When he woke up this morning, the ex Number 1 player in men's Tennis would have realised that what actually happened was not a bad dream but rather a grim reality. How awful it must have been for him not having his mandatory digit in front of his name, as it was "stolen" by the Spanish Olympic Champion. Without over dramatising it, I actually felt sad for Fedexpress, because it really marked the end of an era in men's Tennis. It wasn't just that Roger had lost his number 1 ranking, but that he will never again dominate the ATP circuit as he has done over the last 4 years. That was then, this is now! Back in January, you could only get a mere $2.5 return on your dollar if you backed Roger to win all 4 majors in 2008! Now the question is 'Will Roger ever win another major?' Many people's answer to that question now would be 'Not bloody likely!"
Here's a little break down of Federer's demise, and why the punters should lose confidence in the ex number 1 player. He could not beat Nadal on grass, he could not win a hard court title in 7 attempts, he has lost to Stepanek, Karlovic, Simon and Fish, he looked like a lost little boy last week in Bejing against Blake making so many unforced errors and being more erratic than a DUI driver. It's not just his losses but the manner in which he lost those matches. He played those matches as if his name was Kubot, or Wessels, or Bracciali! What? You've never heard of these guys before?! Well, that's because they're busy playing challengers, and that's precisely my point. Federer lost those matches as though he was ranked 300, not the number 1 player in the world. Or am I being too harsh?
Next week Federer has his last chance to redeem himself in 2008. Do we think he stands a chance? Well, until prior to that loss against Blake, I would have thought Federer had a really good shot at winning this last major. However, after seeing him play one of the most ordinary matches I've seen in a while, I think he has zero chance of winning this last one. There are some sport books that offer Yes/No betting on Fedex to win or not win the US Open. It is not very often (if ever!) you'll hear me say this, but betting a NO is as good as a "lock". It's his confidence, his style of play, his mannerism, his choice of shots that make the 'NO' a lock. It's time for the number 2 seed (last time he entered an event not as number 1 seed was back in early 2004!) to toss Mirka as a "coach", and make room for a real caoch - here's a name for you Roger - Killer Cahill! Does that name ring a bell?!