I’ve been reporting the progress of Roger Federer at the U.S. Open in my other blog. I can only wish that he’ll cruise all the way to the finals so I won’t have to write an entry if he’ll fail to defend his title. He’s been the champion at Flushing Meadows for the past 4 years and is looking to prevent Nadal from having a better year (3 Slams, 1 Olympic gold) than he managed in the first 4 years of his absolute dominance.

I was watching the 2005 U.S. Open final last night and noticed the difference in Federer’s movement and shotmaking abilities then. I think the key is confidence. He lost a big chunk of that which used to give him an air of invincibility; thus, he plays tight and is prone to more errors. But that’s just an assumption. Another thing I noticed is how much older he looked after 3 years. I’m pretty sure it’s just the stress and possibly his bout with mononucleosis earlier in the year (at Wimbledon, he even had a scar on his right cheek from a boil that got infected), but he lost that freshness and boyish charm as well. Well, it’s not as if he needs treatments for acne or anything, I’m sure he’ll bounce back to his old self (no pun intended) with a few rest and with his 5th U.S. Open trophy in hand.