8 records held by Roger Federer that will likely never be broken
Roger Federer is a man who needs no introduction. He is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time (Rod Laver makes a very good case as well, but based on statistics alone, Federer has no equal). A true superstar, the Swiss is a magician who wields his wand in the form of a racquet and can do things on the court that many people consider impossible. In a match against James Blake, one commentator actually said, “Oh, come on, that shot should be banned from tennis!”Federer has so many records to his name, there is a lengthy Wikipedia page dedicated to it – that alone speaks volumes of his mastery. Here are eight records of Federer's that I think will stand the test of time –
#8 Never retired with injury in 1,332 matches
This does not have much to do with on-court skill, but is very impressive all the same. Federer has never retired from a tennis match in 1,332 matches played, which is a record for the ATP. In the words of the Maestro himself (when asked whether players should retire from matches),
“I’d say 50% of them [retiring players] aren’t lucky because not feeling well or getting injured or carrying in an injury, depends where that player comes from. Maybe did they overplay a little bit? Has he been playing too long with an injury already? I mean, comes out in best of five set tennis. Can’t hide it, in my opinion.
"Could some guys finish the matches? I’m sure, but they didn’t decide to. For me it is shocking to see so many retirements. For me it doesn’t matter how bad I’m feeling, I will be out there and giving it a try, because you never know what’s gonna happen.”
While this record is remarkable and will definitely stand the test of time, it has less to do with tennis than simple will-power and strength of mind.