Federer currently owns the record by being ranked world no. 1 for the most number of weeks (302, next is Sampras at 286). Along with his many other insurmountable records confirm, that he is not only the best player in tennis history, but also the most successful male athlete in any major individual sport.
Major Totals
Yes, Jack Nicklaus won 18, but he did that over a 24-year stretch, winning three majors in his 40s (rare in golf, but impossible in tennis). Federer has appeared in 24 finals (a tennis record) and won 17 (another record) over a stretch of only 37 tournaments. That means for nine years he made it to just under two-thirds of the finals and won almost half of them. For almost six of those years, one had to beat Federer to win a major. He either won or lost to the eventual champion in 23 straight Grand Slam tournaments.
Three Majors, Three Times
Tiger Woods had a great year in 2000, when he won three majors and finished fifth in the other one. In 2005, he won two majors and finished second and fourth in the other two.
Those are two phenomenal seasons. Federer has had five of a comparable nature. He won three majors in a season three different times, and in two of those years he was the runner-up in the fourth tournament. In 2005, he won two Slams and was a semifinalist in the other two. And in 2009 he won two majors and was runner up in the other two.
An Unprecedented Reign
From 2004 to 2007, Federer had a streak of glory unequaled by any athlete. He won 11 of 16 Grand Slam events. Compare that to other tennis greats. In his best four-year stretch, Sampras won seven majors. Same for Nadal. Two years ago, Djokovic had one of the best seasons in tennis history and he started 2012 by winning the Australian Open. To match Federer, however, he would had to win seven of the next nine Slams.
Steffi Graf, who won 22 majors, picked up 10 trophies in her best four-year stretch, one fewer than Federer.
Even more impressive is that Federer continued to play almost as well even after those spectacular years, appearing in eight of the next nine major finals and winning four of them.
In Tiger Woods’ best four years, he won seven majors. He finished second once and in the top 10 three other times. But in the other five events, he finished anywhere from 12th to 29th. Three of those finishes were the equivalent of being knocked out in the third round of a tennis tournament. That has not happened to Federer since 2004.
Unmatchable Streaks
Federer has now appeared in 35 straight quarterfinals at majors. That is more than eight years of making it to the final eight and more than twice as many as the next-best streak, Ivan Lendl at 14. But Federer also rattled off 23 straight appearances in the semifinals, almost six years of top-four appearances (the next-best streak is 10). And he made 10 straight trips to major finals, missed one and then went on to make the next eight, giving him a stretch of 18 finals in 19 tournaments. No one else in the Open era has made more than five finals in a row. So Federer has the best streak (twice as long as anyone else) and the second-best (60% longer).
Number One
At one point, Federer was world no. 1 for 237 consecutive weeks, a period of more than four-and-a-half years. That record is a year-and-a-half longer than the previous mark.
Federer might stretch some of these records even further. But even if he retired today, he wouldd be not only the greatest tennis player ever, but also the best individual athlete of our time.
No comments:
Post a Comment