Roger Federer: Staying Under the Radar Is Key for Remainder of FedEx's 2012

It is abundantly clear that Roger Federer is no longer the class of the tennis world. Yes, he is still one of the top players in the world, but he's firmly been supplanted by younger players Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as he moves forward in 2012 and tries to add on to his career Grand Slam record.

ESPN's Chris Wilkinson agrees and feels that Wimbledon is Federer's best chance at a slam this year. 

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We haven't really seen any major changes to his game, but perhaps he is thriving from no longer being the favourite. The key thing for him will be to keep this momentum going. He will struggle to win the French Open—Nadal and Djokovic will be the favourites for that, but Federer will have his sights firmly set on a seventh Wimbledon title.

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First things first. If Federer can't win one this year, his days of winning Grand Slams are done.

Players don't get better as they get beyond 30, and Federer has not won a Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2010. If Federer doesn't win a Grand Slam this season, it will be 11 in a row that he failed to capture.

But flying under the radar will help Federer. In reality, it helps everyone. Federer was just good enough in the past to win despite being the favorite in every tournament he entered. Now that's not the case, especially in Grand Slams, where everyone is at their best.

Novak Djokovic is the clear-cut top player in the world. After him is Nadal, and players like Andy Murray are trending in the right direction. Heck, even big-hitting John Isner has beaten both Djokovic and Federer since the Australian Open. 

But as the Grand Slam season gets closer to resuming, these players are all going to be preparing for each other. Djokovic will have his focus on how to beat Nadal, while everyone else will be keyed in on Novak. 

Federer won't be the first person that anyone is preparing for. Sure, they know who he is, but they won't be honing their skills to beat Federer. That is an important distinction, especially when we're talking about a guy who's still easily one of the best four players in the world. 

If Federer is being specifically targeted, then at least Djokovic and Nadal are going to beat him far more often than the other way around. But now that's not the case. As a result, he's been highly successful since Australia (only losing twice) and if it continues, he'll take one of the season's final three Grand Slams. 

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