Roger Federer Will Play Major Role in Late Rounds of 2013 US Open

Roger Federer of old is back at the 2013 U.S. Open.

The five-time champion had a disappointing season to say the least, which has resulted in a putrid No. 7 seed in New York. After a second-round loss to Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon, expectations for Federer entering the tournament were not high.

Regardless of play earlier in the year, Federer has shown utter dominance in his first two matches. Federer has yet to lose a set. He downed Gregor Zemlja of Slovenia 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 before handling Carlos Berlocq of Argentina with ease, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

As impressive as both matches were, it is important to note the competition was not elite. Zemlja is the No. 62 ranked player in the world and Berlocq comes in at just No. 48 in the rankings.

Next up for Federer is Frenchman Adrian Mannarino—the No. 63 ranked player in the world. Federer is a major favorite in that match as well.

It's after the first three rounds that things get a bit foggy for Federer. He'll face either No. 22 ranked Tommy Robredo or unranked Daniel Evans.

While it is easy to say the first few rounds for Federer may cause him to be unprepared for a serious matchup with a player of his own caliber, that simply is not the case. Federer is at an advantage with tune-up matches to re-discover his 2012 form and has the added bonus of an intimidation factor with how dominant he has dispatched the opposition.

Federer may be 32-years-old, but fast courts are where he reigns as king. He has won five of the last nine U.S. Open tournaments and is playing with a renewed style of aggressive tennis in New York.

Not only is Federer comfortable back at home, he has reverted to his old racket after doing some experimentation with a bigger frame, which in part helped to hinder some of his recent performances, including at Wimbledon.

The road gets more difficult for Federer as the tournament wanes on, and getting drawn in Rafael Nadal's quarter certainly does not help things.

That said, the potential matchup between the two may not be as lopsided as some think.

Federer and Nadal met recently at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Nadal has been on an absolute tear this year and is perhaps playing the best hard-court tennis of his career, but Federer did manage to win a set before losing 7-5, 4-6, 3-6 to the eventual tournament champion.

That defeat marked the first time in 2013 Federer has won a set against Nadal in three matches, but it marks the beginning of a change in trends. Nadal has been rejuvenated on hard courts, but Federer is still king and gave Nadal a serious scare.

All it takes is one strong performance from Federer, one of the greatest to ever play, in order to move past Nadal.

Federer of old—and his racket—are back. Recent strong performances and complete dominance point toward the tennis genius rediscovering his 2012 form.

At the age of 32, the legendary Federer is in control as he steamrolls the U.S. Open. Just how he likes it.

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling