Left field

All eyes will be on new dad Roger Federer at the U.S. Open next week to see if he really can combine nappy changing duties with a successful run to another grand slam title.

The five-times Flushing Meadows champion, whose wife Mirka gave birth to twins Charlene Riva and Myla Rose last month, will be aiming to become the first parent to win a tennis major since 2003.

While parenthood has effectively ended the careers of many professional athletes, former world number one Stefan Edberg believes Federer’s pedigree sets him apart from everyone else and will allow him to buck the trend.

“Statistics tell you something of the past, it doesn’t tell you the future,” six-times grand slam champion Edberg, who will be competing in The Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall in London in December, told Reuters.

“I think the biggest relief for Roger was probably winning the French Open. That’s really extended his career, I really believe so. He’s got the confidence, he’s got the momentum and I think having twins could have a positive effect, at least to start with that’s for sure, so I don’t see any problems for him at the U.S. Open.”

But that is not what the record books say. The last time a mother won a singles grand slam crown was in 1980 when Australian Evonne Goolagong triumphed at Wimbledon. Since then, only eight men have captured a major after embracing the joys of fatherhood.

While four — Pat Cash, Andres Gomez, Petr Korda and Albert Costa — were one-slam wonders, multiple champions Boris Becker, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andre Agassi managed to add just one further slam to their haul after becoming parents.

Jimmy Connors was the only singles player to successfully combine family life with tour commitments in that time, winning three of his eight majors after the birth of his son Brett.

For the likes of John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Edberg, the titles dried up as soon as they gingerly cradled the new additions to their families. Tennis fathers have won only 10 of the last 117 grand slam titles.

“(Fatherhood) changes (your) life dramatically. It would be more difficult to focus on one thing alone because your main focus is for your child and your wife, and tennis becomes secondary. That’s a fact,” said Becker, who won the 1996 Australian Open after the birth of his first son Noah.

With his talent and record of winning 15 grand slam titles, can Federer prove that fathers too can have the last laugh on a tennis court?

PHOTO: Roger Federer hits a return to Novak Djokovic during their championship match at the Cincinnati Masters, August 23, 2009. REUTERS/John Sommers II