INDIAN WELLS, Calif. _ Roger Federer insists he's still on the comeback trail following knee problems that kept him out of competition for six months. Try telling his opponents that he's not at his peak form. They likely won't believe it.
Federer, who won the Australian Open title in January, won the BNP Paribas Open championship on Sunday for a record-tying fifth time, pulling off a masterful 6-4, 7-5 victory over Stan Wawrinka, his Swiss compatriot.
Federer lost his serve for the first time in the tournament when Wawrinka broke through in the first game of the second set, but the 35-year-old Federer never lost his poise.
He broke back to make it 2-2 in the second set and broke Wawrinka's serve to clinch the match on a forehand winner.
The victory took only 1 hour 20 minutes and was Federer's 20th in 23 tries against Wawrinka. It was also the 90th title in Federer's spectacular career. He also became the oldest champion in the history of this tournament, at 35 years and 7 months.
Federer, seeded No. 9 here and ranked No. 10 in the world, won $1,175,505 for his victory. Wawrinka, seeded No. 3 and ranked No. 3 in the world, earned $573,680.
