Nitto ATP Finals: Roger Federer's top-5 near misses at the year-end tournament

#4 2009 Semi-final- Lost to Nikolay Davydenko 2-6 6-4 5-7

Federer lost to Davydenko for the 1st time in 12 matches, in the semi-finals of the 2009 ATP Finals

Having made the finals of all the four Grand Slam tournaments on the calendar, winning at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Federer arrived at the first edition of the ATP Finals (then called the ATP World Tour Finals) in London in 2009.

Federer dropped a set in his first two round-robin matches against Fernando Verdasco and Andy Murray before a three-set defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro in his third match. Federer and Del Potro edged out Murray to qualify for the semi-finals, edging a three-way tie between the trio on a higher % of games won.

In the semi-finals, Federer faced Russian Nikolay Davydenko, a player he had beaten in each of the pair's 12 previous clashes. Federer made the brighter start, winning the first seven points of the match but stood to rue two missed break point opportunities as Davydenko broke twice to take the first set 6-2. The Swiss maestro survived a deuce game at 4-4 in the second before breaking Davydenko and force a third set.

Federer moved to within two points of victory when he led 5-4 30-0 on the Russian's serve only for Davydenko to hold serve, break Federer in the next game and serve out his first win in 13 attempts against the then 15-time Grand Slam champion. Davydenko went on to beat Juan Martin Del Potro in the final to become the first Russian winner at the ATP Finals.

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#3 2017 Semi-final- Lost to David Goffin 6-2 3-6 4-6

Goffin beats Federer in the semi-finals of the 2017 ATP Finals

Following a dream comeback season which saw Federer win two Grand Slam titles in a year for the first time since 2009, three Masters 1000 titles, and a tour-leading seven titles in the season, the Swiss maestro beat Jack Sock, Alexander Zverev, and Marin Cilic to reach his 14th semi-final at the ATP Finals.

In a last four field also featuring David Goffin and tournament debutants Jack Sock and Grigor Dimitrov, Federer was the runaway favourite for a record-extending seventth title as he never lost in 16 cumulative matches (6-0 each against Goffin and Dimitrov, 4-0 against Sock) against the trio.

Unbeaten in six previous matches against Goffin, which included a Basel semifinal win for the loss of just three games, Federer looked set to extend his perfect record against the diminutive Belgian to seven matches when he took the first set for the loss of just two games. Goffin broke Federer at the start of the second set and rode the lone break advantage to restore parity.

A lone break of serve in the third game of the third set sufficed as Goffin celebrated one of the biggest wins of his career as Federer failed to cap a stunning season with a win at the season-ending tournament.