Roger Federer: Wimbledon 2012 Will Be the Start of the Veteran's Resurgence

Roger Federer hasn’t tasted Grand Slam victory since January 2010. A win at Wimbledon 2012, however, would kick-start one of the game’s greats into a renaissance and a No. 1 ranking.

This year’s tournament at the All England Club has been heralded a three-man race between Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and rightfully so. Those three have only won 31 of the last 35 Grand Slam titles.

On the other hand, Federer holds almost half of those 35. That 16-title resume is a big reason why John McEnroe has predicted him to reign victorious this year.

Another reason it may be Federer’s time is familiarity. The 16-time Grand Slam winner has won six times in England, four more than Nadal and five more than Djokovic.

Let’s not forget that Federer is not only chasing Djokovic and Nadal, but Pete Sampras as well. Fed-Ex needs one more Wimbledon victory to tie Sampras’s record seven Wimbledon titles

While Grand Slam finals berths used to be a given for Federer, he’s on a collision course with Djokovic in this year’s semis. Novak has had his number thus far, claiming a 4-1 edge in major matchups, including a straight-set victory at Roland Garros.

If Federer can best the No. 1 player in the world, look for the 16-time major champion to catch fire in the finals. Even if Nadal happens to be opposing him in a finals matchup, Federer would hold the edge because Nadal’s power game is slowed down by a grass surface. If Nadal is the “King of Clay” then Federer might as well be called the “King of Grass.”

Furthermore, a Wimbledon win could lead to a renaissance of sorts for Federer in the second half of 2012. The year’s final major, the U.S. Open, is in his home country where he’ll be the crowd favorite. Even more in his favor, he already has five U.S. Open titles.

When players go through major droughts, they're told to go back to basics. The grass at Wimbledon for Roger Federer? It doesn't get any easier than that.