Roger Federer's best memory - 2013 edition: Wise choices and disappointments

Roger Federer's career is studded with great successes and incredible records: with 20 Slams he is the record holder but the Swiss Maestro has achieved other great goals, such as eight triumphs at Wimbledon, the weeks as world no. 1, and the titles on the grass and hard courts. For each season, however, there is a particular goal, an achievement that should be highlighted.

In 2013, Roger won only one title and he ended his partnership with Paul Annacone. His was a troubled season, conditioned by physical problems, especially back pain, which limited his performances throughout the season that was dominated by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. In the Slams his best result came at the Australian Open where he reached the semi-final, losing against Murray.

The most disappointing result was the surprising second-round defeat against Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon that Federer played as the defending champion. The Swiss Maestro's only title of the season came in Halle after a painful victory against Mikhail Youzhny in three sets. He was eliminated in the quarter-final of the French Open by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and in the fourth round of the US Open by Tommy Robredo. In the ATP Finals in London, he was defeated by Rafael Nadal in the semi-final.

Considering the season was full of technical and physical problems, many were convinced that this was the end of the great champion, with the retreat now around the corner. Federer's brave choice was to start thinking about a change of racket, using a bigger one. But in hindsight, breaking the partnership with Paul Annacone was, in the years to come, his wisest choice. With the American coach by his side, he won the 2012 Wimbledon, but his tennis needed something different, to adapt to his opponents and new generations. In the future he first engaged Stefan Edberg, and then Ivan Ljubicic. These have been two choices that have brought him great satisfaction.

"My career has been too good and this is why, compared to 2013, in 2016 I preferred to move away from the Tour to return stronger than before," Federer said in 2019,

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3d0kFxJ