Roger Federer has completed yet another remarkable season ranked third in the world but several legends of the sport have signalled the end of the Swiss maestro's reign.
The 38-year-old wiped Novak Djokovic off the court in the ATP Finals to eliminate the Serbian but was defeated by eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the semi-finals.
Having continued to push his ageing body through another season, it was believed Federer might be close to hanging up his racket.
But the Swiss superstar and Grand Slam leading legend has revealed he will continue on.
Despite admitting he thought he would retire at 35 or 36, Federer revealed he will keep going as long as his body holds up.
"My retirement will depend on my health," Federer said.
"At the moment I do not see any reason to retire. I did not think I would play beyond 35, 36 years and here I am. I am doing well physically. I cannot predict when it will be the time to stop."
"I think in 2009 I questioned it for the first time. (It's been) ten years and here I am. I'm exactly where I wanted to be at this age.
"It is a lot of work stay. I expected to play until 35-36 and here I am, in a new dimension."
Federer has long been asked about his plans for the future and has remained coy with his latest admission.
But after winning three Grand Slam titles in 2017 and 2018, Federer was still able to make the Wimbledon Final, where he lost a marathon five-set thriller against Djokovic.
In fact, he's shown how good he is, playing in all four Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2015 with his fourth round appearance at the Australian Open his worst performance in Grand Slam play.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece puts his arm around Roger Federer of Switzerland after winning match point during their ATP World Tour Finals semifinal. Photo / AP
Despite being an age where many players start to fall away, Federer is still in the top three in the world alongside long-time rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Speaking on BBC, six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker said Federer is coming up against an issue due to his age.
"The problem with getting older is the recovery," he said.
"You can put on a great match and he's certainly played many good matches this year but it takes you longer physically and mentally to recover, to find the motivation. He's been here 16 times before (to the ATP Finals), it's not new for him; to find the sparkle, to find the energy to go one more step – it's not easy."
And when you have the likes of 21-year-old Tsitsipas, who became the youngest ATP Finals champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001 to claim the trophy, it appears the next generation of players are ready to charge.
Several, including Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem, believe there will be a young player win a Grand Slam next year.
Federer's former coach Paul Annacone said the two players closest to his Grand Slam record remain his biggest issue.
"Good year and unfortunately for Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are the biggest problem," he said. "They are their own barometer. Roger did not win a Major this year, got to the finals, came within a point at Wimbledon but he had a very good year. He is right there with the best players."
Former British No. 1 and World No. 4 Greg Rusedski was asked if he believed Federer could win a 21st Grand Slam and said "I don't think so".
"I think that Wimbledon final with two match points was his big moment," he said. "If he proves me wrong I will be very happy because I think it will be great for our game."
Four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said Federer had shown he's still playing at a high level and can keep up with his big rivals and the emerging next generation of players.
"He did not get a Major title as he did in the past couple of years but the positive sign is that he is right there knocking on the door, there is no indication of a diminishing Federer right now, obviously he is playing against great competition but he is right in the thick of it, no reason for him to think about anything other full-speed ahead, let's go to Australia."
