Roger Federer Won't Last Through Tough Australian Open Stretch

For Roger Federer, the road to Australian Open glory couldn’t get any tougher. 

As tennis’ greatest player ever, Federer has faced adversity before, but never on this level, and never in a time when his dominance was no longer a given, when his skills were no longer at the height of his power. 

Today Federer will face the dangerous Juan Martin del Potro, who will certainly give Federer all he can handle. To Fed’s credit, he’s been on a roll in the Aussie Open as he heads into his 1,000th career singles match. His astounding 813 wins cements what is already an historic legacy, but all those matches takes a toll and tennis is a sport for younger men. 

If Fed can slide by the formidable foe, he’ll have to take on likely semifinalist Rafael Nadal. Nadal has been Federer’s biggest road block and easily a tougher draw than tennis’ hottest player, Novak Djokovic. Of course Djokovic has been red hot this tournament as well and will likely be appearing in the finals if Federer can run the table in the remaining rounds. 

For Federer there is nothing left to prove on a grand scale. If he should lose here his legacy is still set, and he’ll never have to win another Slam to prove it. Still, the value of this tournament lies within Federer’s own confidence. It’s about staying relevant and still challenging the best in the world. The further he falls short of a win, the more he must question whether he still belongs there at all.