Roger Federer: Can He Turn The Tide at Shanghai?

Less than a week remains for the season's curtain finale at Shanghai. The Masters Cup will be the last chance for Roger Federer to bid for a masters title this year.

This year has not been kind to Federer in any manner whatsoever. Like a ship's bow cutting through the water and encountering an ice-berg for the first time, Federer, in a similar fashion, faced not one but many ice-bergs.

Some he overcame, some he couldn't and unfortunately for him the latter proved more and he had to relinquish most of his coveted possessions.

In the Grand Slam events Federer fared well but not so well as to shatter the record books. The wait persists for the same and now its turning out to be like sitting on hot coals.

Apart from the Slams, this year there are other things which have eluded the "Swiss Master", namely the Masters series. Year after year, Federer has managed to add to his glory at least one master title, but this year, he has none, so far.

Though he did manage to reach to the finals of two of them in the first half of the season, he could not add another feather to his cap. Although, in the second half his performance was absolutely "Un-Federer" like and now very uncharacteristically he gave a walkover to James Blake into the Semi-Finals of the Paris Masters.

It is very eerie and gives a feeling of an incompleteness not to see Federer clinch a single master title. Even if he has managed to win three more titles in addition to his US Open victory, winning a Master is totally different and who knows it better than him!

Winning the Shanghai Master Cup is not just a question of honour but is a matter of confidence. Winning the last major of the season will give him confidence for the next year where he will be expected to cross more bars.

As the attention now shifts towards the East, where the waters are calmer and warmer and where there are no ice-bergs to collide against, it will be invigorating and refreshing to see Federer going for the kill for one last time this year.

It would be vindicating, as well, for the Swiss Master to laugh last in a season where he laughed not much.