Refreshed Federer Driven To Improve

© Ron Turenne / Tennis CanadaCanadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby and Roger Federer meet during the Rogers Cup.

A refreshed Roger Federer plays in his first tournament since Wimbledon, and opens his bid for a third Rogers Cup title on Tuesday night in Toronto.

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Federer eagerly anticipated his return to the courts, following a family vacation and three weeks of training from home. “It was nice to get away from it all, like the whole scene I know throughout the whole year, and then you get very excited again to go back on tour and pack your bags and go on a trip again,” he said Monday. “[I’m] very happy to be back on tour again.”

On his return to tour-level action, Federer finds himself in an unfamiliar position, playing in his first tournament at No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since the 2003 Tennis Masters Cup.

“Being ranked No. 3 in the world is something I haven't been in a very long time,” said Federer, who turned 29 years of age Sunday. “[It] also gives me motivation and a drive to come forward again, and I'm doing all the right things and it's, to me, just a matter of time. But guys are getting good and it's inspiring for me also to get better.”

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Federer won his 16th major in January at the Australian Open, but has since been unable to capture another title following a setback with a lung infection in February. At Wimbledon, he was absent from Championship Sunday for the first time in eight years after succumbing to Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals.

“For me, [it] was important to take a rest and really work on my game again,” he said. “I think, by doing that, I'm confident that the results will come back eventually.  I'm doing all the right things with the last years. I was definitely disappointed, as well, that I couldn't play better right after the Australian Open, which I thought was some of my best tennis I ever played in my life.”

Over the last month, Federer has been working on a trial basis with Paul Annacone, a former coach of Pete Sampras, Marat Safin and Tim Henman. Annacone is accompanying Federer this week in Toronto.

“The goal has always been for me to improve as a player, and I won't just be happy of playing the same way for years and years and years,” explained Federer. “I've always questioned myself in the best of times and in the worst of times, even though there were not many worst moments, bad moments, the last seven years or so. But I always look at new ways I can improve on. Paul, I think, with his experience can bring something to our team, and that's what we're exploring right now.”

Federer, who plays Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in his second-round opening match, is looking to win his 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and his first since last August in Cincinnati. He reached the Rogers Cup quarter-finals last year in Montreal, falling to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a third set tie-break.

Canada’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament has been happy hunting grounds for Federer in the past. He has a 22-6 tournament record and claimed the titles in Toronto and 2004 and ’06. He has reached the quarter-finals or better in five of his past six appearances at the Rogers Cup, only failing to do so in 2008 when he was surprised by Frenchman Gilles Simon in his opening match.