5 Reasons why Federer can win the US Open

Given the current purple patch that the Swiss maestro Roger Federer is going through, it would be no surprise if he went on to win the title at Flushing Meadows and add to his already impressive CV.He has had a rich vein of form this year and in 2014 after a fairly modest 2013 season. Here we analyse 5 reasons why the Swiss ace, deserving of the G.O.A would likely emerge victorious after a fortnight:

#1 In the form of his life

Federer won a record 7th Western and Southern Open title earlier this month

This was pretty obvious. Federer has been in great shape throughout the year, and has produced some amazing tennis over the past few weeks. He is coming to the US Open on the back of an excellent week in Cincinnati, where he captured his record 7th title, disposing of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray en route, with both wins coming in straight sets. His Wimbledon run was no less than this.

The epic schooling of Andy Murray in the semifinals brought back memories of the days of glory for every Federer fan.

The current form that he is in might very well propel him to yet another Major victory and a record 18th Grand Slam title

#2 Lethal service

Roger Federer’s serve is one of the most underrated elements of his game.

In my opinion, it is Roger’s super-effective serve that has won him 7 Wimbledon titles. Even though he does not have the speed of an Ivo Karlovic, Milos Raonic or Kevin Anderson, he more than makes up for it with his placements and the variety of serves that he has to offer is just amazing.

Another thing about Federer’s serve is his second serve quality. You hardly ever see Roger serving too many double-faults in a match.

With that being said, he has been serving with amazing consistency in the past few weeks and if he keeps up this level of serving, it would be extremely difficult for opponents to make inroads into his service. The serve is going to be a key weapon for Roger to win a Major.

#3 Serve and Volley

One of the major reasons for Federer’s success in the last year and a half is his transition of his game from baseline to the old school serve-and-volley style of tennis.

His new partnership with Stefan Edberg has paid rich dividends, and the Swiss has been able to come in more often and shorten the length of the rallies. This has also enabled him to remain fresh through the course of a tournament, conserving most of his energy for the latter stages.

He has recently added one more element to his game – the half-volley return of serve. He did this quite a number of times during the course of the Cincinnati Masters and it has been quite effective, primarily in surprising opponents and drawing errors out of them.

With the serve and volley now in his coaching manual, it has been quite a surprise that Federer has not gone on to win a Major so far this year. It appears though that he has every chance of doing it this year at the US Open.

#4 Movement

The sight of Federer running around backhands to strike a forehand winner is just breathtaking to behold. It is this movement that provides the aesthetics to his game and makes spectators gasp in awe when he pulls off impossible shots from time to time.

The 34-year-old Swiss maestro shows no signs of slowing down, and there is just one word to describe the way the champion moves around the court – elegant. His movement looks as good as ever, evident from his forays into the net and running around backhands to hit forehands.

With all the elements of his game like his serve, net approaches, forehand, and all his movements working in perfect sync, there is no reason why Federer cannot add to his tally of 17 Majors.

#5 Relatively easy draw

Federer holding the 2007 US Open title

Here are Federer’s projected opponents en route to the title:1R - Mayer 2R - Baghdatis/Darcis 3R - Rosol/Kohlschreiber 4R - Isner/Karlovic QF - BerdychSF - MurrayF - Djokovic

Given his current form, Federer is expected to breeze past the opening four rounds without any hiccups. Berdych hasn't been in the best of form with only quarterfinal showings or lesser in the American hardcourt swing. So Federer can be expected to make the semifinals easily.

His real test, however, will be when he has to face Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic back to back.

But Federer, with all the elements of his game in great nick and a clean game without too many unforced errors can beat Murray or Djokovic quite effortlessly, just as he showed in Cincinnati.

He will also be relatively fresh coming into the semifinals, not having had to exert himself too much in the initial rounds. So this year, it may very well be Roger Federer lifting a record 6th US Open title and an 18th Major.