It is hardly a surprise to anyone that Roger Federer continues to add his name to the history books. Just last month in Melbourne at the Australian Open, he became the first male in tennis history to amass 300 victories solely at Grand Slam tournaments. Currently sitting at 302 victories, he sits only four behind Martina Navratilova’s all-time record of 306. This week, despite having recently underwent surgery on his knee, he added another impressive new record to his list of achievements.
Federer Becomes First To Spend 600 Weeks Ranked In Top Three
When the new ATP rankings came out earlier this week, the Fed-Express added a new crown, this time becoming the first ATP player in history to spend 600 weeks ranked inside of the top three. To put that into perspective, the Swiss number one has spent 11 and a half YEARS, yes, years, ranked either first, second, or third, in the world. Among these 600 weeks, Federer has spent 302 as the world number one, 168 as the world number two, and 130 as the world number three, where he is ranked now. The other four players who have spent the most time in the top three include Jimmy Connors (595 weeks), Ivan Lendl (499 weeks), Rafael Nadal (460 weeks) and Pete Sampras (457 weeks).
Stan Wawrinka: "Roger Is Still The Maestro"
Just behind Federer in the world rankings at number four sits fellow-countryman and now two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. Due to Federer’s constant presence at the top of not only tennis, but also Switzerland, the Swiss number two had been overlooked for most of his career until more recently. He made his big arrival onto the scene in 2014, where he captured his first-ever Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The world number four was not afraid to share his comments about his good friend Federer, with whom he won the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Men’s Doubles.
“The Maestro is always the Maestro, because of all the things he has done in his career,” Wawrinka said. “To me he is the greatest player of all time. It's clear that in the last two years my evolution has been amazing and unexpected: winning two Slams and being now world number four, is incredible.”
Despite being always overshadowed by Federer, the 30-year old described how it has been a blessing in disguise for him. “I always worked hard, but the fact that he has been ahead of me during my whole career helped me a lot,” Wawrinka added. “I'm timid and people did not speak too much about my career, because he was ahead. Being behind the backs of the best player ever and being his friend makes you learn.”
Wawrinka Discusses Djokovic’s Chances At Calendar Grand Slam
Wawrinka famously terminated Novak Djokovic’s chance to finally gain his Career Grand Slam, or winning each of the four majors, at last year’s French Open, when Wawrinka upset the world number one in the finals. In addition, a Djokovic victory in Paris last year would’ve meant that the Serbian number one would have went on to complete the Calendar Grand Slam as well, or winning all four major titles in one season, as he finished the year winning the other three.
With Djokovic’s level of play at such a high level, many predict that the world number one could achieve this feat this year. Wawrinka, on the other hand, is not so sure.
“What he does, it's impressive; he has been playing very well and so far he is dominating,” Wawrinka said. “Grand Slam? Maybe, but if I have to give a prediction, I would say no. I think that another player will win somewhere.”
Only time will tell to see if the world number one can achieve that amazing feat, the same accomplishment that Serena Williams famously fell short of at last year’s U.S. Open. If Djokovic were to complete the Calendar Grand Slam, it would mean that he would win the French Open, the one major title he needs to complete that Career Grand Slam, something only 17 other players in history have done (7 men, 10 women). The last male player to achieve the Calendar Grand Slam was the great Rod Laver, back in 1962 and 1969.