They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when you're talking about one of the greatest tennis players in the world, you can be rest assured that he will always have something up his sleeve.

With 17 Grand Slams in the kitty, Roger Federer shows no signs of slowing down. And now he's got something new. Over the past few months, the current world number two has unveiled a new shot to return his opponent’s second serve. Rather than employ the standard tactic of slicing his return and charging towards the net, Federer has been trying out a new technique: returning the serve from the edge of the service line with a half volley.

Federer has used this shot sparingly, pulling it out once or twice in his victory over Leonardo Mayer in the first round of the US Open. Predictably, it has aroused curiosity – even Serena Williams admitted that she could not help but sneak a peek at him during practice. “I totally look at him. I mean, he’s Roger. Like,watching his returns: O.K., so he is moving forward on that. Interesting.”

Advertisement

Things are looking good for the Swiss maestro. As he strives for an 18th Grand Slam title, he will take heart in his dazzling victory over world number one Djokovic at the Cincinnati Masters a few days back. After the pain of that defeat at theWimbledon final, Federer romped home against Djokovic in straight sets, showcasing a new aggressive game which is sure to shock opponents and wow fans.

Even at the age of 34,Federer looks like he’s right on top of his game, a far cry from those difficult days in 2013 when he struggled with injury issues and it was feared that his best days were behind him. That’s long past though and his comeback has been one of sports’ most inspiring stories. Don’t put it past FedEx motoring on to a record sixth US Open title, eclipsing the likes of Pete Sampras and Jimmy Conners.