Roger Federer's Determination for Big 2014 Is Not Realistic

Roger Federer has already moved past his glory days on the tennis court and the subsequent resurgence that temporarily flashes back to his long reign.

While there will be no return to the top of the tennis world for the legendary 17-time Grand Slam champ, that is not to say that I don't admire his drive and hope to get back to the top. 

Simon Briggs of The Telegraph passed along this quote from Federer, who is playing in his 12th consecutive tourney at the ATP World Tour Finals:  

"

I lost build-ups and that’s something I’m still catching up on. I’m still not 100 per cent playing wise, just because it’s been a rocky year. But even though I’m still not moving as well as I’d like to be and all these things, I’m so close.

And that was against Novak [Djokovic] who has won everything recently—Shanghai, Beijing and everything—so that gives me hope that I’m really not far away. If I can have a good build-up block in December, hopefully my 2014 year is going to be a good one.

"

Federer was referring to his 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 2-6 loss to Djokovic at the ATP World Tour Finals. 

Federer also lost to Djokovic less than a week ago at the Paris Masters, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6. 

To erase that deficit against Nole or other top players, Federer needs to be more than 100 percent. At the age of 32, he needs to find the fountain of youth. 

We need look no further than his results this year. Federer is currently seventh in the world rankings, the lowest he has been in the pecking order since 2002. A big reason for his slip this year has been his inability to compete against the game's other top players. 

Federer has gone just 3-9 against Top-10 players in the 2013 rankings.

Of course, one of those wins came against Richard Gasquet on Thursday at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

While that was a definite sign that Federer is still a serious threat on the court, there is a wide talent divide between No. 9 Gasquet and the like of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. 

Sure, there is no doubt that injuries played a part in Federer's struggles this year—as Briggs points out. Federer had a stiff back that hampered his summer months. Those kinds of injuries led Federer to comment on losing the ability to build up for tournaments, as he hasn't been able to train like he has in the past.

Federer's last grand hurrah came last year when he made a surprise run back to No. 1. Age has stripped him of too much, and all of the preparation that he puts in now can't entirely make up for a loss in quickness. Preparation won't give Federer back the step that age has taken from him.

That lost step has led to him being even more aggressive with his dominant forehand, which in turn has led to more unforced errors. 

Federer's ability to strike a ball with punishing force and deadly precision allow him to beat 99.9 percent of those players who pick up a tennis racket, but against the truly elite of the game, he simply doesn't have the range to pull out victories. 

Shots that Federer used to be able to run down in time to set his feet and deliver a quality volley have turned into shots he now has to lunge for and hope to merely return in play. 

As great as he was, Federer's dominance over other top players has never been great enough to allow for that kind of mobility loss.

I love Federer's desire to keep playing and prove himself as a lower seed. As much as he has accomplished, he could ride contently into the sunset and bask in his legend. His drive to keep competing shows a true appreciation of competition, and as a sports fan, I value that.

However, that determination won't be enough to get Federer back to the top of his sport.