Despite his early exit at the Swiss Open, it's far too early to write off Roger Federer ahead of the US Open 2013, and here are three reasons why...
1. He played at the Swiss Open with an injury
Federer was seen wearing a back support in Hamburg and he admitted after losing to Daniel Brands on Thursday that he'd been unsure about participating on the day of the clash.
He clearly wasn't fully fit, but his dedication to adjusting to his new racket and desire to rack up some wins made him rush his return to action.
2. He's been using a new racket
Adapting to a new racket isn't always easy, especially when your last one helped you to win 17 Grand Slam titles. Federer's new frame is roughly eight percent larger than his last one, and while it gives him a larger sweet spot to hit with he needs to adjust his timing a little. You can't expect perfection to be achieved overnight.
3. He was playing against a big server at high altitude
Big serves are always hard to deal with at altitude, so there's really no shame in losing to Daniel Brands in the Swiss Alps. Federer at least opened up five break point opportunities on Thursday, though he couldn't quite convert any of them. The German gave Rafael Nadal a major test at the French Open this year, so it's not as if he's a weak opponent either way. His relatively lowly ranking owes more to his high-risk game and lack of consistency rather than a lack of ability.
Also...
People are talking about Federer as if he's completely burnt out. When you've got players like Tommy Haas on the cusp of the top ten at 35, it seems a little premature to say that Federer is past it. For another example of a player who excelled in the twilight years of his career look no further than Andre Agassi. He won the Australian Open in his early thirties. Federer is one of the greatest talents to ever grace the game.
There's probably a fair amount of magic left and there's no reason to jump the gun because he lost in Gstaad.
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