News / Sports
Roger Federer Ties Record Set by Jimmy Connors
Roger Federer has tied American Jimmy Connor’s record of 160 consecutive weeks as the world’s number one tennis player. The Swiss born Federer is guaranteed to break the record next week as he sits with a 3,415 point lead over number two Rafael Nadal.
Federer has been the ATP Tour top player since Feb. 2, 2004, equaling the length of time Jimmy Connors sat atop the tennis world from July 1974 to August 1977.
The 25-year-old Federer is the first man in the open era to win at least 10 singles tournaments in three consecutive years. Earlier this year Federer captured his third Australian Open, beating Fernando Gonzalez on Jan. 28.
While Federer has won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open on three separate occasions he still lacks a French Open victory. The clay court has proved to be the only surface that has slowed him in his march towards being labeled the greatest tennis player of all time. It was Nadal who stopped Federer in the 2006 French Open final.
Oddly enough, Jimmy Connors was never able to capture a French Open victory either.
Federer has been named the ATP Player of the Year two years in a row (2004, 2005) and is expected to be named Player of the Year for 2006.
