Federer’s most documented idols were in fact Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker, when the chance to work with Edberg arose before the start of the 2014 season, Federer jumped on it and no doubt was very excited to be able to work with his idol. Not too many people will often get to say they were able to do that. Edberg was well known for his immense serve and volley prowess and steely calm nature on court. Six grand slam singles titles and three doubles titles really hits home how talented the Swede was and what he may have to offer.

What was Edberg going to bring to Federer which he didn’t already know or do? Edberg himself said that Federer even when entering the mid-latter stage of his career was still keen to improve and add new layers to his game. Edberg did just that, and managed to generally get Federer more aggressive, introducing more serve and volley into his game and for what is now known as the SABR, for those who aren’t sure what it means, (Surprise attack by returner, or by Roger if you like) in recent times it has been adopted by most notably Nick Kygrios who possesses the immense skill needed to make it work and be somewhat successful. It is audacious, but the intent behind it is very positive and understandable.

The other change Roger himself made at this time was that he changed rackets for the first time since turning pro, moving on from his long-time frame of 90 square inches to a 97 square inch frame. Without discussing racket technology in detail, many people believed it was a smart move by Roger to utilise the modern racket technology and the potential benefits it could bring such as a more forgiving head size and potential power available to him. Roger’s career was about to take an upward turn after a disappointing 2013 campaign riddled with a back injury that would later re-appear in 2016. Below is a comparison of his 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. You could say his first season under Edberg was a big step in the right direction in getting Roger the belief back he needed to challenge for the majors and be able to beat the best again.

Federer’s 2015 season was another positive season collecting six titles opposed to his five in 2014. Federer was able to play another season unhampered by injury and most importantly was competing with the very best. At the time it was Djokovic’s reign of dominance and Federer without the Serbian around would have added multiple slams and titles to his already incredible trophy cabinet. Falling slightly short against Djokovic each time, fans were beginning to wonder if Federer would ever be able to win another major while Djokovic was in the shape he was in. Outside of the ongoing war of attrition to stop Djokovic, Federer had re-established himself as an aggressive, feared competitor with perhaps one or two more Wimbledon titles in him in most people’s minds. I will leave you with another positive of Federer’s 2015 season which would ultimately play a big role in reshaping one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, and in turn equip the Swiss maestro with the sort of belief he would use to go on and use to reclaim his throne down the line (Pardon the Pun)