Federer Regains Number 2 Ranking

Roger Federer's losses in the French Open (to Robin Soderling) and Wimbledon (to Tomas Berdych) saw him lose his Number 1 ranking and slip down to the Number 3 spot for the first time in 7 years. After winning the Australian Open, Federer suffered a slump in tennis and his dismal form continued through the French Open and Wimbledon, his favorite Grand Slam. Injuries and health problems seemed to have affected him for the first time in the last 7 years, dramatically affecting his performances on the court. And though he may be the last to agree, age is also catching up with him and is probably a main part of the reason as to why he can't dominate other players as well as he could before. With his losses in Paris and England, many thought that this was the end of Tennis' Greatest Player, as after 16 titles and more than 5 years of dominance, Federer was for the first time, ranked outside the top 2. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic took the 1st and 2nd spots, leaving a tired and shattered Federer to grab the third.

Moving down the calendar to the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, Federer started his US Open warm up campaign with a good run in the Rogers Cup, before losing to Andy Murray in the final. Affected by rain delays, which favored the Scot, the final was a closely contested affair with Murray winning 7-5 7-5. Murray has been playing his best tennis so far, and defeated World Number 1 Rafael Nadal in the semis. Federer, on the other hand, has not been his best, and though he made the final, he will need to improve his game much better if he wants to take home the US Open trophy. His defeat of Novak Djokovic in the semis of the Rogers Cup, however, gave him the Number 2 spot in the rankings, and is so far the only silver lining in a dismal year. Unfortunately for Federer, there is no way that he can regain his Number 1 ranking this year, even if he were to win the US Open, and Nadal lose the first round. The point difference ensures that Nadal will finish the year end at Number 1.

Federer, in spite of the loss, should be happy, as now he has only one more spot to go before getting his Number 1 ranking back, and breaking Sampras' record of most weeks at the Number 1 position. While Sampras was Number 1 for a record 286 weeks, Federer is only 1 short at 285. To get the record and to move up to the number one spot in tennis, and remain there, Federer has to concentrate more on the Masters tournaments in addition to the Grand Slams.

Action now moves to Cincinnati, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 championship, where Federer is the joint favorite with the Rogers Cup champion Andy Murray. However, should he reach the semis in Cincinnati, Federer will in all probability face Rafael Nadal.

While fans of Federer will want him to get back to his winning ways, they will have something to be pleased about, with his regaining the 2nd spot in the ATP Rankings.

As usual, lots more tennis action coming up. Stay tuned.