Roger Federer wants to go out as a winner but may be in for a shock

Is Roger Federer finished at the highest level? It might sound an odd question to ask about the world No 1 who, only two months ago at Wimbledon, won his 17th grand slam title by comprehensively beating Andy Murray. Yet at Flushing Meadows this week, the signs were not encouraging, both in the manner of his leaving and his response to defeat. If he wins another US Open title to go with the five he already has it would defy the available evidence. It is not that Federer is not still a great player. It's just that he is not consistently a great player for seven five-set matches in a row, which is the required test to win a major, of which he has more experience than anyone in the history of tennis. When he put together that sequence to win Wimbledon, he proved all the doubters wrong. When he faded a month later against Murray in the Olympics final, John McEnroe was moved to observe, "That's the first time I've seen him look his age." Federer has just turned 31, although he has no significant injury or health problems. He also has a seemingly effortless game that puts less stress on his body than, say, Rafael Nadal's muscular, high-energy tennis, which has again put the Spaniard's future in doubt as he takes an extended break to heal and rest his knees. But the air of invincibility Federer had against every player except Nadal, and latterly Novak Djokovic, has gone. He is not Billy the Kid anymore. A giveaway is when his forehand malfunctions. That extraordinary shot, where Federer seems to float in a world of his own before lathering the ball at a precise angle out of reach of his opponent, is a thing of beauty — except when it sails into the hoardings. The flower pots have been getting a hiding more often lately. Nothing divides opinion in tennis like a debate about Federer, both his future as a player and the way he either delights or incites the fans and the media. Often, Federer press conferences sound like prayer meetings as fans with laptops, but little objectivity, queue up to pay homage. However, when he states, redundantly, that he has done great things, he feeds the view that he is either insecure (as many champions are) or so lacks self-awareness that he can't hear the sniggering in the background. There is a tweeter called @PseudoFed who preys on his serial self-glorification mercilessly. Federer knows about it, and he is not amused. You would not blame him. Yet he continues to provide his tormentor with ammunition. A classic example was his response to losing to Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals here. "I really expected myself to play better tonight," Federer said. "Especially at night, I have had such a great record. I don't know. I felt good, you know. Such an amazing summer I had. I really thought I was going to come out and play a solid match. I didn't do that tonight. Obviously there is a bit of a letdown now." The letdown ought to be that Federer struggles to do humble. Where was the respect for Berdych? Where was the acknowledgment that the player on the other side of the net had the right — and the ability — to beat him in an important match? His praise for the winner was almost an afterthought. He did the same when Berdych put him out of Wimbledon two years ago, claiming a thigh injury he had picked up in Halle (where Lleyton Hewitt beat him on grass for the first time in 13 attempts) hampered his game. That is a serious breach of player protocol. When told of Federer's excuse, Berdych was livid. They have hardly spoken since. It was left to Paul Annacone, Federer's coach, to lend perspective to the latest defeat. "I think Berdych played very well and was very offensive, and Roger fought hard but it was one of those times where it didn't all click," the American said. "Sometimes we forget that it actually does happen to the great ones." As someone drily remarked, Federer often reminds us how great he is. Certainly, Federer has the physical resilience and, at the moment, the desire to play on for another couple of years, maybe more. My suspicion has always been that he will judge the moment of his departure according to his performance rather than his results because he always thinks he is playing tennis good enough to beat the best. Winning Wimbledon in such devastating fashion enhanced that self-view; folding against Murray might have damaged it and, certainly, losing to Berdych the way he did will have made him think again. Previously, he has said he will play on until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That suddenly seems a long way off. This was Berdych's fourth win in the past seven matches they have played but, more significantly, the second in a slam, after that 2010 Wimbledon quarter-final. In the period between his win over Andy Murray to win the Australian Open earlier that year to doing it again at Wimbledon this year, Federer played some beautiful tennis. But it was a barren time for big titles, and that did not please him. For more than two years, he was a king on the outside of his own castle. Getting back to No1 at Wimbledon this year really mattered to a player who has won more majors than anyone else and who, with some justification, is widely regarded as the best of all time. Whether Nadal can come back and overtake Federer's tally of 17 slams is doubtful. Those knees are not getting any better and the opposition is not getting any weaker. So, for the time being, Federer has a kingdom to defend. He will do it for as long as he thinks he can beat the likes of Murray, Djokovic and Nadal in the finals that matter. Once he starts losing to players such as Berdych, with all due respect, he will think again. If he suffers again in Melbourne in January, I think he might look at the calendar and figure on an exit strategy. Where might that be? Christopher Clarey in the New York Times has an interesting take on the subject. For the first time in a while, however, Federer let a note of utter dejection enter his post-match audience. When he failed to defend two match points here last year against Djokovic's outrageous hit-and-hope winners in the semi-final, he was angry. This time, he was melancholy. Asked about the possibility of losing his No 1 ranking, he said, "I've got to go back to the drawing board from here andsee what's really the priority, if that's a priority for the end of the year. I don't know right now. I mean the goal has been achieved, but this is disappointing for me. We'll see where I go from now." Like a fighter, he wants to go out a winner. Like a fighter, he might be in for a shock.