While tennis fans and pundits are obsessed with his below-par performances at the four majors this year which have left him in danger of missing the cut for the season-ending ATP finale for the first time since 2001, Federer has already put a positive spin on his 2013 trials and tribulations.
Rafa Nadal crowned his brilliant year by defeating world number one Novak Djokovic 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1 to win the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
Brazil's 2014 FIFA World Cup is set to kick-off in less than three months. Apart from the action expected on the field, stadiums that are using new technologies are also drawing people's attention.
From Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping to Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao up to the present day and Xi Jinping an enthusiasm for, and participation in, sport has helped make them appear more accessible.
The Chinese team was disqualified in the women's short track speed skating 3,000-meter relay final on Tuesday, as archrival South Korea took the gold.
Chinese Lunar New Year, the year of horse, is around the corner. Horses, deemed as auspicious and successful in Chinese culture, are also adored by foreign leaders. Here are some photos of world leaders and their beloved rides.
There are young talents and there are superstars who fail. There are unknown teams outshining strong rivals, and there are favorable teams going home trophyless. This is the World Cup.
Take a look back at Li Na's amazing run to Final and the historical win of Peng Shuai/Hsieh Su-Wei at the year-end event.
Actress Ino Menegaki who plays a high priestess lights a torch with the Olympic flame during the handover ceremony of the Olympic flame for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens, Oct 5, 2013.
Lack of a local club in the top-tier professional league has seen Xinjiang soccer struggle to enter the mainstream of modern professionalism.
Participation is seen as key to success
Guo Jingjing, right, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong and their new baby pose for a group photo at a news conference in Hong Kong, on Aug 29, 2013. Guo gives birth to baby boy
With the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan often marked by diplomatic fouls and offsides, it took a soccer match in Kabul to bring the neighbours together on Tuesday.