By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 16, 2017
"It's the ultimate achievement in tennis in some ways, it always has been for me,” Roger Federer said of the world No. 1 ranking.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
LONDON—Recovering from 2016 knee surgery and combating a sometime creaky back have reinforced Roger Federer’s belief in a strong mind-body connection.
That’s one reason why the world No. 2 insists chasing the world No. 1 ranking will not be his primary pursuit next season.
More: Federer Remains Unbeaten At WTF
The 36-year-old Swiss says burdening his mind obsessing over the top spot could be bad for his body.
“It's the ultimate achievement in tennis in some ways, it always has been for me,” Federer said after his 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic at the Nitto ATP Finals today. “But at this age, it just can't be because I think I'll make mistakes if I start chasing it.
“I'm not sure how much the body allows me to chase goals like this. Maybe if I start thinking about it too often and too much, I think I'm maybe also not playing the way I'm supposed to be playing, maybe I tense up, maybe I'm nervous, maybe that's not good for my back. Who knows what it is.”
Currently, Federer trails top-ranked Rafael Nadal by 1,640 ranking points.
If the six-time Nitto ATP Finals champion captures the year-end title without dropping a match—a clear possibility as he completed round-robin play undefeated today—Federer would gain 1,500 points and close the gap considerably.
While an undefeated title triumph in London would put Federer on the verge of regaining the top spot, he suggests the numbers are deceptive because he will be defending 2,000 ranking points at the 2018 Australian Open.
“Still far away from being close in the points with Rafa. Still need to win this tournament before it's actually really close,” Federer said. “I'm only in the semis. The big points are really coming in now. So that's why my focus is on the semis. If I would win that, of course it's just on the finals.”
“The year played out the way it did, and Rafa was better. He deserves to be there. I'm really happy for him because he had a rough season as well in '16. It's great for him. Then in Australia, I just hope to be fit again, to walk out on Rod Laver Arena and hopefully defend my title. But still very far away at this point.”
Riding a 13-match winning streak into the semifinals, Federer is aiming for his eighth title of the season. Nadal, who withdrew from London after his opening loss to David Goffin, finished 2017 with six titles.
The long-time rivals split the four Grand Slams. Federer skipped the Cincinnati Masters—and tournament he’s won seven times—after straining his back in his Montreal final loss to Alexander Zverev.
The 19-time Grand Slam champion said he has no regrets about finishing world No. 2.
“Regrets, I don't have any,” Federer said. “But maybe losing to Tommy Haas and (Evgeny) Donskoy ended up haunting me. I had match points in both matches. It's not like I didn't try.
"To have regrets because of these matches, you know, if I miss out because of that for world No. 1, then maybe I was unlucky.”
Following a painful 2016, Federer takes pleasure in his 2017 success.
“I'm just happy I'm playing a great season,” Federer said. “I'm so happy that I was able to reach this level of play and still being able to play also at the end of the year. It wasn't just, like, one tournament at the beginning, then nothing after that. So it was just throughout I've had a great year.
“I have no regrets because I totally over-exceeded my expectations. Just happy I'm injury-free and healthy right now, enjoying myself still.”