Is Federer's game on a wane?

This question may not seem so unfamiliar to the tennis pundits or even tennis fans, more so in the wake of the recent losses inflicted on the Swiss Maestro by hard hitting underdogs. No, my fingers do not point towards any ATP 500 series or even ATP 1000 Masters. I am talking about two quarterfinal losses for Roger Federer in Grand Slams,the tournaments considered to be his own backyard, the tournaments where he has managed to make record 23 consecutive semifinals or better appearances, the tournaments which are deemed as rejuvenatory of the champion's form irrespective of his performances coming into the event.

This question, on one hand, would surely irritate the "Fedophiles" but on the other hand,it poses some serious question marks over the future of the sport,which had been dominated more or less by a single exponent of the sport for around four years.

The losses came at the hands of two hard hitters ,above average baseline players who exposed the chink in the Emperor's armor by their precise and blistering forehands and booming serves as well as a rock-solid baseline game.Though Federer's forehand, his first serve percentage and the return games too were far from being impressive, yet Robin Soderling and Tomas Berdych deserve full credit for having the courage to execute their game plan perfectly and that too, while facing a 16-time Grand Slam champion on the other side of the net.

Winning is more about self belief than skills and talent. With the flaws in the champion's game left wide open, more up and coming players are no more afraid to fancy their chances against the king Federer. The losses at the biggest stages were not merely losses. With the resurgence in Nadal's form, Federer slumped to a ranking of No 3 in the world, his lowest since November 2003.

All these facts and figures are more than adequate for a layman to predict the end of Federer's era in tennis. Though Federer's claims of back and leg injuries did not go well neither with his opponent( Berdych) nor with the critics, the champion did vow to come back strongly. As Tim Henman puts it," Write off Federer at your own peril", it seems very much on the cards that the champion would claw his way back and hit his top form soon. Winners are made up of champion stuff and it is only when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

For all those "Fed-haters" or say, "Fed-doubters" out there, watch out for some mouth-watering game coming your way from the Maestro himself and maybe possibly, one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport.