Why Dubai Tennis Championships Will Be an Important Test for Roger Federer

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 26, 2014

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Roger Federer is ready to set the tone for the rest of the year at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The speedy courts will be an ideal test for his more aggressive approach, backed by tennis coach Stefan Edberg.

Federer will be a heavy favorite to sweep aside his first three opponents. Only then will he gain a semifinal opportunity to likely face the current king of hard courts, Novak Djokovic. He needs to measure his progress heading into the springtime of tennis' most important tournaments.

The Swiss Maestro was the long-time, reigning hard-court champion, perhaps the greatest ever. He won five consecutive U.S. Open titles from 2004-08 on its fast, hard surface. He earned four Australian Open titles on Melbourne's slower Rebound Ace (2004, 2006-07) and Plexicushion (2010) hard surfaces.

It was like molding the best hard-court performances of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. He was both Jimi Hendrix and Mikhail Baryshnikov. His style and success were choreographed through fluid footwork, scintillating shots and original creativity. He struck baseline winners like nobody before and since.

 

Quick-Strike Tactics

These days, Federer is adjusting his tactics of necessity. He is 32 years old, a shade slower and less likely to grind through several younger, baseline opponents. But he still looks to take the initiative and create pressure on his opponents. Since January's tournaments in Australia, he has looked to finish more points at net and force his defensive-minded adversaries into shorter points and more difficult passes.

The Federer-Edberg approach has had good early returns. Chalk up Australian Open victims Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray's B-level clone as evidence.

Federer's adjustments need more matches and opportunities. Unlike Edberg's approach 20 years ago, he cannot simply employ a committed formula for attacking the net. He must fine-tune a more improvisati...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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