(Provided by Tennis World USA)
At 38, Roger Federer was still among the world’s best players at the end of 2019! Federer embraced a great season, lifting four trophies and winning 52 out of 63 matches. Roger claimed the Miami Masters crown and three more at the ATP 500 level, barely missing a chance to celebrate at Wimbledon after spraying two match points versus Novak Djokovic.
Federer reached the magical number of 100 ATP titles in Dubai and earned another massive record in December, becoming the first player with 1000 weeks in the top-30! Roger would stay there until March 2022 thanks to the pandemic and his 2019 points, embracing 21 and a half years in the selected group!
An 18-year-old started the 2000 season from just outside the top-60. He left Challengers behind him and embraced the full ATP Tour swing that carried him toward the finals in Marseille and Basel.
Roger Federer stayed in the top-30 for 21 and a half years!
The Swiss failed to win two matches in a row between Copenhagen in March and Roland Garros. Roger could not find his A-game in June, July and August before adding solid points to his tally at the Sydney Olympics, where he barely missed a chance to grab a medal.
After the Vienna semi-final and the Basel final, Federer entered the top-30 at the end of October and remained there for over 21 years! Rafael Nadal had a chance to chase Federer’s record, but it will not happen after the Spaniard’s injury that will send him outside the top-100 in a couple of weeks.
Novak Djokovic is the next candidate on the list, but he needs over four years in the top-30 to consider Roger’s record. Federer made it fair and square in December 2019, fresh after his notable ATP Finals run. Roger competed at the premium ATP event for the 17th time in the previous 18 years.
He defeated Novak Djokovic in the last round-robin encounter to crash Novak’s chances of becoming year-end no. 1. The Swiss reached his 16th ATP Finals semi-final and lost to an eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. Federer reached the Australian Open semi-final at the start of 2020 before undergoing knee surgeries in February and May.
The injury ruined his career, and Roger failed to recover despite giving his best. The Swiss maestro ended his career at the last year’s Laver Cup alongside Rafael Nadal, enjoying retirement and still building his incredible tennis legacy.
