Federer has won 16 Grand Slam titles ranking him first in the category amongst men's sinlges players. Second on the list is legendary American Pete Sampras with 14. Federer was held without a Grand Slam title last year for the first time since 2003. He also held the ATP #1 spot for a record 237 consecutive weeks. That being said 8 years of dominance in any sport is a tremoundous feat but fans ask and want more from their favorite players.
His closest competition over the last decade has been a young Spaniard by the name of Rafael Nadal. In head-to-head matchups Nadal leads 18-9 with six of those wins coming in Grand Slam finals. Four of those wins on Nadal's favorite surface the clay courts of the French Open. Nadal also goes by the nickname "Rafa" has won 10 major titles himself. Many believe the torch was passed in an epic Wimbeldon final that was almost called due to darkness and rain that Nadal won in five sets that took close to five hours. It seems as when they play it is a forgone conclusion in many people's minds that Nadal will not only win but run Federer off the court in the process.
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Players are much better now and are not as much in awe of the mystique of Federer as they use to be. In one of the most memorable seasons in tennis history Novak Djokovic won three major titles in 2011 with a record of 70-6 to propel him to the #1 ranking.
Federer now is the #3 ranked player in the world and just lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open to Nadal. At some point great players don't keep winning and have to move aside for the younger crop to start making their mark. It happened with Sampras, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and now Federer. It's just tough to see one of the greats not able to figure out the puzzle that gets him back to the top.
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