Roger Federer has celebrated his 36th birthday without fanfare as the 19-time grand slam winner gears up for the US Open at the Montreal Masters.
The Swiss, who is travelling without his family this week, specifically requested that organisers skip the cake and photo op birthday hoopla while he gets on with the tennis business at hand.
The second seed behind Rafael Nadal starts on Wednesday against 116th-ranked Canadian wild card Peter Polansky in the second round.
With absent Andy Murray's No.1 ranking in grave danger - Nadal can take it if he reaches the semi-finals - Federer is also closing in on a possible return to the top.
The Wimbledon and Australian Open champion made a theoretical choice as he prepared for his opening match, tipping his personal wish-list balance towards topping the ranking table once again.
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"It's really impossible to answer. But it is true: I am so close to number one, and it would be nice to be at the top again at 36.
"Because I've already won two Grand Slam tournaments (this season), I would probably prefer this now."
So far this season, Federer has claimed five titles and won 31 of the 33 matches; after missing the second half of 2016 to heal a knee injury, every win he scores this season just adds to his point total.
Federer is making his first appearance in Canada since losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2014 Toronto final.
