Fed's chances for a Calendar Slam

By winning the Australian Open last month, Roger Federer proved a number of things. Most importantly, he showed that he is still the Nr. 1 player in the world by demonstrating a different kind of superiority compared to previous years, when his seemingly supernatural skills and uncanny shotmaking proved enough to distance himself by miles ahead of the rest.

This time, the Rod Laver arena witnessed a different player who is perfectly aware that his skills alone no longer guarantee him automatic wins over the top players in the world. He has become a more patient tactical player with an enormous ability to focus on the big points. He has quiet simply figured out how to mentally overcome even the best players, who are now mercylessly banging on his door in terms of shotmaking, fitness and stability.

Federer's masterful performance also gave a distinctive answer to all the speculations regarding the near end of his dominance and convinced even his hardest critics (especially in the British media) that his reigning time is by far not over. Sure, you could say he got a bit lucky last year, with the shock exit of Rafael Nadal at the French Open, combined with his lingering injuries, bothering him ever since. But even so, Fed's fightback against Tommy Haas at Roland Garros and his remarkable endurance against an unexpectedly stabile Andy Roddick at Wimbledon made him worthy of reclaiming the world nr. 1 spot.

His powerful demonstration against an in-form Andy Murray in Melbourne Park only gave further confirmation that he is not yet done. He also once again proved that he only brings out his best level when it really matters - at the Grand Slams, and uses the Masters tournaments mainly for training purposes, without any disrespect for those tournaments. He has always enjoyed beating records, and after last year's successes, all the pressure about winning Roland Garros and the speculations around him being the Greatest of All time or not are now gone, making him even more dangerous at Slams than during the past few years.

His happy marriage and family life only adds to this notion. So what are Federer's chances for a Calendar Slam in 2010? I would say, they have never been better. As for the French, he is defending Champion and the second best clay court player of the past few years. The best clay courter, Nadal, is showing worrying signs that he might never again be able to reach his old level and motivation because of his injury problems. Also, Fed must no longer deal with any pressure here, and if he can show the same level of shotmaking (especially from his backhand), confidence and mental strength as he did in Melbourne, he steps forward as the favourite for the title. Wimbledon should be the easiest affair of the three.

There are probably very few people who could imagine any other winner than Federer. There could be some tough challenges on the way, even some five-setters, but eventually he should prevail. Even a fully fit Nadal probably couldn't repeat his epic win of 2008, where extremely dry court conditions and darkness proved to be a decisive factor. The US Open feels like a more open story. A tough draw here could easily make life difficult for Fed, but he should nevertheless reach the semi-final without major problems.

From there, it will be up to his vast experience and mental strength to overcome the challenges from the likes of Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro, Cilic and Nadal (given he has fully regained his form). Although Fed has won the tournament five times out of the last six and only lost to Del Potro after a gruelling five-set final last year, the hard courts at Flushing Meadows also benefit several other players with Grand Slam-winning capabilities.

If there's any good time for pulling that magic wand out of his sleeve, this will probably be it. Should Fed complete the Calendar Slam, there would be absolutely no doubts left about what most people already claim - he is the Greatest of All Time.