Federer: Year-end top ranking not realistic

LONDON: Roger Federer admits earning the year-end World No 1 ranking is no longer a realistic ambition despite his remarkable renaissance this year.

Federer is already certain to finish behind Rafael Nadal in the final rankings of 2017, but the World No 2 appears poised to push his old rival for top spot next year.

If Federer wins this week’s ATP Finals — he is through to the semi-finals — he will finish the year just 140 points behind Nadal.

Having won the Australian Open and a record eighth Wimbledon title this year, Federer could have been forgiven for targeting another spell at number one.

But the 36-year-old has already spent a record 302 weeks in his career in pole position and he doesn’t believe the year-end crown is a target worth chasing hard because of the strain it would put on his body.

Federer has a carefully chosen schedule in which he doesn’t play as many tournaments as his rivals in a bid to peak at the Grand Slams.

It worked to perfection this year and he said: “Look, it’s not a realistic goal in some ways, the world number one.

“It is interesting. It’s the ultimate achievement in tennis in some ways, it always has been for me.

“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.”

Federer could overtake Nadal early in the 2018, although as the Australian Open champion, he will be defending 2,000 points in Melbourne in January, meaning he would need a strong showing in the year’s first Grand Slam to put pressure on the Spaniard.

The 19-time major winner’s decision to skip the recent Paris Masters ended his number one bid this year, but he says he has no qualms about that decision.

With a seventh ATP Finals title in his sights as he prepares for today’s semi-finals, Federer is more focused on the present than any future goals, or the constant speculation about when he will retire. AFP