Roger Federer vs. Gilles Simon: Score and Results for 2014 Shanghai Final

There aren't many certainties in life. Roger Federer's ability to dominate on the tennis court, even in the twilight of his career, remains one of them.  

The Swiss superstar survived a stacked field and culminated his 2014 Shanghai Masters with a 7-6, 7-6 victory over Gilles Simon. From Guardian Sport on Twitter:

It was a wild tournament for Federer, who nearly bowed out in his first match with Leonardo Mayer, but battled through that adversity and went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in the semifinals before defeating Simon in the final.

Speaking of Djokovic, Federer now has the opportunity to surpass him as the world No. 1 by the end of the season, per Stuart Fraser of the Daily Mail:

That would be quite the accomplishment for the 33-year-old. On the other hand, Federer has now won four titles on the year—and reached nine finals in total—so surpassing Djokovic for the top ranking would hardly be a shock. Federer certainly proved at the Shanghai Masters he was not a man to be trifled with.

He also drew closer to another accomplishment in his career, per Sky Sports News HQ:

Sky Sports News HQ also shared a photo of the triumphant Federer on the microphone after the tournament:

As always, Federer was gracious in triumph, per Tennis TV on Twitter:

Going 57-10 on a season with four titles while reaching the semifinals or better in three of the four Grand Slams for any player would be an amazing season. That it has happened for Federer while he's "past his prime" is just another testament to why he's truly one of the special athletes of this generation. 

Tennis has never seen a player quite like Federer. Even as his career winds down, he continues to remind us of that fact.