And the Swiss star will really fancy his chances of ruling supreme at Wimbledon once again this year, particularly as his rivals have so far failed to step up to the plate on the grass at Queen’s Club and Halle.
Federer’s decision to withdraw from the Gerry Weber Open this week certainly caused a fair amount of controversy and cast the 29 year-old into a bad light amongst tournament directors and a number of tennis fans.
However in deciding to once again take a mini break from the sport, Fed could well have further boosted his chances of lifting a seventh title at SW19.
Following unexpected defeats to Jurgen Melzer and Richard Gasquet on the clay, Federer invested a fair amount of time on the practise court and took himself out of the spotlight to focus on how he could improve his game.
His resurgent form at the French Open demonstrated that he still has the ability to identify weaknesses in his game, but more crucially, that he still possesses the desire and hunger to rectify any problems and adapt his talents despite his ageing years.
Both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have swooped to overtake Federer in recent times, showing whole new levels of technical ability and fitness that have reaped the rewards in terms of Grand Slams.
But Federer still remains as the most naturally gifted grass court player in the world – and even when he has lost the Wimbledon title to Nadal, it has been largely down to the Spaniard’s excessive work rate and endurance rather than a case of being outclassed.
If Federer can successfully transform his Roland Garros form onto the grass, then he is still the man to beat at the All England Club.
Date: 12.06.2011
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