Roger Federer: Breaking Down What's Going Wrong for FedEx in 2013

Roger Federer's ferocious forehand is failing him.

So, too, are several other parts of his game. Collectively, they begin to answer the question of just what's been going wrong for the Swiss champion.

It is true. The 17-time Grand Slam winner is slowing down in more ways than one. He is no longer an enigma to figure out, but simply a player to out-play. As Ruhi Batra recently reported in The Times of India, he has become "just one of the boys."

As Federer's career winds down, it is time to take a look at what's been ailing him. Here are the top issues plaguing the man from Basel.

The Forehand That Fails

When Roger Federer first burst onto the world stage, his forehand garnered the most attention.

Almost every fan remembers his upset win over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001. The final shot? A powerful forehand return. The video above highlights that weapon in use during the fourth-round match.

Since then, the media has raved about Federer's forehand. Ed McGrogan of Tennis.com went as far as placing it on the list of all-time greats. 

By this past May, though, analysts were singing a different song. The forehand has become unreliable. It easily makes the list of what's going wrong for Federer.

Service Disconnect

Roger Federer has never been the power server of his generation. Players like John Isner and Andy Roddick come to mind much quicker.

His placement of the serve has always reaped him great rewards and many free points. Writer John Yandell believes that. In his article, he called Federer's motion a "model of perfection."

Sheer velocity may be great, but it's the delivery that sets him apart. Many of his greatest victories relied upon gaining the edge from the get-go in his service games.

This year has been different. The free points have gone away. As of July 8, 2013, Federer ranks only 26th on the ATP tour in aces.

It is hard to believe such a stat is connected to one of the tour's stars. It is another sign of the problems besetting him.

Caught in the Net

Roger Federer no longer intimidates from the frontcourt. He has never been a true serve-and-volley player, but his ability to press the game has always shone. It was another way to win free points.

His Grand Slam performances this year tell the woeful tale. In his losses, his net points win percentage is greatly diminished from the preceding victory. Some are quite startling.

In Australia, Federer won 72 percent in his win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but only 66 percent against Andy Murray in a losing effort.

At Roland Garros against Gilles Simon, he won 71 percent. This dipped to only 50 percent in his loss versus Tsonga.

Wimbledon was equally bad. In his win over Victor Hanescu, a massive 84 percent of forays went to Federer, but then in his loss to Sergiy Stakhovsky, he only won 65 percent.

These failings show that the net is no longer safe ground for Federer.

The Brake on Break Points

His failure to win break points is Roger Federer's biggest problem in 2013. As pointed out, his serve is no longer able to help him escape trouble. Without the ability to break serve, Federer will find himself in more tiebreakers, which favor the server.

Clearly, the inability to convert break points spells mounting trouble.

Federer is 24th on the ATP tour when it comes to percentage of break points won. He has only broken on 42 percent of opportunities. This is not the stat of a champion. Combined with his service ranking, also in the mid-20s, it is surprising that he is ranked inside the top five at all.

The most dismal showing was at Wimbledon this year. He only took advantage of break points 13 percent of the time against Sergiy Stakhovsky. It is no surprise that he lost.

He will continue to lose as long as this problem persists.

Ageless or Just Aging?

Roger Federer showed his feet of clay at Roland Garros in 2013.

Not only was the terre battue creeping up his socks, but the sands of time were creeping up, as well. His failure to win in Paris, coupled with his losses in Melbourne and London, all point to one thing: The once dominating superstar is fading into the sunset.

Unlike other greats who have slowed down due to injuries (Rafael Nadal's knees come to mind), Federer is just slowing down. His movement is just not the same. Comparing his triumph at the French Open in 2009 to this year's result, the problem is obvious. This is especially true when looking at his loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, compared to his beating of the hapless Alberto Martin in the first round in 2009.

The sad truth is that the aging champ is just that, an aging champ. Feverish and fervent fans of Federer are unlikely to see him rise in the rankings again. The next generation is dismissing him with superior speed and agility.

Postscript: An Admission?

Is Roger Federer ready to admit that he is on the downswing?

His schedule may be the first indication. According to his player profile on the ATP website, he has played only nine tournaments through Wimbledon this year. Last year by this time, he had ticked off 12 appearances.

If he is not injured, then what else explains the 25 percent diminished workload?

Though Federer routinely dismisses talk of retirement, he might be subtly preparing his fans for a curtain call.