jokes apart, the recent past has been hard for Federer. His defensive volleys at the net are easily handled by opponents and his backhand shots are often erroneous. Of course, he is getting older but his hunger to stay fit and be competitive is evident by the way he has planned his tournaments this year. He has played in less tournaments compared to other top players. With this little planning, Federer has managed to retain his ranking amongst the top.

Federer recently said that he is a much better and complete player than he was 6 years ago. Does that mean it’s important to cling to the ranking? 6 years ago, Federer, minus the red dirt, meant fear. He was not the top ranked plahyer when he won his first Grand Slam and not even in the top 10 when he defeated Sampras. But today, his shots are wayward and he is in a hurry to finish his matches, whether win or lose. Getting older can’t be a reason. Consider Serena Williams for instance. She is 31 and getting stronger, both physically and mentally day by day. She is closing in on Federer’s Grand Slam records silently.

Federer, for whom winning was a habit once, cannot think of such low-key retirements. He is that kind of a player who cannot be kept out of the game nor can he think of life without tennis. Federer is optimistic that he can add another Grand Slam winners’ trophy to his kitty. He has the belief that he is where he has to be. He is ready to take on the younger opponents on his familiar ground. Federer is now in a position to show his mettle. Playing on his favourite surface, he knows the grass, knows the shots and where to place them. All aspects support Federer here. Who other than Federer can win Wimbledon again?

Doesn’t holding aloft an eighth Wimbledon trophy mean more than hanging on to a ranking? Can the defending champion bounce back and write off those critics who call for his retirement? Will we see another tearful emotional victory speech? The next two weeks will give the answer.