Wimbledon 2012: Counting Out Roger Federer on Strongest Stage Would Be Foolish

Roger Federer isn’t out of juice just yet.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 will enter the 2012 Australian Open as an underdog to the younger Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Despite the 30-year-old’s disadvantage physically, never count Federer out in London.

The greatest reason to doubt Federer is the fact that he’s susceptible to an upset. He failed to win the tournament the past two years, not because he was overpowered by Djokovic or Nadal, but because he was shocked before he even reached the semifinals.

In 2010, Tomáš Berdych defeated him in four sets, and in 2011, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat him in five.

Federer did nothing to disperse those doubts on Sunday in the Gerry Weber Open. He fell to 87th-ranked, 34-year-old Tommy Haas in the final. It isn’t exactly the ideal way for Federer to enter Wimbledon.

According to the Associated Press, Haas was just as surprised by his victory as the rest of the world. He said (via ESPN): “If someone had told me beforehand that I'd win the title here against probably the greatest player of all time, I would not have believed it.”

But despite such struggles, Federer should still enter the Slam with confidence. He won six Wimbledon titles in seven years. Since 2003, only once was Federer defeated in a championship match.

And that’s the key: reaching the final. To do so, he’ll have to take one match at a time. If he gets caught looking ahead, he’ll be upset yet again.

Now, he’ll have to defeat Nadal to reach the title, where Djokovic will likely be awaiting him, but this isn’t clay we’re talking about. Rafa owns Federer on clay and outdoor hard courts, but not on grass.

If Federer takes home the silver gilt cup, don’t be surprised.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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