Roger Federer discovered the fountain of youth earlier this year. On Saturday, he found the fountain of his youth's confidence.
And a return to No. 1 may not be far behind.
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Federer disposed of top-ranked Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the Shanghai Masters tournament on Saturday to advance to today's finals.
The 6-4, 6-4 victory required just more than an hour and a half of Federer's time, and it ended Djokovic's 28-match winning streak on Chinese courts, CNN.com reported. Federer faces unseeded Gilles Simon in the finals.
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With the victory, coupled with Rafael Nadal's early exit from the event means that Federer now has replaced Nadal as the No. 2-ranked player in the world. The way Federer is talking these days, it's only a matter of time before he catches up and passes Djokovic as well.
"I'm not going to come into the match and play terrible," Federer said in quotes carried by the ATP website. "It just won't happen - not in the finals, not against Simon. That's the confidence I have right now."
Federer had talked about confidence, and his attempts to recapture the bravado he had when he ruled the tennis world from 2004-07. He told tennis.com that he thinks he's a better player now than he was then but he was a much more self-assured player when he was No. 1.
"I had an unbelievable winner mentality," Federer told tennis.com during the U.S. Open, as reported by Sports World News. "Not that I don't have it today, but I haven't won as much as I did back then. I think that could make a difference.
"So much time has gone by and I've practiced so hard over the years, that I feel I have more power on my serve. I volley better now, I guess," said the Swiss star. "I've gotten to understand so many things over those years. But the thing back then is I was so unbelievably confident. I was coming through stretches where I wouldn't lose against Top 10 players. I wouldn't lose finals."
Federer proceeded to lose in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
That seems so long ago in comparison to Saturday's performance. Gilles still can bring out the vulnerable Federer with an upset win, but if Federer wins, watch out for him at the season-ending ATP Finals later this month.
Then watch out for 2015.
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