Roger Federer's Return to Hamburg Proves He's Not Going Away Any Time Soon

Roger Federer isn't ready to ride off into the sunset just yet. 

After his shocking second-round exit at Wimbledon, Federer has surprisingly committed to play in Hamburg—a clay-court tournament he hasn't participated in since 2008. It's a lesser tournament that lost its Masters status on the ATP tour in 2008, as noted by Ryland James of the AFP.

According to James, Federer is also on track to play in Gstaad near the end of July in preparation for the U.S. Open, which kicks off in New York in late-August. 

These are not the actions of a man who believes his career is coming to an end anytime soon. He recently offered a unique perspective into an athlete's mind when asked about his decision to play at Hamburg, as reported by James.

"At Wimbledon, it was strange to go out so early and I didn't know what to do," said Federer, ranked fifth in the world, who has won the Hamburg title four times. "But I had a clear plan 48 hours later to play at Hamburg and Gstaad."

Most professional athletes—especially ones of Federer's caliber—are masters of positive motivation and personal confidence. It's clear from his actions and his words that Federer still believes himself capable of playing at an elite level, even if he hasn't gotten the results he expects from himself. 

The former No. 1 player in the world and 17-time Grand Slam champion has only won a single tournament this year and has gotten progressively less formidable at Grand Slams since the start of the 2013 calendar year.

He reached the semifinals at the 2013 Australian Open, the quarterfinals at the 2013 French Open (he barely escaped Round 4 too) and then was ousted in Round 2 of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. 

These results seem to indicate a precipitous decline in Federer's game—especially when you consider that he's been beaten lately by players who never would have given him trouble when he was in his prime. 

That said, Federer isn't ready to throw in the towel on his career. And he's not the only person who isn't ready to count him out.

2013 Wimbledon champion Andy Murray recently had this to say about Federer, as noted by Alix Ramsay of The Scotsman: "I think Roger will stay be there or thereabouts in all of the slams, maybe just not as consistently as he was in the past because it’s impossible to keep that up. He did it for ten years, which is amazing."

It remains to be seen if Federer still has what it takes to win another Grand Slam. Given his legendary career and tireless work ethic, it's hard to bet against him.

For now, it will be interesting to see if Federer can generate some positive momentum during his next couple of tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open. If he wins one or both of them, he'll have to be considered one of the favorites to win in New York. 

Even after an early exit at Wimbledon, Federer's focus and determination are as sharp as ever, and as long as he believes in himself, he is a man to be feared on the court. 

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