Tide is Turning
Shockwaves have rumbled through the tennis world recently as Roger Federer has lost not one, but two matches in two consecutive tournaments and to the same player, i.e. not some Spanish dude sporting a pirate’s bandana, but to a player from the Pampas, i.e. Argentinian Guillermo Canas. It was inevitable that Roger Federer would lose a few matches, especially in non-slam events. Federer’s record the past few years has been incredible not only because of his Grand Slam titles,
but even more so in a way because of his consistency in winning the regular events on the ATP Tour. Clearly, Federer’s air of invincibility is slightly deflated, but what matters more is how Federer himself reacts to the losses. In the second loss to Canas at the Sony Ericsson Open, Federer seemed to have found his rhythm in the second set, but yet in the critical moments at the beginning and end of the third set, Federer still didn’t play well on the big points. Federer also lost the first set tie-breaker to Canas. As Federer admitted afterwards, he thought he played well, but that he didn’t come through on the big points. It almost seemed as if Federer was the one pressing and therefore making a mistake. Therefore, perhaps the pressure will be lifted a bit off of Federer’s shoulders now that he’s lost a couple matches, especially to someone not named Rafael Nadal. Federer’s stellar play in the critical moments at past Grand Slams is what has created his legendary status. Therefore, he will need to retain (or retrieve) that confidence in order to capture his eleventh Grand Slam title. Federer’s play in the events leading up to Roland Garros will speak volumes about how much his confidence has been shaken by the losses to Canas. As Federer’s Nike t-shirt says, “I’m Tomorrow’s Future.”
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