Roger Federer Needs Australian Open Victory to Halt Novak Djokovic's Momentum

Roger Federer hasn't won a Grand Slam title since the 2010 Australian Open. However, if he wants to stop Novak Djokovic's run of dominance, he needs a repeat performance in 2012.

The world's No. 1 player, Djokovic, had one of the best seasons in the history of men's tennis in 2011 when he won three Grand Slam titles and reached the semifinals of the French Open. Federer is still a threat to win every Grand Slam, but few have a legitimate chance to win with Djokovic playing the way he is.

He has had success on all surfaces, but that has been particularly true on hard courts, where he has been essentially unbeatable thanks to his fantastic serve. All signs point to Djokovic cruising into the finals of the Aussie Open, with Andy Murray being the only true challenger, which means Federer may be the only one capable of stopping him.

It won't be easy for Federer to get into position to take on Djokovic, since he'll likely have to defeat Rafael Nadal in the semis. However, Federer has certainly proven to be a more consistent hard-court player than Nadal over the course of their respective careers.

There have been whispers about Federer being on the decline, having dropped to No. 3 in the world behind Djokovic and Nadal, but I don't find that to be the case. He has had some trouble closing out Grand Slams over the past couple of years, but Djokovic is simply that good right now.

If Djokovic continues to play with his current fervor, it stands to reason that he can go on a Federer-esque run in terms of Grand Slam championships. For a while, it seemed as if Federer may never lose in a Grand Slam tournament, but then Nadal came around and stole some of his thunder.

For the sake of parity in men's tennis, Federer needs to do something similar to Djokovic at the Australian Open. If Federer can't get the job done, it certainly wouldn't taint his legacy or anything to that effect as he already has 16 Grand Slam victories.

If Federer wants to add to that total, though, he needs a triumph over Djokovic soon since he is by far the oldest of the top four players in the men's game at age 30. Not only would an Aussie Open win halt Djokovic's momentum, but it would also silence many of Fed's detractors.

When it comes down to it, somebody has to step up against Djokovic. There are several players who are capable of doing it, but nobody has the mix of skill, experience and success that Federer possesses.