I haven’t been posting of late due to other writing commitments, work, family, you name it. I’ve even started playing more myself again and the game is coming along decently – with the only worry being the body holding up.
But I’m going to try to get back to the blog and Twitter and follow it until the end of 2013. At least a chunkier post every week. And as an add-on I’m going to write a newsletter where you who subscribe get something a little bit extra from time to time. Match predictions, gear reviews, tips and tricks for your own game and general opinion. Just write your e-mail address below the post. You can of course unsubscribe at any time.
Okay, so I realize this has nothing to do with Federer so far. But I felt like the first post after a long break has to be about him. I guess I could write something more positive, like how amazing Nadal is playing and how great the Nadal vs Djokovic US Open final was, but Fed’s poor form has been the more controversial/hot topic lately. Is he on a more permanent decline? Or will he jump back and do another “2012”?
I don’t really know what to think at this point. Something about Federer’s game is definitely off, but it’s hard to say exactly what. Is it his timing? Is it his mental strength and willingness to fight for the win? Is he getting old? (Looking at Tommy Haas, who’s older, this seems weak), does he have some personal problem that affects his game?
Who knows but the Fed Express? And maybe he’s in the process of searching for answers?
No matter what, the indoor season will be a big test for him and all us Federer fans. If he plays well in Shanghai we’ll certainly get our hopes up for Paris and ATP World Tour Finals. If he loses before the semi’s in Shanghai, I think we won’t see much of a resurgence in 2013. He needs to rebuild his confidence and that is going to require winning a few tough matches in a row.
Time will tell. Until Shanghai starts we can enjoy Djokovic and Nadal in China Open. Nadal seems to be in an unbeatable mood, but can he match Djokovic’s speed indoors? Somehow I think the Serb will come back strong in the end of the year. He’s comfortable indoors on faster courts and should have more motivation now that he’s likely to lose the number one position in the rankings to Nadal.
Murray, as you might have heard, is injured and won’t play any more this year. Shame for the Scot who had his best year to date.
But let’s end this post on a positive note and hope that Federer gets back to his glory days and Nadal continues his good form. The tennis world deserves a few more years of these two giants blessing the sport.
