Federer prepares for 'tricky' time at Pacific Life Open

Being on a pedestal means others will be looking for ways to knock you off.

Some pedestal-sitters are oblivious to that. The smart ones, the Roger Federers, recognize their high ground and protect it warily.

Federer has been No. 1 in men's tennis since Jimmy Carter was president. OK, it just seems that long.

He actually took over the top spot Feb. 2, 2004. That was after he had won his second major, the Australian Open, and before he won 10 of the next 15 Grand Slam events.

He didn't just take over men's tennis. He was men's tennis.

If it weren't for tournaments played mostly in Europe, where two players stand yards behind the baseline, slap looping ground strokes at each other for hours -- and that's just the first set -- and finish looking like jockeys who have just raced in the mud, Federer might have shut the entire game down.

In its time of need, tennis was rescued by Rafael Nadal, who dominated at least the clay-court portion of the game, winning the last three titles in the French Open dirt at Roland Garros.

Without that, the sport might have become a series of notes from opponents, having just viewed the draw sheet and seen their name next to Federer's, to tournament directors: "Dear Sir. So Sorry. He's too good. Am going home early. Just mail the default check."

Almost since Federer won his first Wimbledon title, and his first major title, in 2003, the story line has been a stream of flowery adjectives and justifiable hyperbole. Another theme has been invincibility, also justifiable.

Most of that remains valid. But there have been hints that cracks may exist near the base of the statue.

Federer didn't win the Australian this year, didn't make it to the final for the first time in 11 Grand Slam events. In his only other tournament outing this year, he lost in the first round to Andy Murray in Dubai. His 2008 record is 5-2, his year's prize money $314,760. Chump change.

Which brings us to real time, as Internet folks call it.

Federer is back at Indian Wells and will start playing Sunday in the Pacific Life Open, which has, on the tennis tour, the status of a mini-major. Federer won the event in 2004, 2005 and 2006, but, inexplicably, bowed out early last year to an unseeded qualifier, Guillermo Canas, who had been off the tour on a 15-month drug suspension.

Then Canas beat him again in the next tournament, another mini-major in Miami.