Roger Federer: Tennis Legend Faces Major Disadvantage in 2012

Roger Federer is the best men's tennis player of all time, but don't expect him to add to his 16 Grand Slam titles in 2012.

A few years ago, Federer was the most dominant athlete on the planet. Sadly, those days are gone.

Don't get me wrong—Federer is far from washed up. He's still the third ranked player in the world, and he casually rips through most opponents like they're a piece of toilet paper.

Unfortunately, as impressive as that No. 3 ranking is for a 30-year-old, it's also a death sentence in major tournaments.

Federer will always be on the same side of the bracket as either Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, meaning he will probably have to go through both men to add another Grand Slam title to his trophy case. And at this point, that's not looking too likely.

Djokovic is on an all-out rampage, continuing his dominant play from 2011. The Djoker won his third straight Grand Slam at the Australian Open, and I doubt he'll be slowing down any time soon.

Federer holds the all-time edge against Djokovic, winning 14 of their 24 meetings. However, those victories came before the Serbian caught fire. Djokovic has won four of their last five matches, including a dramatic comeback win in the US Open semifinals.

Nadal also has Federer's number. He disposed of him in four sets at the Australian Open, his fifth straight Grand Slam victory over his rival.

As Federer proved in 2011, he's still capable of beating either one of them in a given tournament. However, taking them both down is nearly impossible. In last year's French Open, he beat Djokovic in dramatic fashion, but couldn't keep up with Nadal in the finals.

Federer is one of the most accomplished athletes of all time, and he still has a few years of quality tennis left in him.

Unfortunately, unless Nadal or Djokovic get injured, he won't be winning any Grand Slams in 2012.