Roger Federer: Why Fed-Ex Will Redeem Himself at Australian Open 2012

Roger Federer heads into the 2012 Australian Open with doubters wondering whether he can regain championship form in Melbourne, but there are plenty of reasons to believe Federer will contend for the title after falling short last year.

For starters, he's got a great draw in this tournament.

Bleacher Report Correspondent Shane Lambert noted in his article that the most talented players that Federer could face in the first couple of rounds are Andreas Beck and Eric Prodon, both of whom are largely unproven in Grand Slam events.

Then in the third and fourth rounds and the quarterfinals, his most likely competition would be Jurgen Melzer, Bernard Tomic and Mardy Fish.

These pairings could end up changing, but the bottom line is that the Swiss Maestro should cruise into the semifinals in good shape and ready to duke it out with the elites. Interestingly, this is the first time since the 2005 Wimbledon that Federer and Rafael Nadal are in the same half of a major tournament bracket.

The main factor that has me believing in Fed is that he excelled in the last few months of the 2011 season.

After a fairly disappointing start to the year, Federer picked up momentum and played the kind of tennis we're accustomed to seeing from the all-time great. This included him winning the ATP Tour Finals in impressive fashion.

Another thing Fed-Ex has going for him is the fact that he's played Novak Djokovic extremely well recently, and he's primed to knock off the top-seeded Serbian. Federer beat him in the French Open semifinals last year and came tantalizingly close in the U.S. Open semifinals.

The Swiss Maestro will look to continue his late 2011 mastery into 2012, despite his recent back injury. It's a minor setback that shouldn't hamper his chance to compete for a championship. 

Federer will enter the 2012 Australian Open at the top of his game, ready to prove to doubters that he's not ready to fade into mediocrity just yet.