What Roger Federer's Loss to Marin Cilic Means for Remainder of 2014

Roger Federer entered the 2014 U.S. Open with visions of an 18th career Grand Slam title, but the Swiss star was ousted in the semifinals by Marin Cilic.

Sky Sports had the report:

Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim had an interesting note on the upcoming final:

Federer is a five-time U.S. Open champion; however, it has been six years since he last won the tournament. Also, it has been just over two years since Fed's last Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2012.

Although Federer has enjoyed a strong season that saw him reach the Australian Open semifinals and Wimbledon final, questions are starting to mount regarding his ability to win another major championship.

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Federer seemingly came into the U.S. Open with a ton of confidence, even in the wake of a loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Rogers Cup final. That marked his first tournament since Wimbledon, though, so he was quite pleased with his performance overall, according to ATPWorldTour.com.

"There were things I could have done better, but overall it was a positive week," Federer said. "I go away from this feeling good about my chances next week and also at the U.S. Open and for the rest of the season. It's another good tournament for me, which I'm happy about."

Federer also entered the ensuing tournament in Cincinnati, but BBC's David Law suggested that taking a week off might have been more beneficial than playing right before the U.S. Open:

When push came to shove, though, it is unlikely that playing in Cincinnati had much of anything to do with Federer's loss in New York. He had plenty of rest after Wimbledon and likely felt fresh as a daisy—at least in 33-year-old terms.

It seemed as though the grind of the tournament and the season were starting to catch up with Fed in the quarterfinals against Gael Monfils. After dropping the first two sets and staving off a pair of match points, though, the Swiss superstar stormed back to take the match and advance to the semifinals.

According to Sky Sports News, it was the 36th Grand Slam semifinal appearance of Federer's illustrious career:

The comeback victory over Monfils was an emotional one, and Federer revealed that he connected with the crowd in a big way on that night, per Christopher Clarey of The New York Times:

Unfortunately, everything that Federer had to put into that match may have hampered him afterwards. He was quite obviously the emotional favorite in New York City, however, he once again fell just short of sealing the deal.

Now that Federer has gone two consecutive years without a Grand Slam title, the focus shifts toward his prospects in 2015. Fed proved this year that he is still a top contender, but that can obviously change by the time the Australian Open rolls around in January.

Federer will have some rest time, which could be beneficial, but he may also fall out of the decent groove he got himself into over the course of the season.

With that said, Federer always seems to find himself in the mix in Melbourne. He has made it to at least the semifinals every year since 2004, although he hasn't won the event since 2010. That means he has some major hurdles to clear. 

In addition to the usual suspects like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, Federer will have to deal with defending Aussie Open champ and Swiss countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. Also, the likes of David Ferrer and Juan Martin del Potro tend to thrive on hard courts.

More and more, credible contenders are starting to emerge, which will make ending Federer's Grand Slam drought even more difficult. With that said, it is never a particularly good idea to count out the master.

Two years ago, many tennis fans questioned whether or not Federer would ever win another Grand Slam, and he silenced the critics by taking Wimbledon. Those same questions are looming now, but Federer is seemingly in better overall form than he has been in quite some time.

Federer and his fans may be disappointed that the U.S. Open didn't result in a title, but he will continue to be among the top contenders at the Australian Open in January and beyond.

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