It's nearly mid-June and Roger Federer is still without a title in 2013. Back on grass in one of his favorite tournaments, Federer is confident his best is yet to come.
Federer reached 10 straight Grand Slam finals from 2005-07, winning eight titles. He also appeared in eight major finals from 2008-10, winning four. But since that run ended, Federer has played in two of the last 13 Slam title matches, winning one at Wimbledon last year.
At 31, the winner of a record 17 Grand Slam titles could be slowing down as shown by his run without a title through the first half of the year, which also saw him nurse a back injury. "I didn't really expect to necessarily win a lot of titles, and I thought I played well in Rome and Paris, until the match with Tsonga," Federer said on Monday at the start of the Halle tournament.
"I now feel that the best time for me is still to come in the second half of the year. It's a very important phase of the year, leading to Wimbledon and the North American swing with the US Open," Federer said. "To win here (in Halle) would be a good build-up for Wimbledon."