Roger Federer praised coaches Paul Annacone and Severin Luthi for helping him rediscover form and confidence after ending the season with victory over great rival Rafael Nadal at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
The world number two had looked in superb touch in wins over David Ferrer, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic at the O2 Arena, setting up a 22nd meeting with Nadal, who also went into the final unbeaten.
The Spaniard was certainly not at his best physically following a three-hour epic against Murray on Saturday but that did not lessen Federer’s achievement on Sunday in winning 6-3 3-6 6-1.
His fifth title in the end-of-season showpiece drew him level with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras, but most importantly it showed that reports of the Swiss great’s demise are premature.
It has been a tough year for Federer, who saw his incredible run of consecutive grand slam semi-finals ended at 23 by Soderling in the French Open quarter-finals before losing at the same stage to Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon.
After his SW19 disappointment he turned to renowned coach Annacone, bringing the American into a team that also includes Swiss Davis Cup captain Luthi.
Annacone’s one-month trial quickly became permanent and, since Wimbledon, Federer has won 35 matches and lost only four, bringing him titles in Cincinnati, Stockholm, Basle and London.
Perhaps even more importantly, the 29-year-old has the swagger of old back, with the doubts that had crept into his mind and game seemingly banished.
Looking back to the summer, Federer said: “First of all, I guess I had to regain some confidence. That only comes through winning matches.
“After having somewhat of a disappointing clay season, then the Halle and Wimbledon stretch – where I wasn’t able to win any tournaments and maybe didn’t play some of my best tennis, played a bit passive – it was important, once the hard-court season came around, that I was able to pick up my game, start moving better, start feeling good physically and mentally.
“I’m sure Paul has helped in this regard. So has Severin. He’s helped, as well, over the last few years. That’s why I’m very happy with my team.”
Next up for Federer will be the defence of his Australian Open crown in January, where he will be looking to prevent Nadal making it four successive grand slam titles – one of the few things the Swiss has not managed.
“Everything was there,” said Federer of 2010. “I think physically I was better than the last two seasons. That obviously makes me be very positive for next year, that I believe I can have another great season in 2011.”
Nadal refused to blame his physical struggles for his defeat, instead heaping praise on Federer.
“I’m not going to say I lost the match because I was tired,” Nadal said.
“What I’m going to say, and what I feel, is I lost the match because I played against a very good Roger Federer on one of his favourite surfaces. And when he’s playing like this, it is very difficult to stop him.”
Nadal tops rankings
Meanwhile, Nadal has finished the year firmly atop the world rankings despite losing to Federer on Sunday.
The Spaniard has 12,450 points, 3,305 ahead of Federer whom he replaced at the top after winning the French Open and Wimbledon during the summer. Nadal went on to win the US Open, while Federer took the year’s first Grand Slam title in Australia.
Andy Murray, meanwhile, moved back above Robin Soderling to fourth place on the back of his run into the semi-finals in London.
Nadal and Federer have filled the year-ending top two spots in the world rankings since 2005.