'Slump' doesn't faze Federer

By LINDA ROBERTSON

lrobertson@MiamiHerald.com

If you think perhaps Roger Federer is losing sleep, losing hair or losing his cool, you would be wrong.

Federer might be losing matches, but he is not losing confidence.

The man is a Swiss timepiece. It's the perfect metaphor. Precise on the tennis court, inexorable off it.

What is all the hubbub, Federer would like to know, about a few losses? Why all the angst that he has not won a tournament in 2008? How come everyone is rushing to predict the end of his run?

''A pity,'' Federer said when describing a match that didn't go his way. He makes it sound like a crumb he is flicking off the table.

You are more worried than he is.

Federer isn't sweating because ''there's no need to second-guess or panic whatsoever,'' he said Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open, where he begins play Saturday. ``I'm quite amazed what the headlines are at the moment, to be honest.''

Federer is ranked No. 1, as he has been for four years, two months. He has a 315-25 record since 2004. He has won three Grand Slam titles in three of the past four years. At age 26, he has won 12 Slams, just two short of Pete Sampras' record.

So why is the tennis world aflutter? Why all the twittering about a slump, a word as jarring attached to Federer as a nose ring would be on the regal king.

Well, he just hasn't been himself. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open, where he looked lethargic. He lost to young Scotsman Andy Murray in the first round in Dubai. And on Saturday, he was crushed 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes by No. 98 Mardy Fish, who had lost five previous matches to Federer.

Federer was diagnosed with mononucleosis after the Australian Open, which would explain his lack of bounce and his inability to ''go from defense to offense,'' he said. ``That is when I realized something was just really weird.''

But Federer said his bout with mono ''did not disturb me in a crazy way.'' He was still able to play, and he's not using it as an excuse.

Why, then, for the first time in four years, has he failed to win a title in the first quarter of the year?

Federer, 26, was not the least bit defensive when he explained that a lack of matches has kept him from getting on track but that he has played relatively well. As for his wipeout against an inspired Fish, Federer said, ``You forget about it. You move on, you analyze it, then you look forward.''

He is not going to stew or wring hands. Time marches onward and cleanses his mind. That is why he is No. 1. Still. And the reports about his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

You are more perplexed than he is.

''Roger has kind of created a monster where, similar to Tiger Woods, it's not really a story about the guy winning, it's about him losing last week to [Geoff] Ogilvy,'' Andy Roddick said, referring to the world's two most dominant athletes.

Although Federer admits confidence is a tricky thing in his line of work, he's not admitting to any crisis. He's got such a reservoir to draw on. Given his temperament and intellect, he probably knows that momentum has been proven to be scientifically invalid in sports.

''As an athlete, you have to come every day and beat the guy across the net from you,'' Roddick said. ``If you lose a couple matches in a row, that's going to affect you. I don't care if you're Albert Einstein at the Intelligence Olympics, it's going to affect you. Granted, his confidence is going to be more ingrained in his mind than probably any player on tour.''

No ulcers for Federer. His fingernails are intact. He refuses to accept the notion he must win at Crandon Park reestablish his supremacy, his aura. For his friend Tiger, a loss at Doral isn't the kind that ''distracts him too much,'' Federer said. ``It's all about getting the green jacket in a couple weeks.''

And for Federer, it's all about the Grand Slams.

The Sony Ericsson is the ''Fifth Slam.'' It's important, but ''it's not important to what's ahead,'' said Federer, who is planning to peak from late May through early September, for the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

You are more stressed-out than he is.

He has Djokovic and Rafael Nadal hot on his heels, but he welcomes the challenge. He's merely 0 for 3, not deposed. We have yet to see a crack on the face of Federer, the Swiss watch.

Let's not rush to see him falter, but savor his shots and his fortitude. He won't be No. 1 forever, but you get the feeling he will decide when to bow out as gracefully as he's reigned.

''A pity,'' as Federer would say.