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Roger Federer: Swiss great is 2017’s best in men’s singles tennis

By Harry Floyd

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 16: Roger Federer of Switzerland walks out on court for his third and final round robin match against Marin Cilic of Croatia during the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 16: Roger Federer of Switzerland walks out on court for his third and final round robin match against Marin Cilic of Croatia during the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Roger Federer completes a career year. Despite finishing second to Rafael Nadal in the rankings, the Swiss great is the best in 2017 men’s tennis.

Roger Federer finishes the 2017 ATP World Tour with the world No. 2 ranking.

Despite finishing just behind Rafael Nadal in men’s singles, the Swiss great completes a career year in 2017. At 36-years-old, he has won two Grand Slam titles on the year and swept the world No. 1 during their singles matches.

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Federer now has 19 Grand Slam singles titles to his name. The 2017 ATP World Tour saw him win a record eighth title at Wimbledon where he defeated Marin Cilic 6–3, 6–1, 6–4 in the finals. On top of his title wins this year though, Federer’s record against Nadal may be more significant.

Roger Federer went 4-0 against Rafael Nadal on the 2017 ATP World Tour.

Although Nadal remains ahead in their career matchups, the Spanish superstar has not defeated Federer since the 2014 Australian Open. Federer will look to regain the top ranking in men’s singles in the early months of the 2018 ATP World Tour.

Going 52-5 in his ATP singles matches on the year, Federer notched seven titles. Now with 95 career ATP singles titles to his name, the Swiss superstar is behind just Jimmy Connors for total title wins in the Open Era. He will look to add to that total in the coming year.

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A strategic schedule set Roger Federer up for success on the 2017 ATP World Tour. He will likely build his 2018 schedule in a similar fashion, emphasizing play early in the year and then again around time for Wimbledon. Despite being one of the veteran players on tour, Federer continues to prove why he is arguably the greatest in men’s singles to ever play the sport.

World No. 1 Nadal took home six ATP singles titles on the year, including the two Grand Slams that Federer did not win. Their Australian Open finals meeting, however, saw Federer edge his friend and rival in a five set thriller. The world No. 2 took the finals meeting 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3. 

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The 2018 ATP World Tour will also see the return of top players such as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will need to continue their fine play during the early months of 2018. While two of the Big Four have maintained their stronghold on men’s singles tennis, the coming year will reveal if all four players will remain atop the sport. Stay tuned to see if Federer and others can continue to dominate the ATP World Tour in 2018.

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