Federer Decline: Is it Really Curtains for the Swiss Star

'Federer Wins 2nd Title of 2010'. News? Yes, but not in the sense that people expect from the Federer name. A couple of years ago, a title such as the one above would have been seen probably in January, and in all probability before the Australian Open. This being August, people who are not hard core tennis fans but follow the sport will think of the title as an error, assuming automatically that it should have read 'Federer wins 2nd Grand Slam of 2010'. Of course, with the Australian Open title under his belt, and the US Open still to be played, there is all possibility, and even probability that Federer will win his 2nd Grand Slam of the year. However, with more than half the year gone, and Federer having won only two titles till date, doubts about the Federer decline, which first came up in 2008, are resurfacing.

Federer's scant number of titles bring to the fore, yet again, talk of his decline, and how his game has dropped after he became a father. Well guess what, even at 29 years of age, beating Federer in tennis is still the main thought in anyone's mind when they enter a competitive tennis event. Though he lost early at Wimbledon and Paris, and has just two titles in the year, the Federer juggernaut is far from over. He reached the finals of the Rogers Cup, where he lost a tough final, interrupted by rain, to Andy Murray. He then won the Cincinnati Masters, beating American Mardy Fish in another epic final, which saw only one break of serve, and was reminiscent of the Wimbledon final against Roddick in 2009. In the last two tournaments that Federer entered, he has defeated the very people who have knocked him out of the majors, showing that it's not over yet for him yet. Nikolay Davydenko, Tomas Berdych, Marcos Baghdatis, del Potro, Robin Soderling, all have faced defeat at Roger's hands in spite of having beaten him just once. Some of these may have a couple of victories against Federer, but the majority of the wins have come from Federer's racket.

With this victory, Federer has shown that he is ready for the 2010 US Open next week, and that defeating Roger Federer is still the thing to do, at any level of tennis. The defending champion del Potro will not be competing due to a wrist injury, and Federer's game on hard court makes him the favorite for the title. Will he be able to take his 17th Grand Slam title? That will be the question everyone will be asking, and only time will tell us the answer. Federer fans will be praying for his victory, and in spite of his record 16 Grand Slam titles, there is, in Federer's own words, much to play for.

While Federer critics will keep clinging to the theory of age and fatherhood being the cause of Federer's decline, it must be pointed out that in spite of having just 2 titles to his name, Roger Federer is still number 2 in the rankings. This in itself should silence Federer critics. IMHO it won't be long before we see Federer back at the top spot. And to answer the question in the title regarding the Federer decline, one can only say that it will be a long time before we see the back of this great player. Federer is still going strong, and hopefully will continue for many more years.

Till then, it's the US Open tennis championships coming up in a week, with the draws taking place this Thursday. Stay tuned.

"You can't win them all. I always knew that. So I was very shocked and surprised at how dominant I was and how well I played for so many years. And still today I'm hanging with the top and I've got chances and already won a slam again this year. I have a chance to win a second one and maybe the World Championships at the end of the year. There's still a lot to play for." - Roger Federer