Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player and perhaps the greatest athlete ever, winning a total of 20 grand slams, which is more than any other male player in history. He is quickly becoming one of the most popular and most celebrated people in the world. His list of accomplishments and records spans several pages, and it’s unlikely we’ll ever witness a player like him again.
With yet another magnificent start to 2018, Federer is once again the best player in the world. But time is running out. With Federer at the ripe age of 36, he only has so long before time inevitably catches up to him. But for now, no one seems to be able to challenge the Swiss as he waltzes through the tour, without a loss to his name so far this year.
But even after his impressive and extended career, Federer hasn’t accomplished everything in the sport. Today, I’ll be taking a look at seven of the records and feats Federer has yet to claim and his chances of doing so in the twilight of his career.
Grand Slams are the pinnacle of tennis success. They are the basis on which a tennis player’s career is judged. With only four a year, players are given few opportunities to prove themselves on the biggest stage. But Federer has found a way to win time and time again.
But even though Federer might be the most decorated male singles player in tennis history, he still has a ways to go if we take the female side of things into account. Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, and Margaret Court all have more Grand Slams than Federer, and this one will probably be the hardest record to beat.
To match Court’s tally of 24, Federer would have to win 4 more Grand Slams. 1 or 2 might be realistic, but 4 would be quite difficult. Even if the Swiss were to win another 4, it’s likely that Serena would surpass Court’s tally; she’s still the most dominant player on tour when healthy, and she only needs one more to match the Australian.
Federer probably won’t be able to break this one, but 20 isn’t bad, right?
Jimmy Connors holds the record with a staggering 1256 match wins. Federer is second with 1144, making for a gap of 112 wins. Let’s take a look at what it would for Federer to dethrone the American.
Let’s assume that Federer plays until 2020 – enough time to play in his last Olympics and a fitting end to an unbelievable career. Federer won 52 matches last year, winning 7 of the 12 events in which he participated. That makes for a win rate of 91.23%.
If Federer finished out the year as he started it, he’d likely end up with another 30-40 wins under his belt. That would leave around 70 or so to be won in the next two years. But time will inevitably catch up, even with the great Roger Federer. If an injury takes him out or he suffers a drop in form, the record could quite easily be in jeopardy.
Federer needs to average around 40 wins over a little less than 3 seasons if he wants to beat Connors. It’s certainly doable, and if Federer decides that he wants to play some smaller tournaments along the way or perhaps even return to action on clay, his chances will be considerably boosted. If Federer can keep his form up, the record will be his.
Even at the ripe age of 36, Federer is still not the oldest Grand Slam winner ever. Instead, that title belongs to Ken Rosewall. The Australian, who was known for his lethal backhand slice, won the 1972 Australian Open at 37 years and 63 days old.
For Federer to break this record, he would have to win next year’s Australian Open. To defend the title for three years running would be ludicrous, and it’s much more likely for him to win Wimbledon instead. Even then, Federer would most likely be in the twilight of his career. We can’t expect him to keep up at the rate at which he is performing now, and at his age, one injury could mean the end of his career.
Still, you can never rule Roger out. Time and time again, Federer has proven that he is here to stay. Father Time has tried relentlessly to derail the Swiss, but every time, Federer has prevailed. Can he do it again and beat Rosewall’s record? It’s certainly within his reach.
After a miraculous start to the season last year, many thought that Federer would end the year as the world’s number one. But after skipping the whole clay court season and falling short at the US Open, it would ultimately be Rafael Nadal who reigned supreme. This year, Federer has had another spectacular start with his rival failing to meet last year’s results.
In fact, the Maestro just recently became the oldest number one in tennis history after winning Rotterdam against Grigor Dimitrov. But if Federer wishes to match Sampras with six year-end number one finishes, it won’t solely be up to him.
Most of Nadal’s points last year came from clay, as expected. But with almost 5,000 points to defend come April, it’ll be hard, even for Rafa, to perform on the same level. It won’t exactly be easy for Roger either. He won the Sunshine Double last year, and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to defend it.
The Race to London will be quite an interesting one, and it’s likely that Roger and Rafa will exchange the number one position a couple of times this year. Will Roger end the year up on top? Who knows?
There has yet to be a player to claim all 9 of the Masters 1000 titles. Novak Djokovic is just one away, missing only the Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati). Rafael Nadal is missing Miami and Paris. And Roger Federer has yet to win both Monte Carlo and Rome.
First off, both of Federer’s missing Masters titles are on clay. To become the first player ever to accomplish this feat, Federer would not only have to decide to return to playing the clay season, but he’d also have to get past Nadal – a man that is nearly unbeatable on the surface. The Swiss has been in many finals in both tournaments, and he lost his best chance against Wawrinka in 2014.
Federer won 3 Masters 1000 titles last year and made the final of a 4th, but this record is one that he is unlikely to break. Unless he decides to revamp his schedule and risk injury before Wimbledon, the Swiss will never lay his hands on all 9 of the trophies. Djokovic is a better bet, and he’ll be hungry to win at Cincinnati this August.
Yet another record held by Jimmy Connors. Federer currently has 97 titles to Connors’ 109. Many will debate the validity of Connors’ titles as a lot of them would be considered Challengers on today’s tour, but a record is a record.
In order to match Connors, Federer would have to win another 12 titles. While it’s certainly possible for the Maestro, especially after he won a staggering 7 titles last year, it’s unlikely he’ll have the same success in the future. For now, the world number one is on top of the tennis world, but Djokovic and Murray are getting ready to return from injury, and youngsters like Kyrgios and Zverev are beginning to make their mark.
Assuming that Federer plays until 2020, an already audacious statement considering he’d be 38 by then, he’d have to average around 5 titles a year. If he plays some smaller tournaments, it’s certainly possible, but skipping the entire clay season already cuts down on a bunch of opportunities, and it’s looking as though Federer’s focus will be primarily on the Grand Slams and Masters.
This one will be close, but it’ll be hard for Federer to match 109. Breaking 100 would already be a monumental feat, and it looks as though he’s well on his way to getting there.
This is perhaps the most glaring hole in Federer’s stellar resume. While he has won an Olympic gold with fellow Swiss compatriot, Stan Wawrinka, he has yet to claim a singles gold. He came close in 2012, but after an epic with Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals, Murray capitalized on Federer’s exhaustion to win his first gold medal in front of a home crowd. Four years later, Federer would be unable to compete, hampered by a knee injury that would rule him out for almost the entire season.
The Tokyo Olympics will take place in 2020, and even with Federer’s superb form right now, one has to wonder if the Swiss will be able to keep it up for another two years. He’s already defying all odds at the age of 36; to try and win a gold medal when he’s 38 would be nothing short of impossible. Federer’s body has already begun to show signs of wear and tear, and even though his style of play is less taxing and his scheduling is getting smarter and more spread out, being the best in the world for another two years is no easy feat.
If Federer were to complete the Career Golden Slam, he’d become only the third player to do it. But if he truly wishes to fill the biggest hole in his career, he’ll have to pull off something truly spectacular. Can he do it? Of course, he’s Federer. But as time passes, the odds are looking ever so slim.
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