When the new rankings are issued later today, Federer will officially equal Jimmy Connors' record of 160 weeks consecutively at #1. He'll of course take the record outright next week.

Well done Roger!

Congratulations to Federer on this awesome record. I hope he continues on like this for a looong time.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Way to go Rog!

Wasn't Connor's number one ranking based on a "two years worth of results" system? We aren't comparing like with like. So probably Lendl's mark of 157 weeks is the more relevant statistics.

It has been incredible to witness though. Most interesting for me is the way that certain negative landmarks have spurred him on to great heights. For example, he lost first round in Cincinatti and then 2nd round of the 2004 Olympics, before losing only 3 more matches until November 2005. And just as his defeat at the 2006 French Open made many think his golden streak was over, he responded by winning 8 of the next 9 tournaments, including 3 slams.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Thanks Andy to remember us this special week (in particular for Wise &Co :P ) :ok: ...

Now the next step will be to ask our self until when FED will be able to stay there, i.e. we can consider at least these scenarios:

1. 160-186..Easy I guess

2. 187-212? What he needs to do in order to achieve this one? Likely or not?

3. 213-238? Quite extreme

4. 239+ :yikes: ? Really THE Big result: Can he?

Ciao

BTW: Congrat FED in any case :rolleyes:

Truely a great achievement for the Fedster....Im so happy for the man!

No-one deserves this more than Roger. On current form I would say he is on course to get at least another year or two more out of this run.

Well done to Roger :bow:. When he breaks the record next week, I'd imagine he'd get presented with a plaque or something like in Dubai.
Other records which he could break/equal this year are:
- Most consecutive victories - The record stands at 46 by Vilas, and Federer is currently on 36. So if he can win the titles at Dubai and Indian Wells, he'll break the record
- Most consecutive victories in Grand Slams - Rod Laver holds the record with 29. If Federer wins the French Open and can get to the 3rd round of Wimbledon, he'll break the record. This is a truly special record in my opinion.
- Most consecutive Wimbledon titles - If Federer triumphs at SW19 once again, he match Borg's record of 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles.
- Most consecutive US Open titles - Federer could become the first man to win 4 consecutive US Open titles if he triumphs there this September
- He could increase his record grass winning streak to 60, and be no. 1 for over 200 consecutive weeks.
- Winning the French Open would see him become the 6th man to have won all 4 slams and 3rd to have held all 4 simultaneously. If he then
- If he then wins Wimbledon, he'll become the 3rd man in the open era to pull off the daunting Roland Garros-Wimbledon double and first since Borg in 1980.
- If he then wins the US Open then he'll become the 3rd man to achieve the calender grand slam.
He could also match and then eclipse Borg and Laver's grand slam haul. A big year in prospect for Federer that's for sure.

it seems like a tall order to do that. but why do i feel like roger federer has the goods to deliver on everything that you mentioned?? daunting, but it is a joy to follow his journey into greatness...

OTOH;
Jimmy Conners lost the top spot after 160 weeks to Borg. But he regained it just 1 week later and again held it for another 80 weeks.
Roger is looking good to stay on top for another 80 weeks though.. B)

It seems that FED is really happy to reach this record. Here the last interview available directly from Dubai :D

"That record looks very exciting and it will be a great day for me when it finally comes (today)," Federer smiled.

and then also..

Federer is also gunning for the record of 15 Grand Slam titles currently standing in the name of Pete Sampras. "That too is within my sights. Records are important for the motivation and the will to do better with each match out there on court," the Swiss ace stated. "I need to achieve goals and make milestones for myself and for the game."

Moreover he pointed out as well.

"It feels nice to be compared to a great player like Rod Laver. But I would prefer to wait and see how my career unfolds and see if I can match up with some of the legends of the sport," Federer said.

Nice :whistle: ...A real great champion IMO :rolleyes:

Further details here

"It feels nice to be compared to a great player like Rod Laver. But I would prefer to wait and see how my career unfolds and see if I can match up with some of the legends of the sport," Federer said.

I sense a touch of arrogance in this quote.

Hi Murraynator ...well you see this is really a proof about how different culture capture differently the same words (sentences)...

From a pure Swiss perspective this is just the true: FED is telling to us please wait and see I do not have the full numbers yet...Hence, I do not see the arrogance...

But might be you see it: different culture different interpretation. Do we really care?

The main point is really that we have to wait the end of his career to sum up his numbers and compare to the other big Bosses of the game. :D

Thanks for posting that TV :bow:. It is great to hear that Federer's motivation isn't dwindling one bit, and that he remains as humble as ever.

The main difference with Federer though is he can back up his comments by how well he has played the last few years. :)

Let's hope Murraynator that one day we will be here to do the same discussion after several slams by Murray ;) ...It will be nice...Or at least (in the near future) a five sets great final battle against FED in Wimbledon or at the USO...let's dream :pray:

Yeah that would certainly be great tennisveritas and if Murray was to beat fed in a grand slam final it would be very special for him to beat a great champion like fed. :)

:ok:

Fed is becoming Graf-esque, just breaking records at will :lol:

roflmao Yeah I can see him now with his feet up, reading the records book and deciding which ones he gonna break! I bet Apos is really pissed off right now! roflmao

I doubt it, SB. He's probably still just wallowing in denial.

:D

I used to say on the BBC that I envisaged Apos having a note book with him at all times so as he could jot down reasons to diss poor Federer as and when they occured to him. I reckon I wasnt; far from the truth :)

Here are the stats from the ATP site :)


Federer Sets New Record For Consecutive Weeks at No. 1
© Getty Images
Roger Federer returns to the ATP circuit this week at the Dubai Tennis Championships after capturing his 10th career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month.
Upon his return, Federer finds himself as the new record holder for most consecutive weeks (161) at No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings (since August 1973), breaking the almost 30-year record of Jimmy Connors, who held the top spot for 160 straight weeks from July 29, 1974 to Aug. 22, 1977.

Federer, who also takes a career-best 36-match winning streak into Dubai, has been the ATP No. 1 ranked player every week since Feb. 2, 2004 after capturing his second career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. During his No. 1 reign, the 25-year-old Swiss superstar has accumulated a 247-15 match record (.943) with 34 titles in 49 tournaments. Prior to becoming No. 1, Federer had a career mark of 243-110 with 12 titles between 1998-January 2004.

The only player he has lost to more than once while No. 1 is rival Rafael Nadal, who has won six of their nine meetings.

Round by Round

Here is a look at Federer’s tournament round-by-round finishes at No. 1:

W-L Trn. Titles Rup SF QF 3rd 2nd 1st D. Cup
247-15 49 34 5 2 2 2 3 1 7-0

Weeks at No. 1 Comparison

Here is a look at how both players have performed during their streaks at No. 1:

Roger Federer Jimmy Connors
No. 1 Streak 161 (Feb. 2, '04-present) 160 (Jul. 29, '74-Aug. 22, '77)
Tourn. Played 49 61
Titles (Grand Slam) 34 (8) 30 (2)
Finals (Grand Slam) 5 (1) 16 (4)
W-L Record 247-15 252-26 *

* Five W/O not included as loss, one final not played due to weather

Federer Connors
Year W-L Titles Year W-L Titles
2004 67-6 10 1974 38-2 5
2005 81-4 11 1975 82-8 9
2006 92-5 12 1976 91-8 12
2007 7-0 1 1977 41-8 4

Consecutive Weeks at No. 1 Span

Roger Federer 161 Feb. 2, 2004-present
Jimmy Connors 160 July 29, 1974-Aug. 22, 1977
Ivan Lendl 157 Sept. 9, 1985-Sept. 11, 1988
Pete Sampras 102 Apr. 15, 1996-Mar. 29, 1998

Total Weeks at No. 1

Pete Sampras 286
Ivan Lendl 270
Jimmy Connors 268
John McEnroe 170
Roger Federer 161
Bjorn Borg 109
Andre Agassi 101


Federer's Longest Winning Streaks at No. 1

No. Span

36 Aug. 30, 2006-current
35 June 6-Nov. 20, 2005
26 Aug. 30, 2004-Jan. 28, 2005
25 Feb. 14-Apr. 15, 2005
23 Jun. 7, 2004-Aug. 3, 2004

Federer Says: “Jimmy was one of the all-time great players. He played for such a long time. To stay fit through all that time with such intensity is quite remarkable. We know players today who are intense – Hewitt and Nadal. Can you imagine them playing until 40 years old? It’s almost impossible. But Jimmy did that.

“This is definitely something that will stay for quite sometime. I’ll definitely keep it [the record] for three years [laughing] It’s very hard to beat. It’s not something you do overnight. It’s a long, hardworking process.”

“I never came close to losing it [the No. 1 ranking], except maybe when I played Roddick in the 2004 Wimbledon final. If he had won there, he would have had the momentum, and he would have gotten close in the rankings. But I didn’t lose. I’ve always had a great run. It’s quite an amazing streak I’m on right now.

“I remember when my game was still up in the air. On any given day, I could play very well. But on my off days, I would be very vulnerable. My baseline game was ok, but not as consistent as I was hoping for. That’s what I’ve been able to improve. Fitness-wise as well, I had problems. I was always hoping not to go five sets, whereas now I don’t mind it. So I’ve really come a long way.”