2014-2016 editions were already faster than 2011-2013. People act as if 2017 is the only decently fast edition since the change to Plexicushion, but 2014 set the trend already. Many players commented on that during the 2014 edition as well.
But yes, 2017 was a little quicker than that still. Would it have mattered? That's difficult, because Federer's playing mindset was different in many of those editions. Maybe he would have beaten Nadal in 2012 because he was in good form and lost it when Nadal started to use the slow conditions to get many of Federer's near-winners back in play. But then to beat Djokovic as well...tough. You'd say 2014 is a chance, but he was still bombing it against Nadal back then, who was also a lot more explosive on the forehand even at AO 2014 than at AO 2017, and again, 2014 was already faster than 2012 for example. And outside of the Tsonga and Murray matches, he didn't play all that great in that edition of the AO.
Maybe he'd sneak one in if different conditions made any of those three opponents play a little worse themselves.
