Australian Open 2012: Roger Federer Will Continue His Grand Start

Roger Federer's Grand Slam-winning days are not over—he is going to win the 2012 Australian Open. The great champion is fresh and injury-free and his tennis shows it.

He has been scintillating in his early performances and is taking on the look of a player that is not going to be denied a record 17th Grand Slam title.

Fed's Promising Start

Roger has yet to lose a set in this Grand Slam. And, this is the really promising part for Federer: he is getting better as the tournament progresses. 

The 16-time Grand Slam-winner was at his surgeon-like best in the quarterfinals. He easily dispatched of promising youngster, and local favorite, Bernard Tomic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. 

While the results in and of themselves are promising, it is the way he has gotten them that inspires grand hopes for Fed. 

He has been poised and calculated. He has seen his accuracy return and this has allowed him to dominate. 

When he is at his best, Federer keeps his opposition running while he is allowed to patiently set up for his next shot. He struggled with accuracy last season, but has been on the mark this tournament. 

Against Tomic, Roger hit 63 percent of his first serves. Even more importantly, he won 80 percent of the points in which he made his first serve. 

That is a testament to the fact that Fed is serving with confidence to hit winners and not just hoping to land it in.

What's Next Down Under

Next up is 11th-seeded Juan Martin del Potro. This match is going to be far from a walkover for Federer. Del Potro beat Federer in the finals of the 2009 US Open. 

The way Roger is stroking the ball right now, he will mentally wear down the 23-year-old del Potro. 

As he moves on from there, he will likely be facing the usual suspects of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. 

None of these guys are going to go down without a fight, but with Roger stroking his first serve and ground strokes, he is set to announce to the tennis world that he is not yet ready to be confined to the scrap heap of afterthoughts in Grand Slam tennis.