Roger Federer won his record sixth ATP World Tour finals title Sunday. It won’t end the conversation about how far he is past his prime. It is significant that Federer is undefeated in 17 matches since squandering a two-set lead to Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals, a defeat heartbreakingly similar to what happened against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Those matches will be long remembered when the Federer winning streak they both helped inspire is forgotten. Grand Slams are where legacies are made and lost, and Federer’s 2011 season is defined by his failure to capture one of the four biggest trophies in tennis for the first time since 2002.
And at 30 years old, Federer is battling time as much as he is Tsonga (26), Djokovic (24) and Rafael Nadal (25). The ruthlessness he showed to win the tour finale indoors in London proves he’s no longer suffering from his own doubt. But the grand outdoor stage in Melbourne in January will be his first chance to prove he might actually turn back the clock in 2012.
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– Craig Stouffer
