What ails Roger Federer ahead of the Australian Open?

What are the major concerns for Roger Federer ahead of the Australian Open?

As I write this, Australia is rejoicing big time thanks to their sports stars who have pulled off unexpected victories today (For the cricket part, not today exactly). Coming on to the tennis part, Lleyton Hewitt showed once again that he is not THAT rusty after all as he grabbed his 29th title on ATP tour and 1st in his hometown after a 9 year hiatus. But the man who is going to be in focus here is the man Lleyton beat, none other than Roger Federer.

To start with, 2013 was all but dismal for arguably the Greatest player Of All Time(GOAT) which was due for a long time. Still it came as a shock to everyone. The cries for retirement grew louder forgetting that Roger is human and 32 and ‘can’ have fitness issues. But now, come 2014, we have new things in store as follows :

• A physically fit again Roger with no niggles apparently.
• A larger Wilson 98-inch racquet tested and practiced with for enough time.
• A new coach in the form of the Swedish great Stefan Edberg.

But there is one more important parameter missing from the above list. The mental fitness. Federer has been asked time and time again that what drives him to continue playing and not give up. He has the answer ready and is upbeat every time. But how long before Federer can’t bear such losses and get ‘Fed’ up? After all, as we know, he is a man of high self-esteem and certainly he would not be enjoying to be on the sidelines like this. Talking about achievements, there aren’t any particularly left for him to achieve as he has had hands on almost every trophy (not saying medal). So, will it continue like this? The uncertainty of which Roger would show up today in the match? Probably, it will.

Talking about the loss to Hewitt, there were obvious stats that indicate why Roger fell short. One cannot expect to waste 7 break point opportunities in a deciding set and still come out on top. Credit to Lleyton but Roger helped him too. The courts were faster in Brisbane works in favor of Roger and still he ended up being Runner up in a field where next best ranked player was Kei Nishikori at 17. This performance does not at all suggest that he can win another Grand Slam or for the time at Melbourne which is also in news for faster courts.

There has been a pattern in Federer’s losses recently. The matches consist of changing levels of play from Roger and not consistent enough to be able to shut it out. He takes them into deciders with some spark but it lasts little. Honestly speaking, he is not anywhere near convincing to beat the top guys like Djokovic, Rafa or Murray. His shots are weak and wayward at times. Serve may bail him out at times but not consistently. Surely, the desire is there. But somehow it is not working out there on court.

Edberg will join Roger in Melbourne only after the tournament kicks off. So there isn’t really any room for preparation with him. Still the volley virtuoso will help Roger in some way. Roger will be seeded 6th at Australian Open which is likely to pit him against the top guys by as soon as Quarter Finals. It is a period of test of Federer’s character but no matter what, a Federer fan will always have butterflies in his stomach whenever Roger Federer steps on to the court.