Coaches spur Federer back to form

Altho he seems amazingly fit physically, he better realize that some of his best years are behind him and retooling form alone cannot be the magic pill. His confidence has been shaken by Nadal and he at times shows it. No athlete wants to face a waning career and now as a family man other things will vie for his ability to concentrate on the court. We who play and love tennis will enjoy seeing Federer and Nadal duke it out as long as their bodies, dedication, and concentration hold out.

Although we can all agree Federer is past his best, hiring Annacone was an extremely smart move which has given him a new lease of life and a more focused mindset. Back in July I wasn't sure whether he had another major in him; now I believe he has at least one. Nadal is clearly now the benchmark, just as Federer was from 2004-7, but that does not mean to say there is not some great tennis left in Federer. What Annacone has given him is structure; I think when Fed was at his absolute peak his natural talent was so ridiculous he didn't really have to have a game plan; now he has realised that he needs to play smarter and more strategically and that is what we saw in the ATP tour world finals. Let's not forget that back in 2002 Sampras had fallen out of the top ten, not won a tournament in well over a year and people were saying he was all washed up and yet he came back to win the US Open in convincing fashion. Federer's 'decline' in comparison to Sampras's back then is only marginal; he is still the clear number 2 and on his day still capable of beating anyone. In fact, I think it is incredible he is still playing so well at 29. Don't be surprised to see him win a major next year and maybe even regain the no. 1 spot towards the end of the year if Rafa doesn't defend all his points. Federer had a lousy spring and early summer so he can pick up a lot of points during that period.