mtenis.com.pl

For more than 2½ painful hours, Tommy Robredo outhit, outmaneuvered and pretty much out-tennised Federer in every aspect until the former five-time US Open champ couldn’t take it anymore. The truth is that it was hard to watch but not completely unexpected considering the year Federer was having. When the match here in New York mercifully ended, he could barely muster the strength to wave to packed house that failed miserably to lift his spirits.

And worse, Federer’s performance was far from the rock-bottom result he had experienced just weeks earlier at Wimbledon.

But true to his form, Federer spoke with an air of optimism afterward. “I want to play better. I know I can.”

[+] EnlargeRoger Federer
Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images
Pretty sweet start for Roger Federer, who is playing his first Grand Slam as a 33-year-old.
Turns out, all Federer needed was a new piece of hardware to get him on track. And no, we’re not talking about trophies, though that’s certainly a sweet little byproduct of his newfound success this season. Back in January, Federer permanently began using a blacked-out prototype racket, one with a markedly larger head size that would not only increase his own power but also help him stay competitive with the collective muscle in today’s game.

A few weeks ago in Toronto, the finishing touches were unveiled in Federer’s newest frame, which has been officially named the Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. According to Wilson Tennis, the racket “features a 26-percent wider beam” and a “10 percent larger sweet spot.”

Federer found that sweet spot frequently Tuesday night with a straight-sets win against Marinko Matosevic in the first round of the US Open. Federer was broken just once and now has won 10 of 11 matches since losing the Wimbledon final.

Afterward, though, Federer wasn't talking about Federer or his racket. How could he when His Airness was in the building?

"He was one of the smoothest movers out there," Federer said of Michael Jordan. "There are so many things that he did well and represented the game really nicely, I thought."

For the record, Federer has represented his game nicely, too, though six years have passed since Federer last won the title here. It wasn’t until an unsettling fallow period in 2013 that things devolved into a dire, desperate existence. And that’s when he finally made the decision to swap his dated relic for something with a little more punch.

ESPN analyst Darren Cahill, who coached Andre Agassi to the No. 1 player in the world, sees a tangible difference in Federer’s game.

“He’s been using this racket for eight months, so he’s used to it,” Cahill said. “It's more now an extension of his arm. I don't think it's throwing him any curves. I think his game has picked up. I think it's definitely helped him on his serve, especially the first serve where he's getting a lot of easy power, and that means he doesn't have to press on his serve, so he's hitting his targets much better. That all means he's getting a lot of free points on his serve.”

Tennis players are notoriously creatures of habit. They like what they like. Since his maiden Slam title, at Wimbledon in 2003, Federer had essentially used the same racket, albeit with a slight manipulation in its mold and, of course, with cosmetic overhauls. But by and large, Federer was unwilling to make any drastic changes.

With 17 Grand Slam titles, an all-time record 302 weeks atop the rankings, 22 Masters 1000 wins and his own area code in tennis’ grand pantheon, who’s to blame him?

Still, the low-hanging dark clouds couldn’t be ignored. Federer’s ranking fell to No. 8 -- his lowest since 2002 -- and coming into this season, there was a new, less ambitious reality. Slam titles and ranking points gave way to mere respectability. But Federer was far from acknowledging his tennis mortality.

“He made three adjustments,” Cahill said. “The racket has been crucial to him, especially playing against the power players where it's given him a bigger sweet spot and is allowing him to get a lot more of those shots, especially the hard, fast shots down the middle of the court. He can now block those back and that's where the racket is also helping him. I think he's healthy, which is a huge part of it. And, obviously, making a coaching change also reinvigorated him.”

So, Rog, why the wait to change frames?

“Basically, it was a year ago where I started the racket-testing after Wimbledon,” Federer said. “Anyway, it's a long process. But actually, it all went pretty quickly because I did not use it again here actually for this tournament. Right before I switched my mind, I switched and I said, 'OK, I'll play the year normally.'

“After all the back issues I had, I needed to first figure out what's going on with my game and my back. So I really lost a few months there.”

Anyway, that was so then. As it stands right now, Federer has 50 match wins this season, more than any other player navigating the tour. And this includes his championship run at the Cincinnati Masters a couple of weeks ago. Make that three titles and eight finals in 2014, also the best on circuit.

“After about two months, the fear wasn’t whether he'd decide to go back to an old racket,” ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert said. “Now, if he went back to his old stick, he'd be worse. He's totally used to this racket, and it's made him a much better player. I think that now the racket is second nature for him.”

And second nature just might lead him to first place in two weeks’ time.

NEW YORK -- Two months ago, Wimbledon seemed to be Roger Federer's last best chance for his record 18th Grand Slam singles title.

Well, the old man got to the final, but couldn't quite close the deal, losing to Novak Djokovic in a spirited five-set match. One of the prevailing thoughts these days regarding the 33-year-old's major opportunities is that the US Open constituted his stiffest challenge, in terms of degree of difficulty. The windy conditions, the back-loaded schedule -- and Djokovic's success at this particular venue with four straight appearances in the final -- are all good reasons why it shouldn't happen here.

[+] EnlargeRoger Federer
Bilgin Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Roger Federer has now won 11 of 12 matches since the Wimbledon final.
And yet ... it says here that Federer could do it in New York. The five-time US Open titlist comes in with the best form among his ATP World Tour peers and he looks and sounds confident.

"I think last year I was trying to convince myself I did have an opportunity," Federer said before the tournament, "because I feel like once you have had success and once you know how to win majors, or US Opens for that matter, yeah, can you always do it again. [But] the confidence was going away quickly, too, just because I was just not moving so well. I was scared to have another setback, and so it was just not as clear-cut and simple as it is this year.

"Then you come into this US Open just knowing -- well, you remember how it feels to win tournaments. You almost forget how to lose to a point and confidence rises. I'm looking forward to this tournament, because I really feel like I can play a great tournament. I hope I can show that on the court this year."

So far, so good.

Federer has breezed in his first two matches here. Friday evening he dispatched hard-serving Sam Groth by the count of 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Our Baseline Buzzers, ESPN.com tennis editor Matt Wilansky and senior writer Greg Garber, discuss the possibilities that await the Swiss champion,

Greg Garber: No one was more overjoyed when Rafael Nadal pulled out of the US Open with a damaged right wrist. Federer is playing well, but subtracting Rafa from the draw helps Federer as much as anyone. They've met 11 times in Grand Slam play and Rafa has a significant 9-2 edge. Additionally, Federer got Rafa's No. 2 seed, which protects him from Djokovic potentially until the final. The biggest obstacle? Grigor Dimitrov, who looms as a quarterfinal opponent.

Matt Wilansky: The bottom line is that Federer hasn't experienced this kind of good fortune heading into to a major in years. The question: Is his level of play good enough to capitalize on this opportunity and add to his major total? Federer made quick work of Groth, who holds the ATP record with a163 mph serve. Although it wasn't a perfect match from Fed, he did have 15 more winners than unforced errors. Nonetheless, through three matches, there's nothing to suggest Federer won't be around deep into the second week.

Greg Garber: What was interesting to me is the way Federer diffused the power of Groth's serve so easily. Our crack research staff sent along a fascinating note that explains that this isn't a new wrinkle in his game. Did you know, Mr. tennis editor, that Federer is 80-15 against the guys with the 10 fastest serves of all time? The two biggest victims are Andy Roddick (21-3) and Ivan Ljubicic (13-3). Fascinating stuff, which underlines that power isn't everything. Seriously, your 4-year-old daughter has bigger biceps than Fed.

Matt Wilansky: And a better record against Rafa, but that's neither here nor there. Still, while Federer doesn't have the physical prowess as some of his cohorts, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with his level of muscle. Federer clocked nine more aces against Groh, and won 41 of 49 first-serve points. As Fivethirtyeight.com's Carl Bialik wrote the other day, Federer has a good shot at passing Pete Sampras' all-time record in aces by year's end. If Federer is going to run the table here in New York, he's going to need his serving wits about him.

Greg Garber: Speaking of which, you have to give the burly Groth a little credit. The 26-year-old Aussie had never, ever played a top-10 player before -- and here he was on Arthur Ashe against the greatest player ever. Or, was he more intimidated that Will Ferrell was in the crowd?

Matt Wilansky: Was it me or do Groth and Ferrell share a similar brawny, mountain-man look? Unlike Fed, who's appearance is as clean as his game, which is a far cry from a year ago. Tennis is a game fraught with ebbs and flows, but for Federer, he was stuck in a rut most of 2013 with only two titles and one appearance past the quarterfinals in a major. Apparently, longevity is on his side, which is really an aberration when you consider only 10 percent of major winners have been 29 or older.

Greg Garber: So, here's what's at stake for Federer: everlasting immortality. OK, he's probably got that already in the can, but ... quite seriously, this would be a huge win for Federer. Not only would it be his first victory here since he won five straight from 2004-08, but it would bring him the elusive 18th major. Just like Serena Williams, he's hungry to hit that number. And, considering the fragile state of Rafa's health, would that be enough to close out the Spaniard, who is tied with Pete Sampras at 14?

Matt Wilansky: That is the $64,000 question for which I have no answer. I'm wondering if Rafa is going to start minimizing his run-of-the-mill events in an effort to win more majors. At this point in his career, his health is more tenuous than ever, and while you have to assume Nadal has one or two more French Open titles left in him, we can't make any such assumptions at any other Slams. The greatest-of-all-time debate is more heated than ever when you consider how rapidly Rafa has moved up the Slam ladder and their lopsided 23-10 head-to-head record. But if Federer were to win here, I think that might ease the consternation, at least temporarily.