The 34-year-old has glided into the semifinals, where he will face fellow compatriot Stan Wawrinka on Friday.
It will be his 10th New York semi-final as the five-time champion targets a record sixth US Open and 18th Grand Slam title.
“For many years I have tried to look at the big picture to hopefully still be playing at a high level at this age,” said Federer, who would be the oldest winner of the US Open since Ken Rosewall in 1970.
“So in some ways I am not surprised I am playing as well as I am.”
Federer has not won a major since his seventh Wimbledon title in 2012, but came into the US Open on the back of a seventh Cincinnati title, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the final.
It was his 87th career title and pushed his on-court earnings to almost $94 million.
His form in New York has been just as impressive, dropping serve just twice and not yet having lost a set.
Despite his Grand Slam title drought — the longest of his career — Federer has not been afraid to keep innovating.
In recent years, he has experimented with a larger racquet, brought in former world number one Stefan Edberg to work alongside long-time coach Severin Luthi and radically altered his playing schedule.
The US Open is only his 13th tournament of the year.
He has also invented a new tactic, the 'SABR' or 'Sneak Attack By Roger,' which is his chip-and-charge on an opponent's second serve.
After his 87-minute quarterfinal demolition of Richard Gasquet on Thursday, Federer also said he was sleeping more — up to ten hours a day — to
maintain his competitive level.
“I think I have worked on my game moving forward, have been able to take the ball earlier,” he said when asked to explain his longevity.
“I think I'm volleying better than I have the last ten years. It's all about keeping yourself in shape and staying injury-free. And motivated.
“I've played so well over the last one-and-a-half years. I don't feel like I'm as old as I am. I still feel young.”
Federer has come close to adding to his 17 majors.
He made the final at Wimbledon in the last two seasons, only to be denied on both occasions by Djokovic.
Federer's stunning semifinal rout of Andy Murray at the All England Club also had the sport drooling.
At this year's US Open, Federer has seen world number three Murray knocked out in the fourth round as the British star saw his run of 18 consecutive Grand Slam appearances come to an end.
Old nemesis Rafael Nadal fared even worse, a third-round loss his earliest exit in a decade.
The threat from Djokovic, who plays defending champion Marin Cilic in Friday night's other semifinal, remains real.
However, the Serb has endured a roller-coaster tournament, needing four sets to see off Spaniards Roberto Bautista Agut and Feliciano Lopez.
The odds are on a potentially classic final between Australian Open and Wimbledon winner Djokovic and Federer on Sunday.
It will be too tight to call.
They have met 41 times with Federer leading 21-20.
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Many may be surprised by the untroubled progress of Switzerland's Roger Federer towards becoming the oldest US Open champion in almost half a century, but not Federer himself.
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Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?
The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.
Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”
In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.
He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.
But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.
Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.
Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.
Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.
In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.
The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.
Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.
'Golden' ambitions
Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.
Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.
The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.
The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.
Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.
Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.
His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.
Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.
He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.
“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.
The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.
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