Was there ever any question it would be a good year for Roger Federer? The 36-year-old ageless wonder looks as dominant as ever in 2018 after winning his sixth Australian Open. The win tied him with Novak Djokovic for most Australian Open titles all-time, and he doesn't look like he's slowing down.

With Rafael Nadal dealing with a hip injury, Federer has replaced him atop the Association of Tennis Players' world rankings. Federer is now the oldest ATP World No. 1 in history, topping Andre Agassi's peak at age 33 set in 2003.

Federer can lose the top spot without Nadal playing, mind you. He has to play in the semifinals at Indian Wells to retain his top spot, as he is defending 1,000 points there.

Federer had to deal with adversity of his own after last year. After he won the Australian Open, Federer played through the Miami Open before opting out of hard-court season to prepare himself for grass play. Federer lost to Tommy Haas in the second round of the Stuttgart Open, sparking some chatter about his career. However, he stormed back to win the Halle Open and Wimbledon, solidifying himself once again as one of the players to beat in tennis.

Federer is still managing himself carefully. He decided to pass on the Mexican Open in Acapulco after winning the Rotterdam Open (which vaulted him to No. 1). It's the second big miss for Acapulco, with Nadal having to withdraw last-minute due to the aforementioned hip injury. Nadal's injury has forced him to pull out of the Indian Wells and Miami hard-court tournaments, as well. 

It's understandable why Federer would want to miss Acapulco. It's one of the smaller tournaments points-wise, and he undoubtedly wants to prepare for Indian Wells and Miami. Federer has been dealing with injuries of his own since last season, so he seems to want to manage his body accordingly.

Before Rotterdam, Federer and Nadal were only separated by 155 points. After he beat Robin Haase in the quarterfinals, Federer became No. 1. His winning the tournament only slightly widened the gap.

Solid performances in Indian Wells and Miami can give Federer a comfortable lead points-wise over Nadal. Nadal's timetable for return is unknown, but hopefully it's relatively soon. With solid Grand Slam performances from Nadal, this could be an ongoing saga throughout 2018: The 31-year-old Nadal chasing the 36-year-old Federer. With Federer standing at 20 Grand Slams and Nadal sitting at 16, there's no question Nadal will want to return for the French Open at the latest. For Federer, however, he can revel in being No. 1 for the first time in five years -- another record.