Roger Federer, 36, has found a way to keep himself relevant after nearly two decades of being a professional tennis player. His hunger shows him as an athlete in his prime, eager to find new ways to improve his delivery. A year ago, the whole world was preparing for the ATP Finals in London, but without Roger Federer among the competitors. After 14 consecutive seasons with him making the cut, the season of 2016 saw Federer spending more than half a year outside of the tennis court with a knee injury that was threatening to end his career for good.
But, for the third time in the past few years, he came back completely rejuvenated and with the same desire to shape the landscape by his own will. Two Grand Slam titles and three Masters 1000 titles along with two ATP 500 triumphs are the exact proof of that and the season is not over yet.
Federer keeps coming back and innovating his own approach
The horrible season of 2016 was not the only time when Federer fell from grace. A similar episode took place several years ago when the young wolves Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray started to push harder to make room for their own ambitions and goals. Between his 2010 Australian Open title and 2012 Wimbledon success, Federer had lost the front seat to his younger opponents.
But then the 2012 Wimbledon arrived and Federer made a fabulous resurgence. A solid win over Djokovic in the semis put him on track for the first Grand Slam final since January 2010. He then made no mistakes dismantling Andy Murray to clinch his seventh Wimbledon crown.
But the glory didn't last long as Federer stumbled again.
He had another surge in the second part of 2015 as he stood up as the only threat to Novak Djokovic, the undisputed ruler at that time. Even so, the Swiss champion went on to lose three consecutive Grand Slam finals against the Serb tennis superstar. The surreal comeback story of 2017 has a special feel with his rival Rafael Nadal playing a significant role in it.
Roger Federer can remain relevant in 2018 too
The upcoming season is predicted to be a highly-attractive one. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, and Stan Wawrinka are expected to bounce back into their slots, bringing some heavy competition back to the sport.
It'll be interesting to watch how Roger Federer will navigate his way across that foaming sea of tennis superstars. In this case, it seems obvious that the skills and that hunger are not an issue, it's more like a matter of getting the gears up at the right time while trying to keep a healthy body as well.
