Is this more than just a slump?

The best player in tennis has been awfully average this year. Roger Federer is off to his worst start since 2000...

The best player in tennis has been awfully average this year. Roger Federer is off to his worst start since 2000, when he was 18 and still three years from his first Grand Slam title. In three tournaments, he has yet to reach a final, and he has lost three of his past six matches. And for the moment, the debate about whether Federer’s the best player ever has given way to another question: Is his game on a decline?

Ill health has been a factor. A stomach virus curtailed his preparation for the Australian Open, and he lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Last month, Federer was diagnosed with mononucleosis, and when he returned three weeks ago, he lost to Andy Murray in the opening round at Dubai.

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But even after Federer pronounced himself fit at Indian Wells, his backhand lacked its usual snap, and his lethal forehand was too often wayward. He lost in the semi-finals last weekend to No. 98 Mardy Fish.

Is this a slump? A slip? A bump? A blip?Fish says top players don’t see Federer as more vulnerable than before. “In the locker room, we just kind of laugh at it,” Fish says. “We just kind of think it’s kind of a joke — you know: ‘Oh, my gosh, Roger hasn’t won a tournament yet this year’ … I think he’s going to continue to be No. 1 for a long time.”

This is the first time he has failed to reach a final in three consecutive tournaments, but he’s not looking to change. “I think it’s about details at this stage. I’m not going to become a different player. I don’t want to.”

Novak Djokovic, who won his first major title this year, is one reason the gap between Federer and other top players seems to be shrinking. “It’s always good to see some new faces winning major events. I think the people like it.” And if Federer wins Key Biscayne, that will be something new this year, too.