The long, forlorn looks at the tennis racquet are becoming more and more frequent for Roger Federer these days. The man who was once the most unbeatable man in tennis is looking more and more ordinary these days. Federer lost for the sixth time this year. Last year, his sixth loss came in August, and in 2006 he didn't even lose six matches. The last time he had six losses this early in a season was in 2003. So what has happened to the previously most feared man on asphalt? Well a number of things. He started off the season slow, due to his bout with mono. Yet he still made a strong run through the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovich. Federer has since recovered, but still hasn't looked as sharp as he has in the past. Another factor in Fed's fall has been Novak Djokovich. Djokovich has the game to compete with Federer, and he has the will to finish the match. The mutual respect between Federer and Rafael Nadal (Nadal owns the clay, Federer everything else) does not exist between Djokovich and Federer. When watching to two play, the animosity between the two is evident. Djokovich's rise last year and this year has also given hope to players who previously had little, if any, shot at beating Federer. Fed's latest loss came to Radek Stepanek who after the game said "I came into the match with the belief I could win". Two years ago, you never would have heard that comment from a player like Stepanek if they somehow had beaten Federer. The quote would have been more like "I played flawlessly today and got lucky that he was slightly off his game". But Federer's falterings have given hope to all of his opponents. The aura that once surrounded him is fading fast. Federer's career is far from done, but gone are the days where he can win just by walking out onto the court and waiting for his opponent to give up. Of course, grass and hard court seasons are right around the corner, so his best work of the season is yet to come.
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