Roger Federer set a new record for men's tennis dominance on
Monday, when he celebrated his 161st consecutive week as world
number one.
The Swiss player eclipsed Jimmy Connors's 30-year-old milestone
after extending a streak that began on February 2, 2004.
"I've been looking forward to this day to come and I'm very
excited. That is definitely one of the biggest records I've broken
so far in my career," Federer told reporters before beating
Kristian Pless 7-6 3-6 6-3 in the first round of the Dubai
Open.
Connors, an American legend, enjoyed 160 weeks as the world's
top-ranked player between July 1974 and August 1977.
The Swiss master is guaranteed to leave that benchmark far
behind as his closest rival, Spain's Rafael Nadal, trails the
25-year-old by 3,415 points in the ATP entry system.
When the ATP updated the rankings at around 0500 GMT, they
showed Federer atop with 8,120 points and Nadal at 4,705.
The rest lag far behind with American Andy Roddick in third
place on 2,830.
"I am profoundly proud of not only being able to compete with my
opponents today, but also with history," Federer told his official
Web site.
"One hundred and sixty one weeks is a long time and being able
to lead this statistic from now on is a terrific feeling. As you
can imagine it has taken a lot to come this far."
GRAND SLAM
At the Australian Open last month Federer won a 10th grand slam
title, becoming the first man in 27 years to win a major without
dropping a set.
Winning all four majors this year and holding the grand slam
would seem to be the next obvious target for Federer, but the
mild-mannered champion is not getting ahead of himself.
"(The grand slam) is not really a goal I set for myself,"
Federer told a conference call after his win over Pless. "I can't
look beyond the French Open because I have never won it and I
really hope I can win it this year."
He is also looking forward to next year's Olympic Games while
another goal this year is to again win the prestigious Sportsman of
the Year prize at the Laureus awards, although he may face stiff
competition from friend Tiger Woods.
"It is always difficult to compare different sports. Maybe I
have had my best year so I hope I can win again," he said. "(Tiger)
has got it easier as he is playing on grass all the time."
But such is Federer's dominance in tennis, it was certain he
would overtake Connors by winning the season-ending Masters Cup in
November.
When asked if he would play on into his 40s, as Connors did, he
was skeptical.
"I doubt I'll still be playing then because the game is more
demanding these days," said Federer, who will be honored in
Switzerland with a special stamp to celebrate his achievement.
"But I'm definitely getting more focused on what happens after
tennis," Federer added, mentioning his foundation and the
possibility of starting a family and getting married.
He said Connors had not been in contact, although good friend
Tim Henman had sent him a congratulatory text message.
Connors has hailed Federer in the past though, when he awarded
the former ball boy with a watch for being a promising young Swiss
player.
"I don't know if I still have it," Federer joked.
(China Daily via Reuters?February 27, 2007)
