Time for Federer to Step Up

Here we are now, two months into the 2008 tennis season and who would have thought that by this point Roger Federer would have exactly zero titles to his name? Not only has he failed to win a title thus far, but he has not even made it to a final. While I'm not ready to join the growing number of tennis fans who are wondering aloud if Roger may have passed his peak, clearly it is time that he delivered some results to quiet his critics. It needs to start here and now with the Masters tournament in Miami.

To summarize his year to date, Federer has reached two semi finals and had one first round defeat. His semi final appearances have not exactly been attained with his usual level of brilliance however. At the Australian Open he struggled to get past Janko Tipsarevic in the third round. He eventually pulled it out 10-8 in a rare fifth set. Rare for Roger that is. Then last week at Indian Wells, Roger made it through three easy opening round opponents, lucked-out with a quarterfinal bye, and was then trounced 6-3, 6-2 by Mardy Fish. The bottom line is that Federer has not had a strong performance to date in 2008. For a player who has dominated the opening months of the year going back to 2004, this is a major issue.

Each of the past four years, Roger Federer has opened the tennis season by dismissing almost every challenge sent his way. In 2004 he had three titles by this stage. In 2005, he had four titles. By this point of 2006 he had three titles and one result as a finalist. And in 2007 he had two titles. The consistency in his game was incredible, and by starting each season so strongly he was able to carry that momentum throughout the year. The same cannot be said thus far in 2008, and with only one more hard court tournament before the clay court push, his confidence and aura of invincibility are nowhere to be found.

While some of his lackluster play can be attributed to him coming down with mononucleosis earlier in the year, one has to wonder if that is the only factor at work. Perhaps other players are finally beginning to figure out what makes him tick. Younger players like Djokovic and Murray are presenting well rounded and dangerous games that he has not had to face in recent years. Maybe his motivation is starting to wane after so many consecutive years of dominating play. Whatever the reason may be, it is time for Roger to make a statement in Miami to show the rest of the tour he is still top dog.

Should Djokovic win this Masters event after his victory in Indian Wells last week, he would be the number one threat on tour, whether the rankings reflected that or not. Suddenly Federer could be viewed as the underdog in their rivalry. Federer needs to have that sense of being unbeatable to continue his push for the Grand Slam record. Many close matches he has had over the years have probably swung his way due to the player across the net realizing who they were playing, and not necessarily always how he was playing. How will Roger Federer evolve as a tennis player if he is no longer the number one threat?

I think we will see Federer fight his way to the title in Miami. He needs a confidence boost before switching to the clay courts of Europe and this would be the perfect solution. It is time that Roger Federer displayed his champion spirit and returned to the winners circle. The alternative would not bode well for him as the tennis season quickly unravels. He does not want to be sitting back watching the Djokovic's and Murray's of the tour grab the titles that he has owned for so long. He needs to step up and show them that their time has yet to come.

Roddick Lets Racquet Talk For Him

How long has it been since Andy Roddick's name was mentioned as a serious challenger to reigning heavyweight tennis champ Roger Federer? With young guns Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the scene, Roddick has quietly slipped into the background of men's tennis. A perennial top ten player who can't quite compete with today's versatile, all-court players. And yet looking at Roddick's record the past five years, he has been one of the most consistent players on tour. Yet it seems there is a lack of respect from media and tennis fans alike that such a record would normally command.

Looking at his Grand Slam record it's true that Andy Roddick hasn't exactly lit the record books since his professional tennis debut in 2000. The US Open title in 2003 is his lone Grand Slam title. That puts him in the same company as Thomas Johansson, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Juan-Carlos Ferrero and Goran Ivanisevic. All one hit wonders. I'm not trying to say that Roddick is on par with these players, or that he won't at some point perhaps win another slam. Surely if it were not for Roger Federer, Roddick would own a couple of Wimbledon titles and another US Open as well. How many players has Federer denied reaching greater heights?

Roddick's record over the past five years grants him the status as one of the best players of his generation. Have a look at the following win/loss stats and it is hard to argue with that statement. His Slam record other than his one win, includes 3 finals, 4 semi finals, and 4 quarter final appearances. He has also qualified in the season ending Masters tournament each year during that span.

2003: 69-16

2004: 63-14

2005: 56-15

2006: 42-15

2007: 46-14

His wins have diminished over the years, but he is also playing less tournaments than he used to. More importantly he has had to deal with the growing threat of an emerging group of younger tennis players who have come out to play. His steady play has been overshadowed by the recent emergence of Nadal (3 grand slams, age 21) and Djokovic (1 grand slam, age 20). He even gets upstaged by whoever has had the most recent momentary surge such as Jo-Wilfred Tsonga for example.

This past week in Dubai, Roddick certainly reclaimed the spotlight. Not only did he hold serve the entire tournament, but he successfully defeated both Nadal and Djokovic which must have felt incredibly satisfying. Both were straight set victories leaving no doubt that Roddick was in control of the match. He had never before defeated Djokovic, and had not beaten Nadal since 2004 when Nadal was still a kid. Despite amicably parting ways with coach Jimmy Connors, he has made it known that he is ready to contend for a Grand Slam again and will be looking to build on these victories at the upcoming Masters Series hard court events in the US. After years of everyone asking what's wrong with Andy Roddick, it's nice to pause for a moment and examine what's right.