Roger federer is an enigma. There is no other way to describe him. At the age of 35, he is not only challenging for major titles but winning them as well. He came into the Australian Open with no competitive matches played in six months and two weeks later left with his eighteenth major title. Federer is now on a much-needed vacation and even admitted that he was extremely tired after his mammoth effort. With the Tennis landscape suddenly shifting could the Swiss parlay his hardcourt success into another major title later this season?
If Federer is healthy, he has a chance
The one constant of Federer’s career has always been his ability to stay injury free. That was until last year when a freak accident while drawing a bath for his kids led to knee surgery. His knee once again bothered him during a semi-final loss at Wimbledon. Federer was not seen again for the rest of 2016 season. After six months off, he returned top competition at Hopman Cup and played fairly well. Then suddenly, he managed to step up his game in every round he played in Melbourne and walked away with his fifth Australian Open. Something that everyone learned is that when Federer is healthy, he is still one the best out there. Much like Serena Williams, when Federer is playing at his best, it is difficult for anyone to beat him.
If he can manage his schedule for the rest of his career, there is no reason why he cannot rack up a few more majors before it is all said and done.
Novak Djokovic may have something to say about Federer’s resurgence
One of the main reasons why Federer was able to win in Australia was because the two dominant forces on the men’s tour, Djokovic and Murray, were knocked out before Federer got to their round.
That is not a knock on Federer but it is the truth. Djokovic is one of those players that has always given him trouble and their head to head record proves that point. Djokovic is going through the first major slump of his career but that does not mean that he cannot switch it back on immediately. He knows how to win majors and has all of the tools to win some more.
While many people are starting to write the Serbian off, let us all remember that those same people called for Federer to retire. Tennis is extremely unpredictable and while it looks like Federer is standing atop the mountain again, in six months we could be seeing something completely new.
