It’s clearly brazen to suggest that Roger Federer had a bummer of a year in 2014. He won five titles (including two Masters 1000 events), a Davis Cup, played two semifinals and a final at the Slams, and slashed his way back up to No. 2 in the rankings—all at the age of 33. But this is Roger Federer. And for him, failing to win a Grand Slam title, and seeing his bid to become the oldest year-end No. 1 in history end in failure, must have left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth.
Although he didn't win the matches that meant the most to him, Federer won more matches than anyone else on the tour this year. He won nearly 86 percent of his matches, just a hair off the percentage of top-ranked Djokovic. Federer must take satisfaction in having complied a 3-2 record against Djokovic in 2014, even if the Serb won the match that mattered most, their Wimbledon final. Still, the gap between the two greats was smaller than that of the Swiss veteran and the rest of the tour.