5 things for Roger Federer to look forward to in 2016
Greatest of All Time is a title that is occasionally thrown around, but in the case of Roger Federer, it is nearly undisputed by fans and critics alike. The Maestro, who made his professional tennis debut in 1998, first became World No. 1 just over 5 years later, and would go on to become the longest-serving (no pun intended!) World No. 1 in the history of tennis.His records and gameplay speak entirely for themselves, and as he comes back from what appeared to be a dip in form, we explore what he has to look forward to next year.
#5 More records to break
Federer is perhaps the most decorated male player in the Open Era of tennis. The records he has set would fill up pages and pages of newsprint, as they have over the years he has set them.
The Swiss has been the longest-serving World No. 1 in men’s tennis, holding the post for a whopping 302 weeks – 237 of those consecutively. He holds 17 Grand Slams – the most of all time, reaching a record 27 Slam finals. Federer has long been considered one of the most consistent players to have ever played the game, if not the most consistent.
He has won a minimum of 5 titles at every tournament he has ever played, adding to them this year. He made the finals of two Grand Slams this year, Wimbledon and the US Open – losing on both occasions to Novak Djokovic, the only player who has so far appeared to rival Federer’s consistency and strong, sustained attacks.
Several of his records are shared with a number of the other all-time greats in the game, past and present – Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, current coach Stefan Edberg and some of his contemporaries, who also happen to be his on-court nemeses – Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, both of whose rivalry with Federer is legendary in the tennis world.
He holds records for the most number of titles across Slams, ATP 500, 250 events, several rankings records.. the list goes on and on.
With his current form, he could add to his already staggering records, and in making them more and more insurmountable, firmly cement his place in sporting history as the greatest tennis player to ever have lived.