There is no doubt that having Roger Federer back in the ATP World Tour is a great win for Tennis. The same thing also applies to Rafael Nadal. Two legendary players came back with what appears to be a new approach. The recently ended Australian Open saw these two titans competing for the men's singles crown in Melbourne. For the hardcore fans of tennis, it was a gift came out of nowhere. For both athletes, it might be the trigger for another great season at the very top of professional tennis. While Nadal is still 30, and it seems that he has plenty of time ahead, for the 35-years-old Swiss each tournament is just another bonus and eventually a chance to accomplish more.
Federer seems unstoppable
Having almost 2 decades of professional tennis under his belt, Roger Federer has reached the point where he no longer needs to prove something. With 18 Grand Slam titles, he is by far the greatest tennis player ever. As he personally admitted, playing without the sense of pressure on his shoulders changes the whole equation. In Melbourne, each time he was in danger of losing a match, he risked everything and it paid off. In order to win the Aussie Open, Federer survived a hellish draw defeating 4 top 10 players along the way. Also, he went through 3 matches of 5 sets each, the last one against Rafael Nadal in the final. Against Nadal, Federer recovered from a 2 game deficit in the 5th set.
With no ranking points to defend in the upcoming months, Federer is entitled to hope for the best.
Federer's schedule takes shape
Following the Australian Open success, the Swiss will be heading to the hardcourt events. On his official website, the next stop it`ll be at Dubai Duty Free Championship, an ATP World Tour 500 event.
Federer won this tournament on 7 different occasions having the last success back in 2015 when he defeated Djokovic in straight sets.
Moving forward, the Swiss is expected to make a stop for BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, a Masters 1000 event. Last year, due to his knee surgery, Federer skipped the Indian Wells as well as Miami event due to the knee surgery.
Last time he played at Indian Wells it was back in 2015 when he was a runner-up losing the final to Novak Djokovic.
Miami, also a Masters 1000 event is the last one confirmed on his official page. Following this American hardcourt swing, the action will be moving to Europe for the clay court season. For Federer, the clay season is a real challenge and he is expected to play few events on this surface. The French Open and a warm-up event in Monte Carlo, Madrid or Rome should be a reasonable bet to make.
