With the 36th anniversary looming ahead, Roger Federer made his comeback on the ATP professional tour. His first official match since Miami's final turned out to be one with no special glow attached as he left the court defeated by Tommy Haas, a 39-year-old veteran from Germany. It's not the kind of comeback Federer hoped for but this is often how things work for a professional tennis player. That precious momentum is something that won't last forever and must be exploited without any second thoughts. Federer chose a more cautious approach by skipping a bunch of big ATP events on clay including the French Open.
For him, it was all about longevity and keeping his body fresh, but spending so much time away from the tour while all other players are competing could produce some limitations.
The grass court could end up being fruitless
Over the first three months of the season, Roger Federer seemed to be from another universe. His aggressive tennis left no opponents standing at the end of the day. The 35-year-old Swiss deserves all the credits for what he accomplished during the first hardcourt swing, but there is also another angle to tackle the matter. It was an element of surprise that helped Federer on his quests as no one thought that he would be able to sustain a high-level of intensity for too long, especially after that forced break from 2016.
Now, as the season is progressing into the Grass Court session, Federer is now at the core of the events, but this time the expectations are high, which might add few stones of pressure on his shoulder. Federer losing in Stuttgart could be one single flaw, or it could grow into something more dangerous. After all, he went there to play as many matches as possible given his lack of activity lately.
Now he must adjust the schedule from the beginning. Next week, he is set to play in Halle and another early exit there could stir things up as he would enter Wimbledon without any solid preparation.
It won't be easy to win the 8th Wimbledon
All voices are giving Roger Federer as the main favourite on London's grass. At the moment he is ranked fifth in the world having no possibility to enter the top 4 before Wimbledon.
That complicates things as the draw could deliver Nadal, Djokovic, Murray or Wawrinka in the same quarter of the draw with Federer. Judging by the latest developments on the men's tour, the best scenario will be if Federer shares the quarter with Wawrinka or Djokovic. The other two big names Murray and Nadal have some extra leverage. Andy Murray, the world no. 1 and the defending champion will be playing in front of his own crowd while Rafael Nadal seems eager to regain the lost dominance after breezing past every obstacle over the past two months.
When Federer left the stage at the beginning of April he was the ruling party on the ATP Tour. Meanwhile, things have changed and now his success on grass has no guarantees while his shell of invincibility seems to fade away.
