Let's start by establishing the true question surrounding Roger Federer: Will he break Pete Sampras' all-time Grand Slam record of 14 titles?

As for Roger's recent 6-3, 6-2 loss to Mardy Fish at the Pacific Life Open, it isn't the biggest tennis upset of all time, as many are already dubbing it.

It does, however throw a major monkey wrench into the upcoming Key Biscayne predictions and summer Grand Slam circuit.

In defense of Roger, Fish may be ranked No. 98 in the world, but he is realistically a top 30 caliber player and has been ranked as high as No. 17.  Regardless, it's still time to shift into "panic mode," because now is not the time to slump if you're Roger Federer. 

Major issues facing Federer

• He may potentially have to take time off to fully recoup after being struck by mono during the Australian Open. With the packed tennis schedule, there is virtually no time for him to rest from now until the US Open.
• Roger's recent losses to Fish and Novak Djokovic weren't particularly close, proving that not only is he vulnerable, but he also can get dominated at times. That's a thought that seemed impossible 18 months ago.
• Rafael Nadal is on the brink of surpassing Roger as the No. 1-ranked player in the world; with the clay court season approaching, Rafa is in a great position to make his move to the top.
• Federer is now 26 years old. That's not young in the tennis world. Each year that passes will make it more difficult to win Grand Slam titles. Assuming that Roger won't win the French Open, if he continues to slip up at Wimbledon and the US Open this season, he could feasibly only win two to three more majors throughout the rest of his career. That's especially feasible considering the rise of young talent such as Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andy Murray and Nadal.

Positives for Roger

• He still could have 10 strong years left in his career (guys like Jonas Bjorkman are still maintaining a high caliber of play into their mid-30's).
• He's losing to some of the best players in the world and going deep into tournaments (with the exception of losing to Murray early in Dubai).
• Federer has a smooth/low impact game, which is less conducive to injuries and could buy him a few extra years on his career.
• Roger is phenomenal on grass and could have 10 more tries at winning Wimbledon throughout the rest of his career.
• Despite his recent losses, Federer can still win a lot of matches on intimidation.

Final Thought
Pete Sampras' all-time Grand Slam title record is the ultimate standard of who is the best men's player, or it's at least the most reasonable measuring stick. If Federer can surpass that mark, he will most likely get the edge in the history books. If this losing trend continues throughout the 2008 French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, however, he will be running uphill in his quest to surpass Pete, and a tie would seem like his most realistic scenario. If nothing else, this recent turn of events will make for an exciting summer of tennis and will give guys like James Blake and Andy Roddick some hope of finally getting the "Federer monkey" off their backs.

Print this Email this Blog this  IM this

MORE FROM TENNIS

Tennis Section Front

Djokovic tops Wawrinka to win in Rome Safina beats Dementieva to win German Open   Video: Serena is headed for more Slam titles Collins: World No. 1 Federer is down but not out   Video: Sampras says Federer will be fine for French   Video: Federer 'bored' but will be OK, McEnroe says Interactive: How do Federer, Nadal compare? Latest tennis videos   Video: Sampras and other players get competitive   Slide show: Sharapova super on and off court Tennis Section Front   Add Tennis headlines to your news reader: