Roger Federer Must Regain Elite Form at Wimbledon

Roger Federer finally got the much-needed championship he has been seeking since he claimed the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati back in August of last year. It comes just in time, as Wimbledon 2013 is just around the corner.

The Swiss superstar at last garnered his first victory in 11 tournaments, overcoming Mikhail Youzhny at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

It was exactly the slump-buster that Fed needed, given that he hasn’t won a major since Wimbledon 2012 and—prior to that historic win at All England Club—the 2010 Australian Open.

With play beginning in London next week, the 31-year-old has to parlay the momentum from this most recent championship into yet another epic performance at Wimbledon.

The stakes are quite high, as the aging star has a chance to break the tie with his former idol, Pete Sampras. Both legends have seven victories in this event.

He can also pull even with Rafael Nadal for most wins at a single Grand Slam, as his Spanish rival won the French Open for a record-extending eighth time earlier in June.

Fed will be looking to atone for his failures at Roland Garros, as he fell short of expectations.

With Novak Djokovic and Nadal seeded No. 1 and 3, respectively, No. 2 Federer had the inside path on the other side of the bracket to waltz to the finals.

However, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga cut down the 17-time Grand Slam winner in the quarterfinals and ended his tournament on a disappointing note.

While the red clay on the western edge of Paris hasn’t been too favorable to the Swiss, he’s been absolutely dominant on the sport’s original surface of grass.

He first won at Wimbledon as a junior in 1998 and captured it again for the first of his historic seven championships in 2003.

Ten years later, Federer can claim he’s the best to ever participate in this prestigious tournament by achieving victory in it.

With the twilight of his career closing in, this may be one of Fed’s last chances to score a Grand Slam victory and further cement his status as one of the greatest to ever live.