Right after winning his eighth title at the Swiss Indoors Basel, Roger Federer held an interview to clear some things up. The announcement that he won't travel to Paris for the last Masters 1000 of the season held in Bercy venue didn't' come as a shock. It was an expected move for him to make, and only that potential world No.1 seat could've influenced his decision. However, when it comes to Federer planning his schedule, with age comes greater game responsibility. His speech has acquired a philosophical feature somewhere along the way. Probably that six-months hiatus from tennis handed him the perfect opportunity to reflect better on which point of his career he was standing, and more importantly, how to proceed onward.
Ranked second in the world, Roger Federer has booked himself a spot for the Nitto ATP Finals in London. He will lead one group at the O2 Arena with another clash with Rafael Nadal looming for the semis or the final, depending on how they'll handle things in the Round Robin stage.
Roger Federer wants to keep it short and simple
Asked about his plans for the next season, Federer made it clear that his only chance to keep himself relevant is to go for a shorter schedule with the focus on Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events. The only thing yet to be determined is whether or not he will choose to skip the entire clay court swing of 2018 as he did this year. Although a risky move, this strategy paid off as Federer returned to dominate the entire grass court swing with a minor flaw at Stuttgart in the beginning.
There are some certainties too, with Roger Federer having booked two appearances for January 2018. The warm-up prior to the 2018 Australian Open will be at the Hopman Cup, an exhibition event that comes with no strings attached, which is good for the mindset. It's the same path Federer walked on earlier this year before entering that marvelous campaign at Melbourne Park.
Learning from mistakes of the previous season
In 2017, following his success at the Australian Open, Federer headed to Dubai where he unexpectedly lost to Evgeny Donskoy. it was a simple flaw that didn't hamper his efforts at Indian Wells and Miami where he went on crushing competition, including two wins over Rafael Nadal. For the 2018 schedule, Dubai might be left off the table, with Federer focusing on the Sunshine Double once again.
Then, the clay court swing will probably give him an extended break prior to the grass court tennis festival. Depending on how things work out at the time, Federer will adjust his schedule for the summer swing on the hard court, in a way to reach a peak of intensity at the 2018 US Open. Earlier this year, his decision to play in Canada ost him greatly as he was later forced to skip Cincinnati while the US Open turned into ashes pretty fast.
A carefully nourished schedule might give Roger Federer a chance to clinch at least one more Grand Slam before thinking about retirement.
