ATP Rankings are for the fans
Can Federer return to the top of the tennis world? For those interested in tennis or competitive sport, this is the debate. Given that Federer has a proven track record of dominating the men's circuit, his skill and ability to win cannot be questioned. Thus, where might Federer look to regain his advantage and return to the number 1 spot?
In my soon to be published book, The Champion's Way, I identify a variety of factors that separate the champions from the winners and the winners from the rest of the field. Federer certainly qualifies for the champion category and even at the number 2 level in the ATP rankings Federer is still effectively at the top of the tennis world.
An athlete of Federer's caliber is not interested in the rankings. Winning is what matters to the champion and if winning puts a competitor atop the world rankings, then being number 1 in the rankings is a result not a goal. Thus, the first step in Federer's return to the number 1 position, in the ATP rankings is to ignore the rankings and focus on winning tennis matches.
Next, because winning at the level of Federer takes such an enormous amount of energy and effort, reassessing the structure that makes it possible for the champion to win is necessary. For example, it could be as simple as changing the conditioning and practice routines or something more complicated such as assessing the desire to win and the requirements behind that desire. Does Federer still have the desire to put out the effort it takes to continue winning?
Every athlete wants to win, but only a select few are able and willing to put in the necessary effort that makes it possible to win and especially to win regularly at the highest levels of sport. Federer remains a threat in every tennis match he enters. Barring physical injury or retirement, his days of winning the tennis majors and other tournaments have not ended. Whether or not he retakes the number 1 spot in the ATP rankings is irrelevant to his career.