It's been a good three months of 2014 for the resurgent Roger Federer

Roger Federer during the Davis Cup tie against Kazakhstan

At the end of the 2013 ATP World Tour Season, Roger Federer probably asked himself a question: should I keep playing tennis professionally? Federer’s ranking had dropped from two to seven, his lowest in over 10 years. He had won only one tournament in an injury-plagued year; he dealt with an upper back injury in Indian Wells, a lower back injury in Gstaad, and another lower back injury in Hamburg. His pace had slowed down, his volleys had become less efficient, and his movement wasn’t close to what it was eight years before.

But he decided to keep playing in 2014, and it has paid dividends. Here’s a look at how the Swiss Maestro has performed in the first three months of the year:

January

Federer opened his season at the Brisbane International, where he looked unstoppable, dropping only one set on his way to the final. In the final he faced former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, his one-time arch rival and the home favourite. Federer lost the match in three sets, and his form was mediocre.

Federer, however, kept his hopes up going into the Australian Open, and there he looked like his old self. His game was much better, and he showed it by beating world number 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and world number 4 Andy Murray on the way to a semi-final clash with Rafael Nadal. Nadal took the first set in a tantalizing tie-breaker, but the second and third sets were a lot less close, with Nadal finishing them 6-3, 6-3.

That semifinal loss notwithstanding, Federer’s form in Melbourne looked solid, and he was able to maintain his focus for the entire duration of his matches, cutting down on the errors in the process.

After a week long break, Federer represented Switzerland in the Davis Cup, where he was able to defeat Serbia’s Ilija Bozoljac in straight sets.

February

After a three-week break for training, Federer took to the courts in Dubai. His form through the early matches was solid, dropping only one set on the way to a semi-final clash with four-time champion and world number two, Novak Djokovic. Federer was able to take the match in three sets, despite dropping the first one 3-6. That put him in the final where, again, despite dropping the first set 3-6, he was able to win the next two sets and the match. Dubai was the first and thus far the only title for Federer in 2014.

March

Federer started his March by playing in Indian Wells, a tournament which he has won four times. Federer knocked out all his opponents in straight sets to set up a rematch of the Dubai semi-final, with Novak Djokovic. In the final Federer took the first set 6-3, but lost the second set 3-6. The third set was close, Federer managing to break Djokovic’s serve with the Serb serving for the match at 5-4. Federer, however couldn’t keep the magic alive, and ended up losing in a tie-break, 6-7 (3).

Federer then travelled, with his confidence down, to Miami, where he looked to be on fire, defeating world number 9 Richard Gasquet, 6-1, 6-2 on the way to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals he met Japanese sensation, world number 21, Kei Nishikori. Federer won the first set easily, with his powerful forehand and his sweeping backhand doing a lot of damage. Nishikori fought back in the second, and third sets though, winning them 7-5 and 6-4 respectively. Nishikori forced Federer to make more errors, while maintaining the aggression from his side of the net to belt several winners.

Afterwards Federer said, “I had a hard time getting my service games going. On the return, as the match went on, I think it was that Kei started to serve a bit better, which made it more difficult.” Despite the loss, Federer managed to vault his ranking up to number 4; for the first time since August 2013, Federer was back in the top 5.

After that Federer once again represented Switzerland in the Davis Cup. His two singles round robin matches were won in straight sets.

Overall, the 2014 season is looking much better than the 2013 season for Federer, with one title already under his belt and five wins over top 10 players, including a win each against Djokovic and Murray. Federer has also posted a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open – the best he has done at a Grand Slam for a year. And finally, with his ranking at number four, his highest since August of 2013, it seems he is filled with confidence to continue playing, and possibly even win a Grand Slam.