Roger Federer: Fed Express with Reason to Impress

As we look back on a long and eventful 2008 in men's tennis, we look forward to an exiting year ahead.

This time last year, Roger Federer, struck with glandular fever, feeling tired and lacking in energy, lost his Australian Open title in the semi-final to eventual champion Novak Djocovic.

Having not shaken off the fever, Federer lost (by quite a margin) in the French Open once again to Rafael Nadal.

With harsh critics closing in on the Swiss maestro, he and Nadal served up what has to be seen as one of the world's greatest tennis matches ever.

The comeback from two sets to love down and an out-of-this-world tiebreak in the fourth set makes any tennis fanatic's hair stand up with the slightest mention of the mouth-watering battle.

For those privileged enough to have witnessed it, it was the true clash of two great champions. Federer the emperor of grass, Nadal the gladiator of clay.

Ice and fire, heart and soul! For some time in the final set, it appeared that the only thing to separate the two was the dimming light or perhaps a drizzle of rain.

Then the moment came.

A few tired shots from Federer, and Nadal had his break. Federer could only push him to deuce in what was the final game. He hit long, making Nadal the champion (painfully for me).

As the Beijing Olympics approached, the critics described how Roger Federer had lost his touch, how he was on the decline.

It would be fair to say that it was a poor performance against James Blake, which cost him the Olympics singles gold. However, for the pro-Federer fans (such as myself), there was a clear reason: Federer had lost his rhythm. This was mainly due to being knocked out of tournaments early and having too much time to prepare.

There was a large consolation at the end of the Beijing story, however.

Along with Stanislas Wawrinka, Federer defeated Swedish veterans Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson to win the men's doubles gold. Tears rolled from Federer's eyes, knowing he had achieved what he longed for: an Olympic Gold.

Not only did the tears show his relief, but also his everlasting burning passion and will to win. It was a message to all fans, doubters, and critics that Roger Federer has not finished yet, nowhere near.

Heading into the US Open, Federer had lost his No. 1 ranking to Nadal but was cleared completely of glandular fever. In an extremely sticky five-setter in the fourth round against Igor Andreev, Federer just managed to pull through, perhaps the turning point of the tournament.

Breezing past his 2007 finalist opponent Novak Djockovic, Federer was through to his fifth-straight US Open final and presented with the opportunity to emulate his Wimbledon success.

In a 6-2 7-5 6-2 crushing of British hopeful Andy Murray, Federer had made history, with five straight wins in two different Grand Slams.

Genius. The only word to describe such dominance.

Despite failing to get past the group stages of the Tennis Masters Cup, Federer was in good shape for a resurgence in 2009.

So there it was, a terrible year for Federer in which he only won one Grand Slam and reached three finals and a semi, as well as setting new records.

''Another year like that please'', says Federer! 

His tactics for 2009 will likely be to go in to the net more often and keep the points short.

Having already said that he won't play in as many tournaments, especially clay, it looks as though he is focusing on Grand Slams.

I feel that he still has a very strong chance of winning the French Open, and perhaps his new tactics will help him do this. I also feel that he will have a resurgence in 2009, especially given the fact he is under much less pressure with the points system.

For now, happy hunting Down Under, Fed!