Column: Too soon to be ‘Fed’ up

Wednesday July 8, 2009 8:09 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Max J. Dickstein

Roger Federer won his record-breaking 15th major title at Wimbledon, but his work is not necessarily done. (Getty Images)

Now that Roger Federer clinched tennis immortality with his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam victory on Sunday, what next?

The achievement at Wimbledon quieted the fever pitch of Federer’s story, but the 27-year-old has more to accomplish. Here are three further goals:

Solve Nadal

Head to head, Rafael Nadal is Federer’s superior; the Spaniard holds a 13-7 career edge against the game’s greatest champion.

But Nadal has suffered of late. In June, for the first time, he lost at the French Open, in the fourth round. Knee tendinitis cost him the defense of his 2008 Wimbledon title. While Federer won in Paris and London, idle Nadal lost the No. 1 ranking.

As long as Nadal recovers fully, a ninth Grand Slam final between the rivals still seems inevitable. But Federer’s ability to overcome the problems the lefty compels him to solve is anything but inevitable.Reign at U.S. Open

Wimbledon is the seat of Federer’s power and source of his prestige. But the last five Septembers in Flushing Meadows have also belonged to the Swiss, who consistently demoralizes the men’s field in the final major of the year.

New York also tends to unleash the dark, merciless side of Federer’s persona. In 2007, he wore all black, embraced the nickname “Darth Federer” and took the court to the chords of “The Imperial March” before each match.

Win the Grand Slam and Olympic gold

Federer has won all four majors, but not in the same year. He has an Olympic gold medal, but in doubles. Federer will aim for both feats before he retires after the London 2012 Olympics.

Meanwhile, he’ll have a new fan: Mirka, his wife, is eight months pregnant with their first child.