Federer rides on Wawrinka’s success in pursuit of Davis Cup glory

When Roger Federer took to the court In Novi Sad to play for Switzerland in the Davis Cup World Group first round against Serbia on Friday, it was only the second time since 2004 that the 17-time grand slam champion had played in the opening round of the annual team competition. Federer announced his decision to play the tie just a couple of days after the end of the Australian Open, which was won by his lesser-known but now higher-ranked countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. [caption id=“attachment_1374823” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Roger Federer. AP[/caption] And on Monday, Federer announced that he will also be available for the Swiss’ next tie against Kazakhstan with this tweet – “Joining my friends, captain Seve and STAN against KazakhSTAN in April! #atmosphere #loud #fans #cowbells #switzerland #loveit”. While his rivals like Nadal and Novak Djokovic have zealously pursued Davis Cup glory in their younger years, 32 year old Federer has never made the Davis Cup his priority as he embarked upon his record-setting grand slam journey. Which makes his sudden interest in the event rather surprising. What has changed in 2014 for Federer to turn his attention to the Davis Cup? Perhaps, his back and health are feeling good enough for him to add a few extra weeks of play into his schedule? Possible. Perhaps, it’s the lure to win the Davis Cup for the first time, having won pretty much everything else there is to win and cement his legacy further as the Greatest of All Time? Possible. Perhaps, it’s the influence of new coach Stefan Edberg, who starred in four Swedish Davis Cup winning campaigns (in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1994)? Possible. Or perhaps Federer’s decision to play the Davis Cup has something to do with the sudden metamorphosis of his countryman Wawrinka into a world-beating champion? In 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012, Federer dutifully turned up to play for Switzerland in the World Group play-offs in September, helping his country retain their place in the elite 16-nation World Group. And while Switzerland won six of those seven ties, only on one of those occasions did Federer decide to come back for the first round World Group tie the following February (in 2012). With Wawrinka being a solid but unreliable no. 2 singles player in past years, the burden of a Swiss victory would invariably fall on Federer’s shoulders in earlier years – with the probability of two singles and one doubles match over three days four times a year – proving to be quite a burden for Federer. But Wawrinka is no more a second-string player. Instead, he has turned into the Swiss no. 1, beating Djokovic and Nadal on his way to his breakthrough grand slam win just 10 days ago. With Wawrinka alone, Switzerland could have an even chance to beat some of the top teams in the competition. Imagine how Federer would feel if Wawrinka went on to take the Swiss into the finals or even win the title without his participation. And surely Federer would have been accused of being opportunistic if he joined the team later in the season for the semis or the finals after Wawrinka had helped them get there. So where does that leave Federer? With no choice, but to commit to the Davis Cup from the start of the season. Also, Federer and the rest of the tennis world know that with the Australian Open behind them, Federer’s best shot at making a big statement about his relevance in the sport today would come at Wimbledon and perhaps at the US Open. A first Davis Cup, often cited as one of the biggest holes in his glittering resume, provides Federer with another chance to add to his legacy. With Wawrinka turning into a world-beater, the Swiss will need to rely heavily on their no. 1 player if they are to win their first ever Davis Cup. And Federer would do good to play the supporting role while Wawrinka leads from the front. It’s just a pity that when Wawrinka was playing his supporting role to the hilt, Federer was nowhere around to lead from the front.