Roger Federer could have been upset about losing a close final in one of the biggest events outside the Grand Slam tournaments. But the blow of a three-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday was softened by knowing how far he had come since injuring his back a year ago at Indian Wells. Last spring, Federer took a seven-week break. That's why it was somewhat new for me.'' The chatter grew that Federer's game had fallen. More...