Roger Federer’s Elite Status Continues to Slip Away Amidst 2013 Struggles

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: March 3, 2013

commentComment        

Another tennis tournament has come and gone in 2013, and once again Roger Federer finds himself on the outside looking in at the finals.

This time it was the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Just a few days ago, it seemed Federer was destined to face Novak Djokovic, but that was squashed after Federer suffered a semifinal upset at the hands of No. 6 Tomas Berdych.

Federer won the first set against Berdych, but dropped the last two 6-7 and 4-6.

As a result, the 31-year-old finds himself still searching for a win in 2013, as well as a finals appearance.

The Swiss star has played in three tournaments this year, including the Australian Open to kick off the new year.



Federer lost in the semifinals in Melbourne to No. 3 Andy Murray. Not long after that, he found himself eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Then came Dubai.

Surprisingly, through it all Federer has retained his No. 2 status. But that ranking has been less by his own play and more by circumstance.

No. 3 Murray has only played in two tournaments this season, and won one (the Brisbane International). His other tourney was his finals loss at the Australian Open.

Also aiding Federer's case has been the injury to No. 5 Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard saw his ranking slip after a 222-day break from the sport to rest an ailing knee.

In each of his three tournaments in 2013, Nadal has made sure to make it to the finals. He's won his last two appearances, including his most recent Mexican Open win over No. 4 David Ferrer.

None of this is to say that Federer isn't still a great tennis player.

The season is still young, and it wasn't that long ago that Federer captured the 2012 tournament in Wimbledon. And he gave a good show of it at Melbourne.



But with Rafael Nadal's eminent return to the sport's elite, Federer needs a big...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!