You’d think on SuperBowl Sunday that I’d be writing about the SuperBowl, but no. This is about tennis.

The Australian Open ended this weekend, with Rafael Nadal defeating Roger Federer for the championship in the longest Australian Open history — 4 hours and 23 minutes. It was heartbreaking to watch, with Federer in tears during the award ceremony. He’s currently at 13 major titles, one away from the record of 14 held by Pete Sampras. The man who, until August of this past year, was at #1 for YEARS.

It’s a continuation of a season that seemed to go horribly awry starting in July when Nadal beat Federer at Wimbeldon, on grass, which is supposed to be Federer’s domain. Since July, Federer has gone 3-6 against top 10 players. It’s not a record that the #1 or #2 player in the world should have.

So, what happened?

Let’s admit it, nobody knows for sure. But, believing you can win is literally half the battle. He has the talent, the work ethic, and he’s healthy. But, his confidence was badly shaken when he lost Wimbledon — that is his turf after all. In I-Phase terms, he has developed a really strong negative neural chunk around beating Rafael Nadal, and it’s going to take time and likely a really positive (read: overwhelming win) to replace that chunk. As a Federer fan, I hope he can do it!