Roger Federer meets Grega Zemlja on Monday in the opening round of the 2013 US Open. The match is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. Watch the live stream HERE or ESPN's HERE.
*UPDATE (8/27/13): Federer vs. Zemlja now on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. ET.
Some critics, such as former Tennis pro John McEnroe, believe Federer's dominance in Grand Slams is over. His last Slam victories were at the 2010 Australian Open and at the 2012 Wimbledon. At age 32, Federer can silence his critics by winning his sixth US Open title; he can quiet them with a deep run in the tournament.
World No. 7 Federer is 32-11 on the season with just the Halle title to his name so far. Despite the strong start, Federer has struggled down the stretch of the season - he lost in the opening round in four of his previous six tournaments, according to TennGrand.com.
Monday will mark Federer's 56th straight Grand Slam appearance, tying Wayne Ferreira's record, according to Yahoo! Sports.
"I've put in the hard work for so many years. That keeps my base at a very high level," Federer said, via Yahoo! Sports. "It's actually more comfortable with my body today than it has been in the past."
To avoid another opening round defeat, the Swiss must defeat Zemlja. The World No. 62 from Slovenia is 13-19 this season and without any career titles. He made it to the second round of the 2013 French Open and the third round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, both career-bests.
The two have previously met twice. Federer won both matches without dropping a set to Zemlja - they met in 2012 at Doha and in 2013 at Rotterdam.
*Stats via ATPWorldTour.com and MatchStat.com.
