Stefan Edberg: 'Roger Federer works hard to get back and reach top again'

In his worst season since 2001, Roger Federer claimed only one title in 2012, unable to battle Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Ready to make radical changes, Roger started to play with the more oversized racquet frame and invited new faces to his box, contacting one of his idols Stefan Edberg. The Swede went to Dubai with Roger for a week, they got to know each other, and the chemistry was born. With Stefan by his side, Federer reached the semi-final at the Australian Open in 2014 before winning the first title together in Dubai. The Swiss reached the final in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, defending his Halle title and advancing into Wimbledon's title match. He lost it to Novak Djokovic in five thrilling sets, missing a chance to add another Major trophy to his cabinet. By the end of the season, Federer conquered Cincinnati, Shanghai and Basel, backed by the semi-final at the US Open and the title match at the ATP Finals that he had to skip due to a back injury.

For the first time in three years, Federer won six ATP titles in 2015, including Brisbane, Dubai, Istanbul, Halle, Cincinnati and Basel. Like in the previous season, Roger was sharp and aggressive, rushing to the net and keeping the points on his racquet. At the end of the year, Roger and Stefan decided to end the partnership that was previously supposed to last only for a year, saying great things about each other.

Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer worked together in 2014 and 2015.

Five years later, Roger is still among the world's best players, keeping the points from 2019 and competing at only one tournament in 2020 due to knee injury and two surgeries. Edberg believes Roger will bounce back again in 2021 and fight for the place at the top.

"Working with Roger, he is inquisitive. He still has a passion for the game and wants to get better. Even today, I'm sure he is working on getting back into the game and giving it another shot to reach the top in 2021. 2013 was a tough year for Roger. He had back problems, losing his way a bit and maybe needing some inspiration. Maybe he had some thought about how he can develop his game. At the same time, he decided to switch rackets, which was very important, I think. That's when I came into the picture in 2014. I had thought about how he could become a better player. I think he had in his mind what he wanted to do. That's how we got started - taking it on a day-to-day basis. I've been in the same situation as him. We talked and wanted to make some changes to his game, which we did. He wanted to become a more offensive player, which I was. For him, it was more to have some new inputs, ideas and inspiration. Again, changing that racquet was crucial, embracing new technologies. That's how it all started between us," Stefan Edberg said.

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