Ma Yue finds that despite talk of Federer’s age, the 32-year-old former world No. 1 tennis player from Switzerland still maintains his precision and may still be capable of a Grand Slam crown.

Roger Federer has long been favored by Shanghai fans, as the Swiss missed only one out of the nine Shanghai Masters Cup or ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters events since 2002.

However, the former world No. 1 seems to be going through the toughest phase of his career, slipping in the ATP rankings to seventh place, and failing to get past the fourth round after losing to Tommy Robredo in the US Open, the last Grand Slam event of the year. Previously, Federer held a 10-0 record against Robredo.

It’s only the second time since 2002 that Federer went a full Grand Slam season without a single finals appearance. He reached semifinals in Australia and quarterfinals at the French Open, but lost in the second round of Wimbledon.

The second-round departure at the All England Club to Sergiy Stakhovsky was perhaps one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history, as it was Federer’s most successful Grand Slam tournament. Also, he had not lost to anybody ranked outside the top 100 since 2005.

Federer’s only title this year was in Halle, where he beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny 2-1 in the ATP final in June. Seeking to bounce back, he tried many solutions including an experiment with a slightly larger racquet frame, but switched back to the old one later. Fans have to accept that Federer is no longer the player that many used to fear during his peak.

Zhang Ze, the top-ranked player from China’s mainland, is joining Federer for the first time to play in the doubles at the Shanghai Masters this year. Federer is also the idol of the 23-year-old Jiangsu Province native.

“To me, he always will be like a king,” Zhang said. “Given his age, he can’t keep himself in peak form all the time. That doesn’t take away the fact that he is the best player of his age.

“Federer is already 32 years old and has a family and kids to take care of. If I was 32, I would probably be retired already. So I really admire him!” Zhang told Shanghai Daily.

It would be painful for his longtime followers to see Federer reach the end of his career having dropped so quickly in the rankings, which is not the way he deserves to leave the sport. It would be a bit easier to accept if he could once again attain a Grand Slam crown before hanging up his racket.

“He should at least aim for another Grand Slam title and try to stay within the top 10. A reasonable personal goal is very important to a player like that,” said Mao Shiyun, a tennis lover and a loyal Federer fan who has followed him closely since 2006.

To Mao, it’s still a bit too early for the Swiss to talk about retirement. “I think he will stay on the court for another three or four years, keep his form and try to reach the 2016 Olympic Games.” One Olympic title is missing in the tennis icon’s champion collection. He ended up with a silver medal at the All England Club during the 2012 London Olympic Games after losing to home favorite Andy Murray.

Comparisons with Sampras

“I can’t remember any impressive performance of his in the past one or two years. He still has the ability despite the age. And maybe he should adjust his schedule, focus on Grand Slams and other big events while dropping the smaller ones,” Mao suggested.

“What he should do is reevaluate his physical condition and leave the sport slowly and gradually, with glory, just like Pete Sampras.”

Comparisons are inevitable between Federer and American tennis legend Pete Sampras. Many consider them the greatest tennis players of all time, and the current crisis Federer is encountering is similar to the phase Sampras went through toward the end of his career, which he ended on a high note.

Sampras, who had just turned 30, lost in the finals of the 2000 and 2011 US Open, leading to speculation that he would never capture another major title. In 2002, he suffered an early exit from Wimbledon, and had a relatively poor summer until the US open. Seeded 17th, Sampras hung on all the way through to face Andre Agassi in the final. After a four-set battle, Sampras claimed a then-record 14th Grand Slam singles title. He did not compete in any tour events in the following 12 months, and announced his retirement in August 2003 at age 32.

Is retirement really around the corner for Federer? For a decade, you have not been able to talk about tennis without mentioning Federer, who holds a record 17 Grand Slam singles titles and occupied the No. 1 ranking for 237 straight weeks between 2004 and 2008, and for 302 weeks in total. That has got to make it difficult for the tennis great to think about leaving the sport. Take Michael Schumacher case as an example.

The seven-time Formula One world champion is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, holding an impressive list of F1 records, including most championships, most race victories and categories such as fastest lap.

Unaccustomed to ‘crisis’

The most glorious period in his career was winning five successive titles with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. In 2006, the German, then 37, announced his retirement for the first time and became a team adviser with Ferrari who also did tests for the team. But he missed the racetrack and returned in the 2010 season, going back to F1 races with the Mercedes GP team. But in a sport in which the performance of the car plays an overwhelming role, Schumacher only managed to finish ninth and eighth in 2010 and 2011. He announced his retirement a second time in 2012, a season in which he ended up in 13th place out of 25 drivers.

Despite all the comparison and discussion, Federer’s performance and figures on court are still unreachable for current male players except for the top four. He has had a very smooth career, but the so-called “crisis” is something both Federer and his fans will have to get used to as he ages.

Among all of the athletic gifts of the former world No. 1, precision remains his greatest weapon. Unlike strength and endurance, it won’t fade so easily with age.

The issue is whether the Swiss will be able to detect the limits of his 32-year-old body, and make full use of the accuracy of his shots. Once his feet set, the shots can still cause his opponents headaches.

Federer has announced he will play in the Brisbane International in 2014. His showdown in the doubles court with a Chinese player as his partner can also be regarded as a kind of exploration for him in the tennis field. Will we see a revival in Roger Federer’s fortunes or even a twist in the tennis ace’s career in Shanghai? The answer will soon be unveiled.

Roger Federer

Born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland, Roger Federer is now ranked world No. 5 by the ATP. He plays with a single-handed backhand and is an all-court, all-around player known for his speed, fluid style of play, and exceptional shot making.

He has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles, the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite Award a record 10 straight times (2003–2012), and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award a record eight times (2004–2009, 2011–2012).

Federer’s ATP tournament records include winning six ATP World Tour finals, playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and having won the most prize money of any player in history, over US$75 million.

He started playing tennis at 8 and at 17, he finished 1998 as the No. 1 junior in the world. In 2001, he made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and in the same year came his first ATP title. In 2003, he won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. In 2004, He achieved World No. 1 in his year-end ranking for the first time. Federer’s dominance of the men’s tour lasted through 2007, the fourth year he ended as the world’s best male player.

In late 2007, Federer contracted mononucleosis and at the 2008 Australia Open, still not fully recovered, he lost to Novak Djokovic and then was defeated by Rafael Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the French Open and at Wimbledon. He finished 2008 at World No. 2. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won the gold medal in doubles. In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles and broke the all-time record for Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player. The year 2009 was also a landmark year in Federer’s personal life, as he married his long-time girlfriend, Mirka, and became the father of twin daughters.

In 2010, Federer slowed down in his achievements and finished the year as world No. 2. At the 2011 Australian Open, he was defeated in straight sets in the semifinals, marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not hold any of the four Grand Slam titles. He finished the year as world No. 3.