Roger Federer: US Open 2012 Win Would Be Most Impressive Title of Epic Career

Roger Federer has done almost everything there is to do in the sport of tennis, but winning the 2012 U.S. Open would be his most impressive feat to date.

A few months ago, it seemed as though the Swiss athlete was at the tail end of his career. He had not won a grand slam title in over two years and had reached only one final in that time period.

He even disappointed at Wimbledon, which had long been his best tournament, and did not advance past the quarterfinals in 2010 or 2011. Federer looked like a shell of his former self.

Fortunately, he turned it around when he returned to the All England Club in 2012. He won his seventh career title at Wimbledon, which is tied for the most all-time. He followed that up with an impressive silver-medal performance at the Olympics.

However, both of these events took place on grass courts. Throughout his career, Federer has dominated opposition on this surface to an 87.3 winning percentage. His being successful in two tournaments at Wimbledon should not be surprising to the average fan.

On the other hand, a win at the U.S. Open would be something special. It would be his sixth career championship in this event, which would give him the most in the Open Era. However, it will not be easy.

It has been four years since the No. 1 player in the world won his last of his five straight titles in the Queens complex. He has consistently gone downhill since then, starting with a stunning loss to Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.

He will have to not only overcome his lack of success at the tournament in recent years, but also the history of failure among men his age. Federer turned 31 earlier this month, which is past the point where tennis players begin their decline.

In the Open Era of tennis, only Ken Rosewall in 1970 was able to win the U.S. Open at an older age.

Despite all of these concerns, Federer should still be considered the favorite heading into the tournament. The top-ranked player in the world has been playing tremendously lately, most recently winning the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati with a dominant victory over Novak Djokovic in the final.

With this win, he showed he can still handle hard courts and defeat a quality opponent in the process. His movement is as good as ever and he has been serving beautifully, even with lower velocity.

Roger Federer has been so good for so long that it almost seems commonplace when he wins a tournament. However, fans should take notice of what this elite player does in the next couple of weeks.

If he is able to come out on top at the U.S. Open, he deserves a lot of respect, as it will be the most impressive win of his career. 

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