“So that’s why I’m just really ecstatic to have played so well this week from start to finish: basically from first ball struck against Mannarino all the way until the very end here. I couldn’t be more happy. Look, I have had many attempts trying to win Paris-Bercy, and for some reason, you know, I wasn’t able to win it earlier. But this one obviously feels great, and it’s a special victory for sure.”

It is also his second victory in a row, coming after he won the indoor tournament in his hometown, Basel, last week. Those victories need to be put in perspective. To win, he did not have to face any of the three men ahead of him in the world rankings: No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Rafael Nadal or No. 3 Andy Murray.

Djokovic, the player of the year with his three Grand Slam singles titles and epic early-season winning streak, is ailing. He looked bone weary during his news conferences here last week before withdrawing because of a shoulder injury, brought on in part by compensating for the torn intercostal muscle that forced him to take a six-week break before returning in Basel.

Judging from his performance (and countenance) in Paris, he should have considered forgoing his $2 million share of the year-end bonus pool and taking a few more weeks off to recharge for 2012, when he will have more points to defend than a veteran barrister.

But Federer certainly looks reinvigorated after a six-week break in which he skipped Shanghai and the rest of the Asian swing and addressed some lingering concerns, including a sore right wrist.

“I think at this stage of his career, Roger understands his body very well,” said Paul Annacone, a co-coach of Federer. “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.”

By his former standards, Djokovic has actually been quite reasonable about his scheduling this season, but his end-of-year struggles only throw into sharper relief the magnitude of Federer’s achievements in his years of dominance in 2004, 2006 and 2007, when he managed to maintain his edge into November. Djokovic, of course, could still finish his year on a high at next week’s World Tour Finals in London, which will bring together the top eight men in the rankings — minds and bodies willing.