Roger Federer US Open 2011: Why Federer Will Never Win Another Grand Slam

Roger Federer's days of winning Grand Slams are over. Tennis' great champion has finally run into one opponent not even he can beat: Father Time. This fact is going to be on full display when Federer makes an early exit at the US Open.

Federer's decline in foot speed has been on display this season, however, that is not the most alarming sign of his decline.

Just take a look at Federer's last match. In the Western and Southern Open the third-seeded Federer was ousted in the quarterfinals by Tomas Berdych in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (3). It was the third time in their past four matchups that Berdych has defeated the once unbeatable Federer.

In this match, Federer struggled to gain control of his ground strokes. His patented pin-point accuracy left his stroke and this left Federer completely vulnerable. Over the years, Federer's accuracy has led him to remarkably efficient victories. With that accuracy fading, his diminishing court coverage will leave him vulnerable.

The most alarming thing about Federer's struggles cannot be owed to injuries or off-the-court stress. They can be attributed to just one thing, Father Time. Federer is just 30 years old, but he is an old 30. His run of dominance has meant countless more matches for him over the past ten years than players getting knocked out in the quarterfinals or earlier.

Federer is still an impressive 42-11 this season, but that is only impressive for mortals. For Federer, it is sub-par. What is particularly troubling is the fact that Federer has looked worse with each passing tournament this season, and that is a trend he will be unable to stop.

The match with aging is one even Federer cannot win, and in this US Open I expect him to pass the torch to a player on the polar opposite end of the age battle.

Australian teen Bernard Tomic looms for Federer in the third round. While Tomic hasn't progressed to the point where he is a lock in any match—he is 67th in the ATP rankings—and has yet to harness the full potential of his amazing talent, he has shown the poise in previous Grand Slams that prove he can be counted on to advance to this match. 

And that is bad news for Federer. With his his declining accuracy, Federer will not be able to run his opponent into the frustration that would lead to the powerful teen launching unforced errors.

The writing is on the wall: Be ready for an early exit for Federer.