Can a mental coach help Roger Federer evolve his game further?

Roger Federer under the watchful eyes of Stefan Edberg (far left) and Severin Luthi

A good five minutes went by as I watched the highlights of the Davis Cup matches between Switzerland and Netherlands. With my mouth agape, I witnessed in awe how Roger Federer was just being himself for the umpteenth time.

He seemed to have put behind his recent US Open loss as he played with newfound freedom and zest. He charged the net, painted the tramlines and exuded authority with his play.

As soon as the video clip ended, I felt pangs of pain as YouTube threw up Federer’s speech in the presentation ceremony of the US Open 2015 as one among many suggested clips. Like most other die-hard Federer fans, I still cannot stomach his defeat. Though he takes just about 25 minutes to get over a loss, no matter how gut-wrenching, I meander in and out of bouts of depression for a few days on the trot.

I decided to play the video just to hear Federer say, I’ll be back next year!” and the crowd go wild. The video rubbed more salt into my wounds as it not only had the speech but also the match point.

On that point Federer hit a half-hearted forehand return that sailed wide, much to the delight of Djokovic and his camp. As I watched the rest of the video my sorrow turned to angst.

I was not miffed by Djokovic’s boisterous celebration as he totally deserved his 10th Grand Slam title. His celebrations have been more raucous in the past, featuring shirt-ripping on occasion too; we do not see much of that these days. Thanks to Uniqlo T-shirts!

But I was irritated, sort of, with one statement that Federer made in his speech. He said, “I’m very pleased with where my game is at.” A sea of questions flooded my tennis head, sending me into a tizzy followed by some introspection.

If he has his game where he wants it to be, then why did he lose? Why did he lose again in a Grand Slam final? Why did he lose again to Novak Djokovic whom he beat in straight sets at the Cincinnati Masters? Does Federer not know how to bring his ‘A’ game to a Grand Slam final at this stage of his career? Is it even possible to do so at the age of 34?

Why was he not able to tap into his energy reserves when he had conserved enough of it by not dropping even a single en route to the final? Was the writing on the wall so hard for me to see and fathom that Djokovic was the better player – younger, fitter and hungrier? What other changes could the Swiss Maestro make to his game in order to catapult him to a whole new level, again?

In recent times, Federer’s innate ability of remaining relevant to the sport has been analyzed and eulogized. In my opinion, his game is where he wants it to be technically and tactically, but not mentally. Yes, that seems very unfair a comment when he has won 17 Grand Slam titles and is currently World No. 2 at the age of 34. But I’m talking about something very specific.

The larger racquet, the Edbergian School of Coaching, the smart scheduling and the SABR (Sneak Attack by Roger) have definitely added layers to Federer’s supreme game. However, certain mental aspects of his game seem to be untapped so far.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion showed a few chinks in his mental armor even in his prime. Federer’s arch-rival and nemesis, Rafael Nadal, has always given him a rough time as evidenced by a lop-sided head to head of 23-10 in Nadal’s favour. 13 of those 23 victories for Nadal have come on clay, his favourite surface, but on quick surfaces like those in Wimbledon and the O2 arena at London Federer has dominated their clashes.

At the Monte Carlo Masters this year Federer, against Gael Monfils, was up a break in the first set, but he went on to lose the set 6-4. In the second set tiebreak, though he led 5-3, he lost four points in a row to lose the set and the match. In both sets, there was a decrease in his intensity when he was in the driver’s seat. This is just one of the many instances recently in which patterns of his mental let-downs have come to the fore.

On the heels of a phenomenal comeback in 2014, Federer stressed on the fact that he experienced ‘zen’ while on court. He was unfazed by being broken or while trailing in a match. In fact, he managed a Houdini-like escape against Leonardo Mayer in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters, defeated Gael Monfils in a thrilling five-set battle in the quarterfinal of the US Open 2014 after losing the first two sets, and also staved off four match points to win a controversy-ridden semifinal against Stan Wawrinka in the ATP World Tour Finals at London last year.

However the same zen just seemed to abandon him in not one, not two but three Grand Slam finals against Djokovic. Two of these finals were within his bastion too – Wimbledon, where he has won seven times.

At the US Open 2015 Federer was never threatened in his early matches. He did not drop a single set on his way to the final. He served ominously and fired winners at will. His body language was relaxed and he played with his signature flair that drew the usual superlatives from experts and sports writers alike.

However, in the final, Federer had a shaky start. He did not play the committed tennis he wanted to. He did do a good job of clinching the second set, but he could not build on the momentum in the beginning of the third.

The rest of the final followed a pattern similar to the previous two Wimbledon finals. Djokovic played a great match and was also prepared for the SABR, Federer’s latest weapon in his repertoire. The Serb neutralized the SABR with precise lobs.

Federer did well to create a number of break point opportunities for himself. But every time he got there he played conservatively. Was it self-doubt? Was it fear? Does the big occasion of turning 18 as a Grand Slam champion get to him? Did he allow the rain delay and the entailing slow conditions on the court to play on his mind? A poor break point conversion of 4/23 ultimately did him in, and that's never a comforting thought.

Kevin Anderson reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at this year’s US Open and credited his success to a sport psychologist he had been working with in the run-up to the event. A couple of years back Andy Murray hired the sports psychologist who had helped his former Coach Ivan Lendl. This decision seemed to benefit Murray as he won two Grand Slams in that period. He still continues to work with a psychiatrist to understand his thought process, reactions and emotions on court better.

Federer’s coaches – Stefan Edberg and Severin Luthi – have vowed to keep helping Federer evolve his game after his most recent loss at the US Open. A specific area that they may want to look at is to help Federer cope mentally in such crucial matches against opponents who have his number and while playing on courts that may not favour the Swiss as much as they favour his opponent.

If the objective of helping Federer just be himself in such matches and play committed tennis irrespective of the surface, score or opponent is addressed, I believe the rest will fall into place. Maybe a mental coach is the one ingredient missing in the recipe to create No. 18.