5 Roger Federer records that could stand the test of time
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have graced a tennis court, Roger Federer has called time on his illustrious career after the Laver Cup in London next week.
The announcement was somewhat inevitable, as the 41-year-old suffered multiple setbacks in his quest to return to action following his third knee surgery after Wimbledon last year. For the first time since 1998 - the year he made his ATP Tour debut - Federer didn't play the Majors this year.
He was expected to return at the Laver Cup at the O2 in London next week, but few could have fathomed it would be the last tournament of Federer's career. The Swiss announced in an Instagram post today:
"The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the Tour."
Federer's announcement means the Laver Cup next weekend will be a sellout affair, with fans sure to throng from far and wide to catch one last glimpse of the legend before he wades off into the sunset.
One of the rare single-handers on tour in the era of powerful double-handers, Federer was an anomaly - an embodiment of poetry in motion who hardly broke a sweat to dismantle one top opponent after the other.
The all-time Grand Slam title holder for more than a decade, Federer is one of three players to win over 20 Majors and 28 Masters 1000s. He has won a record six ATP Finals titles and 369 matches in Grand Slams and is one of only two male players to be the World No. 1 for over 300 weeks.
However, Federer's greatness transcends the sport and his legacy goes far beyond numbers. On that note, here's a look at five Federer records (in no particular order) that could stand the test of time:
#5 Roger Federer spent a record 237 uninterrupted weeks at No. 1
Roger Federer was arguably at the peak of his powers in the mid-2000s - not withstanding the arrival of a certain Rafael Nadal on the scene.
Since succeeding Andy Roddick as the new World No. 1 in early 2004, Federer would stay there for a staggering 237 consecutive weeks. In one of the most dominant spells by any player, the Swiss won countless titles - including ten Majors.
Federer's reign as World No. 1 ended on August 18, 2008 - with Nadal becoming the world's top-ranked player after winning gold at the Beijing Olympics.
On this day 18 years ago, Roger Federer became the world No.1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he held for a record 237 weeks. Thank you Roger Federer for being an inspiration throughout your career. Click avoplc.com to see our values and our Swiss roots.
To put Federer's staggering uninterrupted reign as World No. 1 into context, only four other players have been ranked No. 1 for more than 100 weeks - with the next best being Jimmy Connors (160).
Federer would return to No. 1 and stayed there for 73 more weeks - but not continuously.
#4 Five-peat at US Open
Roger Federer is one of only three male players to win five US Open titles in the Open Era. Unlike the other two - Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras - Federer triumphed in New York in five straight years, doing so from 2003 to 2008.
To put that into context - no player has successfully defended their US Open title since Federer's fifth straight Flushing Meadows triumph in 2008. If one goes back a few more years, John McEnroe (1979-81) and Ivan Lendl (1985-87) are the only other male players in the Open Era to win more than two consecutive US Open titles.
2008 US Open Men's Final:
(2)Roger Federer def. (6)Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
Federer claimed his 13th major singles title, passing Roy Emerson. It was his 5th consecutive US Open and remains the last time he won in New York.
This was Murray's first career major final. https://t.co/EvalIKXjVw
Federer returned to the US Open final in 2015 but lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets. His last appearance at the tournament was three years ago - lost to Grigor Dimitrov in five sets in the quarterfinals.
#3 Five straight titles at consecutive Grand Slams
Roger Federer is one of only two male players in the Open Era - Bjorn Borg (1976-80) being the other - to win five straight Wimbledon titles.
If that is not impressive enough, the record eight-time Wimbledon winner has also achieved the five-peat at the US Open. That makes him the only player in the Open Era to win five straight titles at consecutive Majors.
Federer triumphed for a record eighth time at Wimbledon in 2017. He returned to the final two years later - but squandered consecutive championship points on serve against Djokovic - before losing in a historic first-ever Wimbledon fifth-set tiebreak.
#2 Five titles at three Grand Slams
Roger Federer is the only male player in the Open Era to win five titles at three Grand Slams.
The 20-time Major winner accomplished the feat at the 2017 Australian Open - beating his arch-rival Nadal in five sets to win his fifth title in Melbourne. To put that into context, Djokovic has won nine titles at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon and three at the US Open. Meanwhile, Nadal has won 14 at Roland Garros, four at the US Open and two each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
While Djokovic looks like the most likely candidate to catch up on Federer - as he needs two more US Open titles - the Serb has not triumphed at New York in four years. Last year, against Daniil Medvedev, he became the first player in the Open Era to lose six US Open finals.
#1 Ten titles at a tournament on two different surfaces
Roger Federer created history by triumphing for a record tenth time on the indoor hardcourts of Basel in 2019 - his 103rd and last singles title.
It made him the first male player to win ten titles at a tournament on two different surfaces. Federer is the only player to win a grasscourt tournament ten times (Basel).
Federer becomes first #atptour player to win 10 titles on 2 different surfaces:
10 on grass Halle
and 10 on hardcourt at Basel.
#BaselOpen #Federer
Among active players, Djokovic has won nine titles at the Australian Open (hardcourt) and six in Rome (clay).
Meanwhile, Nadal has triumphed 14 times at Roland Garros (clay) and four times at the Canada Masters (hardcourt). However, both are far away from emulating Federer's feat and are unlikely to do so before they call time on their respective careers.
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