It’s absurd to think that a professional tennis player who takes 11 titles in a year, including two majors, wins 35 consecutive matches, posts a record of 81-4, holds match points in two of the matches he loses, and puts a stranglehold on the top ranking would finish the season with a bitter taste in his mouth.

So is the predicament of world no. 1 Roger Federer, who saved his worst loss of 2005 for last, falling to David Nalbandian at the Masters Cup in Shanghai, 6-7(4), 6-7(11), 6-1, 6-2, 7-6(3) after four and a half hours. Telling a trainer in the fourth set that his legs had nothing left, Federer still managed to recover from a 4-0 deficit in the fifth set. He let the match slip away after closing within two points – 6-5, 30-0 – of victory.

The loss ended Federer’s 35-match winning streak, his all-time record streak of 24 consecutive victories in finals, his hope to tie Ilie Nastasie and Ivan Lendl as the only players to win the Masters Cup three straight years, and his chance to tie the best single-season record (82-3) in history, set by John McEnroe in 1984. Guillermo Vilas’s record for consecutive victories, 46, also will have to wait (Vilas, Lendl, McEnroe, and Borg are the only players to stretch winning streaks past 40).

As usual, Federer was a gentleman in defeat, crediting Nalbandian, a remarkable talent who has underachieved since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002 at age 20. Yet his disappointment was clear. He flew to China after a sixweek layoff, having injured his ankle during an October practice. While the rest of the top players – Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, and Marat Safin – withdrew with injuries or for personal reasons (Hewitt’s first child), Federer forged ahead, wearing an ankle brace and playing impassioned, if inconsistent, tennis. He had a date with history.

The question is, would one more victory have made much difference? In terms of whether this would have been the most dominant season in history, it would not have changed anything. Even if Federer had won yesterday, his stellar effort would not have topped McEnroe in 1984, the most remarkable run since the days of the last Grand Slam winner, Rod Laver (1969).

Yes, Federer and McEnroe would have had the same record in singles, and yes, they both lost to two top 10 players and another ranked far lower (Vijay Amritraj for McEnroe and Richard Gasquet for Federer). They both would have taken two majors and the year-end Masters title. But McEnroe nearly won a third major, blowing a two sets-to-love lead against Ivan Lendl in the French Open final. He also defeated more top 10 players (23 to 15).Then there is the matter of doubles: McEnroe put up a 39-5 record in tandem play that year, winning seven titles, including Wimbledon. Federer went 5-2 in doubles this year, winning one title. McEnroe also played a full season of Davis Cup; one of his three losses that year came in the Cup final, to Henrik Sundstrom of Sweden.

In terms of statistics, Federer could not have matched all that, and it’s doubtful that anyone ever will. Tennis is so different these days, so much more athletic and grueling, that chasing McEnroe’s combined season is only slightly more realistic than a major league pitcher eyeing Cy Young’s career win record.

Numbers aside, though, 2005 was a more successful season for Federer, as he proved time and again that when it comes to class, he is unparalleled. Unlike many other no. 1 players, he has sealed his reputation as a sportsman and an ambassador to the game, a man who feels compelled to compete for a full season on every surface. Federer knows his place, and takes pride in making the most of it.

Though he did not win Shanghai, he displayed more pride and grit than he has all season. While everyone else pulled out, Federer showed up with a bad ankle, only a week’s preparation under his belt, and three weeks removed from crutches. He slogged his way through three three-set round robin matches, then humiliated Gaston Gaudio 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. To do all this and then will his way back from 0-4 down and have the match on his racket – well, defeats do not get anymore difficult.

For that matter, neither do victories. Only Rafael Nadal beat Federer this year without being pushed to the brink, and that was on clay in Paris. Safin played his best tennis in years and came within a point of losing in the Australian Open semifinal. Yesterday Nalbandian played near perfect tennis for much of the match, and had the benefit of an intelligent strategy – make his tired opponent run forward as much as possible by hitting drop shots and angles, and then passing him – that would not work against a Federer who was as fit as usual. And he still almost lost; in fact, it’s fair to say that Federer choked (ESPN’s announcers, Patrick McEnroe and Cliff Drysdale, were in disbelief when Federer broke for a 6-5 lead, with McEnroe declaring victory for Federer).

All this goes to show what it takes to beat the best player in the world. Great tennis is hardly ever enough; a favorable surface or some injury or mental lapse is necessary, too. Expect more of the same in 2006.

tperrotta@nysun.com