Tennis: Determined Federer can reach 20

Roger Federer knows exactly what he wants. Photo / Getty Images

Only two men have ever brought Roger Federer to tears. One is his arch nemesis, Rafael Nadal, responsible for all but one of his six losses in grand slam finals, who provoked the flow in the Australian Open last year.

The other is Rod Laver, the legendary Australian universally recognised as the finest player of all time until the Swiss began his own assault on the record books. Laver was Federer's idol, the man whom he admired more than anyone else, the one who he was driven to emulate - and who moved him to tears when he presented the Australian Open trophy to Federer in 2006.

Now it's to be hoped Federer doesn't provoke his own tears after a surprise announcement. Off the back of a forgettable European summer campaign, a defiant Federer recently stated that he is targeting 20 grand slams by the end of his career. The 29-year-old, who won his first back in 2003, has 16 majors. Laver is cautiously optimistic about the prospect of Federer grabbing four more.

"I think he has a good chance but it is getting tougher and tougher because the desire is the thing that is probably lacking," Laver says.

"Once you have done it [many] times getting yourself back up to win those semifinals and finals is the toughest thing."

Federer is a father to one year-old twins, married Mirka in 2009 and is involved in a burgeoning array of off-court activities, from endorsement deals and promotions to his charitable foundation in Africa.

"Other things creep into your life," says Laver. "Maybe you don't practise as hard. You think you are - but it is different to when you just had one train of thought going. He is going to find those kind of things more difficult, he will have to take care to co-ordinate his practice times and his off times."

Federer has redefined the benchmarks in the sport, especially with his grand slam performances. His loss in May to Robin Soderling at Roland Garros brought to an end one of the most remarkable streaks in the history of world sport.

Like Joe Di Maggio's 56-game hitting streak for the New York Yankees, or Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run in the English Premier League, it is unique because we will almost certainly never see it again.

After a fourth round loss at the French Open in 2004, Federer reached at least the final four of the next 23 Grand Slams, across five and a half years.

The next best is Ivan Lendl and Laver himself, with 10 consecutive major semifinals. By his standards, the blip morphed into a slump when he was turfed out of Wimbledon by Thomas Berdych, again at the quarter-final stage.

"Those losses at the French and Wimbledon are going to jolt him," asserts Laver. "He will be thinking seriously about that: 'why did I lose those matches - was it down to attitude and is that what I need to work on?'

"He needs to ask himself what he was doing in the past two or three years that maybe he is not doing now."

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Rene Stauffer is the Swiss journalist who 'discovered' Federer in 1996, playing on a back court with no spectators, ball boys or journalists. Federer was a 15-year-old firebrand, with a pony-tail and an attitude.

"I asked him 'why are you getting so angry? I don't understand - you are winning, you are hitting the ball well.' He looked me straight in the eyes and said 'You should be able to play this game perfect."'

That was Stauffer's headline and he has followed Federer's career closer than anyone ever since. Unlike many observers, Stauffer says Federer's prospects do not hinge on ultimate triumph in New York.

"He just needs to prove he is heading in the right direction. He needs to show he can handle the likes of Berdych and Soderling again. I think reaching a semifinal or a final would not be seen as a setback."

Laver has long admired Federer's all-court, stylish game but suggests he does need to make one change.

"I think he could be a little more aggressive at the net," says Laver. "He seems to play from the baseline quite a lot but he could shorten the points, which I think he needs to do so he is not so tired when he gets to the semifinals and finals.

"Other players have improved and there are a lot of great players out there, especially on hardcourts. The ball bounces a little higher, they are young and aggressive, they are often a little taller and maybe they are going to push him early in tournaments.

"He has every shot in the book and maybe he hasn't used them as well as he should have. He volleys beautifully, so why not use it?"

Perhaps aware of the need for change, Federer hired American Paul Annacone as his new coach, and it is paying immediate dividends.

He reached the final at Toronto (losing to Andy Murray) and then took out the Cincinnati Masters. It was a huge fillip to his confidence as not only did it break a seven-month spell without a title on the ATP tour, it also put an end to a uncharacteristic trough in Masters events, where he had lost five of his last six finals.

Annacone, who previously guided Tim Henman and Pete Sampras, is renowned as a tactician and someone who knows how to explore the weaknesses of other players.

Federer approached him a year ago but was declined as Annacone was tied up with his role at the British Lawn Tennis Association. That contract finishes in November and they seem well suited.

The American has the experience of working with a legend in his twilight years. He was in charge when Sampras won his fifth US Open in 2002, with an against-the-odds victory as a 31-year-old.

"He has a lot to bring to Roger," says Stauffer. "It is new ground for Federer when you start losing more than before and people are starting to talk you into retirement. It seems like a perfect fit."

Annacone appears to be having an influence. Federer was much more aggressive in the recent North American events, after admitting that he had been a "bit too passive". He has added variety to his game and as Laver espoused, was more willing to volley.

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Federer's world has changed in the past 12 months. So many players have beaten him who had never done so and he lost his number one ranking for the second time. But he remains the ultimate champion in the best-of-five-set contests.

Only two players - Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro - have bettered him in a Grand Slam final and he has won 176 matches and lost just 13 since his major breakthrough as a 21-year-old at Wimbledon seven years ago.

A warning for all future opponents - if you want to beat Mr Federer, best you get off to a good start. If he holds the first set, the Swiss maestro has gone on to lose just six matches out of 189 across his entire Grand Slam career.

Amidst all the flash and dash, his mental toughness has often been overlooked but he has shown that he loves the battles in the trenches.

"He is a huge competitor," says Laver. "When he is in trouble, he seems to be able to get out of it, with set and match points down. He is a thinker on the court, [he] knows what to do and how to do it."

Stauffer is backing Federer to reach his goal of 20. He points out that Federer, who has talked of emulating Andre Agassi in the longevity stakes, is aiming to play for "at least" the next five years, which gives him 20 opportunities and makes it "very realistic".

While it is doubtful we will see the like of 2006, 2007 and 2009 (when Federer made the final of all four slams), Laver says he's a contender at all the majors "except the French".

"As long as he stays fit, there is no reason why he couldn't win two Australian Opens and two Wimbledons," says Laver.

Federer is a tennis history buff and there could be another reason why he has decided to publicise a goal.

Every grand slam triumph from now puts more distance between him and Nadal, whom most analysts see as the only man who could catch the Swiss. At 24 and with eight slams, the Spaniard could win seven or eight more but anything further may be beyond even his grasp.

Federer begins his 11th US Open campaign tomorrow (51-5 win-loss) with a match against little-known Argentine Brian Dabul. Federer is seeded to meet Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and Nadal in the final if all goes to form.

"He is capable of winning it," says Laver. "It is just a matter of how much he wants it and it sounds like he wants it pretty good."