With the form he is in, Federer is a shoo-in for US Open title

Unlike the past three seasons where world No 1 Djokovic and world No.2 Nadal entered the Flushing Meadows event as the clear favourites, there is no odds-on favourite this year. 

But Swiss star Federer, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this month, stands out for the simple reason that he has been just a little bit more consistent than anyone in recent times.

Djokovic, who won the Wimbledon title after narrowly edging Federer in the final, should have been the man to beat in the year’s final slam. However, his recent form - two successive third round exits in the Masters 1000 Toronto and Cincinnati – raised doubts about his ability to deliver his “A” game during the next fortnight. 

Federer, however, has enjoyed a solid season since recruiting former world No. 1 Stefan Edberg as his coach at the end of last year. The father of two sets of twins has made four straight finals – Halle, Wimbledon, Toronto and Cincinnati – the first player aged in his 30s to achieve such a feat since Ivan Lendl in 1981.

What’s more, the maestro has a stunning 49-9 win-loss record since January, reaching eight finals and winning three titles – Dubai, Halle and Cincinnati. 

The resurgent world No 3 – who last year was bothered by a back injury and consequently finished the season ranked sixth in the world, his lowest ranking since 2002 – has posted 12 wins over top 10 players in 2014. 

After losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Toronto final, Federer came back even stronger a week later in Cincinnati, beating three top 10 players – No. 5 David Ferrer, No. 6 Milos Raonic and No. 9 Andy Murray – on his way to claiming his 22nd Masters title. 

In the semi-final of that event he met the world’s best server, Raonic, and made the young gun, who has an impressive record on this US swing, including a win in Washington, look like an amateur. The 17-time Grand Slam winner relied on his masterly skills, especially his heavenly net game, which the young player found too hard to deal with.

At the US Open in New York, Federer, the second seed, faces Australia’s Marinko Matosevic in round one. Compared to Djokovic, the Swiss has an easier draw and won’t run into real trouble until the quarter-finals, where he will face Bulgarian eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov, provided they live up to their seeding.

Based on his current form, Federer should dominate his part of the draw and remain standing until the second Sunday. He should lift his record 18th Major trophy if the man across the net is not Djokovic.