Roger Federer: 10 Reasons He Is Guaranteed to Win Wimbledon 2011

Roger Federer looks to be in scintillating form entering the second week of the Championships and is coasting full steam ahead on his way to a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title.

Critics might babble that the Swiss maestro has just one Grand Slam to his name in the last 18 months and that he's a fading force in men's tennis. But Federer couldn't care less about the people—on-court and off-court—as he nonchalantly cruises through the draw.

His performance at the French Open can be considered as a mere synopsis of what's about to transpire at SW19. Wimbledon is where Roger Federer springs to life. When he shuts his eyes and thinks of Wimbledon, he can see himself holding aloft the trophy on center court.

Federer has already been backed by greats such as Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Tim Henman and Lindsay Davenport to pick up the golden pot next Sunday and here's 10 reasons why he can do exactly that:

French Open Performance

After Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal completely overshadowed him throughout the season up to the French Open, Roger Federer was given an outsider's chance at Roland Garros.

But Federer took his dark horse status into his stride and used it to his advantage. He discreetly made his way through the draw and set up a semifinal clash with the red-hot Djokovic.

Djokovic was expected to roast Federer, but the Swiss gave the Serbian a lesson in pure resolve as he recorded a rather comfortable four-set victory.

Federer was in sublime form throughout the tournament and even though he did lose the final to Rafael Nadal, he proved to the world that he's still right up there and very much capable of winning another Slam.

It was Federer's best performance to date at Roland Garros—historically his least favorite Grand Slam—and he looks to have carried forward that confidence into the All England Club.

Fitness

If you were to tell a tennis newbie that Roger Federer is turning 30 this August, he/she would probably not believe you until they google it for themselves.

Federer is, physically and mentally, in terrific shape right now. He looks supremely fit on the court and is sharpness personified.

You could argue that there are fitter people than Roger in the draw right now like Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. But even if those two were to witness the effortlessness with which the Swiss got through his first three rounds, they would be concerned.

Federer, who needed nine sets to get through his opening two rounds last year, hasn't dropped a set until now. If he can continue with his ruthless form until the latter stages of the tournament, he would hand himself a very good chance at the title.

Game Ideally Suited to the Surface

Roger Federer's game is best suited to the lush green courts of the All England Club.

Grass is a technician’s surface and is immensely rewarding to someone who has an all-round technical game.

Federer has the serve, the groundstrokes, the net play and his trump card, the backhand slice, which is most effective when the ball is staying a bit low, like on the grass courts.

Federer doesn’t like going for long rallies where the ball is bouncing high under heavy topspin—this is one of the reasons Rafael Nadal has an upper hand on the Swiss on the clay courts. But the lower bounce of the grass courts will play to Federer's strengths. 

Wimbledon will always remain Federer's best chance of adding to his tally of 16 majors. 

Serve and Forehand

Roger Federer is hitting his serve and forehand exceptionally well at the moment.

His exquisite placement ability, deceptiveness and variation makes his delivery the trickiest to return in the men’s draw.

Federer’s service game thrives on its unpredictability. There isn’t just the one type of serve he goes for, there are no patterns. He hits so many different serves at so many different angles.

He might not serve the most number of aces, but his service ever so often sets up his forehand. It's the classic one-two.

When Federer is serving well, the rest of his game just tends to click. This was evident in his match against Djokovic in the French Open.

When he is hitting the right spots, it’s very difficult for his opponent to be aggressive on the return. If you can’t get the ball away from the middle of the court, you're just inviting a whole lot of trouble your way.

The One-Handed Sliced Backhand

Roger Federer's unique one-handed backhand slice will be his key tactic at Wimbledon, allowing him to keep the baseline players off balance.

On a high ball, the slice produces a lower bounce, especially on grass. This may prevent his opponent from getting under the ball enough to hit a strong return. It usually sets up Roger for an aggressive reply.

But a ball that keeps low is ideal for his sliced backhand. The low, driving slice Federer hits on this type of ball skids and keeps low for the opponent and often forces a weak reply that sets Roger up for an easy winner.

For a left-hander, he would usually look to hit it down the line. For the right-handers, he tends to play it crosscourt.

The whole idea is to keep the opponent guessing.

Ability to Shift Up a Gear

Usually, players look great in practice, play their best tennis in the opening rounds of the tournament and get worse as the tournament progresses.

Roger Federer drives on the other side of the road. He don’t stress it out practice and can be vulnerable in the first couple of rounds. A good example of this was last year's Wimbledon. But he finds another gear as the tournament enters its latter stages and the matches get bigger.

Judging by the dazzling form Federer is already in right now, its hard to imagine him stepping up a notch in the second week. He already looks to be in the sort of form that made him such a renowned power.

Enemies beware!

Consistency

Ever since the French Open started, Roger Federer has shown remarkable consistency in his game.

He has relied upon his service game and, looking at the figures, why the hell not!

In the Championships so far, Federer has landed 69 percent of his first serves on target and won 84 percent of those first serve points.

He has saved eight of the nine break points he has faced and won 41 of his 42 service games.

Can it get any better?!

Determination to Succeed

After being written off the entire year so far, Roger Federer seems the most determined to win and show that he is not a spent force.

Federer's hunger for trophies has not diminished since the day he was crowned boys' champion here 13 years ago.

When asked about how he feels going into the second week without having dropped a set unlike last year, Federer says that it hardly matters to him.

What might concern his opponents more is his belief that he does not need to play any better to win his seventh Wimbledon title.

His French Open journey and the three wins so far in Wimbledon were showcases of the vintage Federer—oozing with elegance and class.

It reminded peers, doubters and detractors that there's still some life left in those 29-year-old legs.

World No. 1 Gong Looming

Along with the scrumptious perk of equaling Pete Sampras' record seven Wimbledon titles, a win at the All England Club would take Roger Federer closer to regaining the World No. 1 tag he lost a couple of years ago.

If Federer wins Wimbledon, he would take one step up in the rankings and find himself on No. 2, while Nadal will slip to No. 3.

A strong hard court season could then see Federer back on top by the time the U.S. Open ends, ending a remarkable fightback—stuff of the movies!

Pattern over the Last Few Years

I'm a man of superstition and I couldn't help but include this one.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been trading Wimbledon trophies ever since the 2007 final which Federer won in in five sets. 

2007—Roger Federer

2008—Rafael Nadal

2009—Roger Federer

2010—Rafael Nadal

Sometimes, you just have to believe!