Paris Masters 2011: Red-Hot Roger Federer Finishing Year Strong

Roger Federer is going to have a plethora of momentum heading into the 2012 season.

The best player of the last decade defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) to capture the Paris Masters on Sunday. It’s Federer's second win in as many weeks, and you have to be excited about the way he is finishing the year.

It’s worth noting that No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Rafael Nadal or No. 3 Andy Murray were all missing in action for this tournament due to various ailments that have added up over the course of the long and extremely grueling 2011 season.

After skipping Shanghai and a chunk of the Asian portion of the tennis schedule to rest his wrist for six weeks, its clear Federer is in terrific shape and has really benefited from the time off.

Much has been made about Federer’s 30th birthday earlier this year, but in reality there are plenty of experience advantages that go along with it. Just ask Paul Annacone, Federer’s co-coach:

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I think at this stage of his career, Roger understands his body very well.  He understands how to sustain high levels for a long period of time, and that’s one of the things you learn as you mature. And I think maybe for Novak, his first huge year, it’s difficult to know how to manage all of that stuff, and he’s a little bit unlucky. He’s had a bad shoulder.

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Federer recorded his 800th career victory in the semi-finals over Juan Monaco and looks poised to erase the bitter taste in his mouth of not winning a Grand Slam event for the first time since 2002.

Next week it’s on to the World Tour Finals in London, where Djokovic plans to participate. That will be the final exam of the year to see just how much momentum Federer has to make a 2012 run to regain the No. 1 overall world ranking.

With the way he’s currently playing, that’s a strong possibility.