How significant is Roger Federer’s 9th Swiss Indoors Title?

Federer needed to win a title to get back his self-confidence after his recent patchy form

It is only fitting that Roger Federer brought an end to his title drought since June this year by winning his 9th title at his home tournament – the ATP 500 Swiss Indoors title at Basel.

In the intervening period since he won at Stuttgart, he has suffered some shocking losses to journeymen like John Millman at the US Open and has seen victories snatched away from winning positions, most notably at his happy hunting ground of Wimbledon, by Kevin Anderson. Ironically, the day Roger lifted the 99th title of his hallowed career, his Wimbledon nemesis won the biggest title of his career at Vienna.

For someone who has won twenty Grand Slams and twenty-seven Masters 1000 titles, an ATP 500 title may not seem a big deal. However, that may have been true for Roger a few years ago when he was young and winning Grand Slams and other big tournaments for fun – well, almost.

But at age thirty-seven, when most athletes, and not just tennis players, are happy sitting at home and playing with their kids, Federer defies age and convention to keep competing and winning. Every time he goes through a bad patch, as has been the case in the last few months, there is talk of his possible retirement.

Though he has nothing left to prove to anybody, an extended title drought could sow seeds of doubt in his mind and hasten his decision to bid adieu to the game that he so dearly loves.

This victory at Basel is significant for Roger, not in terms of proving his detractors wrong, but in reassuring himself of his place among the best of tennis players now. Whether he admits it or not, his recent struggles at his favoured grass and hard courts must have dented his confidence a bit. He badly needed to bring back that self-confidence and a title run at his most successful tournament was exactly what the doctor ordered.

What must have also pleased Federer the most, apart from of course winning the title, is the fact that he produced two of his most assured performances in his last two matches, against Daniil Medvedev and Marius Copil. Now that he has won his 99th title, could he make a serious push for his hundredth at the Paris Masters?

It suddenly seems quite probable, even with a seemingly invincible Novak Djokovic and a well-rested Rafael Nadal, in the fray.