Story highlights Federer hopes stars will fear his No. 17 ranking

Swiss star hoping to claim 18th grand slam title at Australian Open

(CNN) Roger Federer has made a comfortable home for himself at the top of men's tennis for well over a decade but now finds himself in an unfamiliar position.

Heading into this month's Australian Open the Swiss star is ranked 17th in the world -- his lowest position since 2001.

And with a lower tournament seeding it's likely Federer will meet one of the favorites in the earlier rounds. Although he doesn't necessarily view this as a negative.

"I hope it's not going to matter for me because I'm playing that well that it doesn't matter who's going to come against me," the 35-year-old told CNN.

Had so much fun this week @hopmancup. Thanks for all your support, and thanks @BelindaBencic for being a dream partner 🇨🇭 pic.twitter.com/YgbQPmDkSl — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) January 7, 2017

"Maybe it's even better to play the better guys earlier because I might be having more energy left in the tank. That's one open question ... how much energy do I have left in a best of five set match or after a lot of tough matches in a row?