Roger Federer closes on Novak Djokovic in battle for No.1 spot engrafting

It seemed an unlikely prospect at the start of the year but Roger Federer has the very real chance of ending 2014 at the summit of the men's game for the sixth time.

Sunday saw the 33-year-old Swiss maestro cut the gap still further on Novak Djokovic by winning his hometown tournament in Basel for a sixth time with a 6-2 6-2 win over Belgium's David Goffin.

Federer has closed to less than 500 points behind his Serbian rival with a massive 2,500 points on offer for next week's Paris Masters and the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.



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Read: Federer's Shanghai win gives him No.1 hope

The 17-time grand slam winner was year-end number one from 2004-07 and last achieved the feat in 2009 , but his fortunes have been revived under new coach Stefan Edberg.

The Basel triumph is his fifth title of the year and after winning the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, beating Djokovic in the semifinals, he is on a 12-match winning streak.

There was never much doubt Federer would wrap up his 82nd career title from the moment he broke Goffin in the very first game.

Goffin had gone into the match off the back of 43 wins in 45 matches, some on the second-tier Challenger Tour, but could not match the excellence of his opponent.

An early break in the second set set the pattern again and Federer closed out victory after just 51 minutes with an audacious drop shot.

'I'm very happy with this week and with my season,' said Federer, who has also led Switzerland into next month's Davis Cup final against France.

'I've had a lot of highlights this year and I'm hoping for one or two more,' he added.

In other ATP Tour action Sunday, Britain's Andy Murray saved five match points before beating Tommy Robredo of Spain in the final of the Valencia Open.

Read: Federer take Swiss to Davis Cup final

Murray had to recover from a set down to level after a very tight second set tiebreaker, against a man he beat in the final to win the tournament in Shenzhen last month.

The third set was also closely fought, with both men struggling physically.

Murray emerged the winner after three hours and 19 minutes for his third title in five weeks. He moves up to fifth in the standings in the race for a place in the ATP World Tour Finals.

'I've had a lot of highlights this year and I'm hoping for one or two more,' he added. Read: Federer take Swiss to Davis Cup final Federer has closed to less than 500 points behind his Serbian rival with a massive 2,500 points on offer for next week's Paris Masters and the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London. The Basel triumph is his fifth title of the year and after winning the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, beating Djokovic in the semifinals, he is on a 12-match winning streak. Sunday saw the 33-year-old Swiss maestro cut the gap still further on Novak Djokovic by winning his hometown tournament in Basel for a sixth time with a 6-2 6-2 win over Belgium's David Goffin. In other ATP Tour action Sunday, Britain's Andy Murray saved five match points before beating Tommy Robredo of Spain in the final of the Valencia Open. 'I'm very happy with this week and with my season,' said Federer, who has also led Switzerland into next month's Davis Cup final against France. 'I've had a lot of highlights this year and I'm hoping for one or two more,' he added. Murray emerged the winner after three hours and 19 minutes for his third title in five weeks. He moves up to fifth in the standings in the race for a place in the ATP World Tour Finals. Sunday saw the 33-year-old Swiss maestro cut the gap still further on Novak Djokovic by winning his hometown tournament in Basel for a sixth time with a 6-2 6-2 win over Belgium's David Goffin. It seemed an unlikely prospect at the start of the year but Roger Federer has the very real chance of ending 2014 at the summit of the men's game for the sixth time. Read: Federer's Shanghai win gives him No.1 hope Goffin had gone into the match off the back of 43 wins in 45 matches, some on the second-tier Challenger Tour, but could not match the excellence of his opponent. The third set was also closely fought, with both men struggling physically. The third set was also closely fought, with both men struggling physically. 'I'm very happy with this week and with my season,' said Federer, who has also led Switzerland into next month's Davis Cup final against France. Murray had to recover from a set down to level after a very tight second set tiebreaker, against a man he beat in the final to win the tournament in Shenzhen last month. Sunday saw the 33-year-old Swiss maestro cut the gap still further on Novak Djokovic by winning his hometown tournament in Basel for a sixth time with a 6-2 6-2 win over Belgium's David Goffin.

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