Roger Federer: Easy Win over Del Potro Proves Grand Slam Drought Will End Soon

Although Roger Federer breezed through the first few rounds of the Australian Open, there were still question marks about whether he was on top of his game. After dismantling Juan Martin del Potro, however, it is clear that Fed will soon be a Grand Slam winner once again.

Astonishingly, Federer went all of last season without winning a Grand Slam and he hasn't won one since the 2010 Australian Open. Despite that he remains one of the top three players in the world as evidenced by his ranking, but there have been whispers regarding whether Federer will ever win another Grand Slam.

Even though Federer is still an excellent player, the concerns are well-founded since No. 2 Rafael Nadal owns the clay at the French Open, and No. 1 Novak Djokovic is seemingly unbeatable on the other surfaces.

Most thought that Federer's quarterfinal match with No. 11 del Potro would say a lot about his current state. After all, del Potro beat Federer to win the 2009 US Open and he is viewed as a hard-court specialist. A wrist injury has plagued del Potro for the past couple seasons, but he is currently healthy and seemed primed to make a run at a top-five ranking.

Del Potro may reach that billing at some point, but he was schooled on the finer points of tennis by Federer in the quarters. Fed made quick work of del Potro as he dispatched of the Argentinian in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, in a virtuoso performance.

That win propels Federer into the semis where he will face his fiercest rival in Nadal. I don't think there is any question that Federer is the stronger hard-court player, plus Nadal is currently nursing a twisted tendon in his knee. Because of those factors I expect Federer to meet Djokovic in the Aussie Open finals.

I wouldn't put it past Federer to beat Djokovic, but with the way that Djoker is playing, I simply can't bet against him at this point. With that said, though, Federer's demolition of del Potro bodes well for his season as a whole. It proved that Federer is still as hungry as ever and that he is still a favorite to win every tournament.

With Djokovic playing so well on hard courts, I don't think Federer will win the Australian Open, but I would be shocked if he didn't pick up a Grand Slam victory this season. Nadal is likely to win the French as usual, so I think Federer's best chance is definitely on the grass court at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon has certainly been Federer's best venue over the years, so it stands to reason that he will be able to get the best of Djokovic there. If not for the presence of Djokovic I would have no problem saying that Federer would win three Grand Slams this season.

The fact of the matter is, however, that Djokovic is coming off one of the greatest tennis seasons ever and has shown no signs of slowing down. Winning even a single Grand Slam should be considered a success for Federer, with that in mind, and I believe he will find a way to break through this year.