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There is no finish line...

78K views 418 replies 58 participants last post by  Apophis 
#1 · (Edited)
Throughout his career Federer has attained numerous records – some of which are very well documented and publicised, others which perhaps are not. But often the question is asked: what more is there left to achieve? For sure there are many tennis records out there, a good number of them would be almost impossible for Federer to beat. But there are also numerous records that can still be equalled and/or broken.

So in this thread – which happens to be my first ;) – I have listed in no particular order, some of the records he has yet to achieve but may yet plausibly attain. They all refer to achievements in singles during the Open Era unless specified otherwise. Of course I have also included what he needs to do to achieve them and will try to update this on a regular basis (your help would be much appreciated with this too).

Note that there are numerous records which Federer has equalled but has not yet surpassed. Depending upon the response I get from this thread, I might include these in the post as well.

I’d just like to add that if Federer does not achieve many (or indeed any) of the records listed below, that does not in any way detract from his achievements thus far. For me at least, his place in tennis history is already sealed, although new chapters of this history are being added as time passes and that perhaps one day it is only reasonable to imagine that a number of Federer’s own records may be caught up to. But for now let us look forward to what there is still to aim for because as Roger states himself:



Update in progress... (stats to be correct correct to Monday 22nd June 2015, week prior to the start of Wimbledon)
Click for selected achievements since the previous update


PS: I am aware that there are more potential records which he can target, which I will add on in due course. In the meantime please let me know if there is anything I have missed out or if there are any important ones which you think should be included here.
Please also let be know if you spot any errors. Thanks :)
 
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#349 ·
Federer has almost caught up to Lendl in wins.

Lendl had 1010 wins by the age of 33 years and 9 months.
Federer has 991 wins by the age of 33 years and 4 months. Federer is just 19 wins behind and about 5 months ahead of Lendl's pace.

Connors had 1043 wins by the age of 33 years and 4 months. Federer is just 51 wins behind the pace of Connors.
 
#351 ·
This list tracks those players who remain active since Roger's slam participation streak began in AO 2000 - 14 years ago. With the retirement of George Bastl this brings the active total to just 2 players out of the original draw of 128 players who remain active with ranking points, and 2 overall.

Hewitt is still doing well with two titles, one in Newport and one in Brisbane. Haas has 5 months left on his inactivity timer.

Lleyton Hewitt - STILL ACTIVE - (49)
Tommy Haas - STILL ACTIVE - (76)
 
#355 · (Edited)
Heya good folks and Fed fans on MTF. Firstly, a very belated happy new year. Secondly, I think apologies are in order for not having updated the OP (life has been a little crazy in the past year). I've had a mind to updating it, but to be honest I am more inclined to leave it as a historical relic to see how many of the milestones he ended up achieving out of those we thought might be in his reach. Instead, I was thinking of doing a big update post as things stand now (well, prior to AO 2015). What do you think?

Today he registered his 999th win and will play his 125th ATP singles final next. Whether title #83 comes in his next match or not, I think we can all agree these are quite astonishing numbers.
 
#356 ·
Federer has a chance to set the record for consecutive years with at least one title. Be nice if he does that in January.
 
#358 ·
Quoting the OP to keep the historical record this way :)

As of November 2011:



Throughout his career Federer has attained numerous records – some of which are very well documented and publicised, others which perhaps are not. But often the question is asked: what more is there left to achieve? For sure there are many tennis records out there, a good number of them would be almost impossible for Federer to beat. But there are also numerous records that can still be equalled and/or broken.

So in this thread – which happens to be my first ;) – I have listed in no particular order, some of the records he has yet to achieve but may yet plausibly attain. They all refer to achievements in singles during the Open Era unless specified otherwise. Of course I have also included what he needs to do to achieve them and will try to update this on a regular basis (your help would be much appreciated with this too).

Note that there are numerous records which Federer has equalled but has not yet surpassed. Depending upon the response I get from this thread, I might include these in the post as well.

I’d just like to add that if Federer does not achieve many (or indeed any) of the records listed below, that does not in any way detract from his achievements thus far. For me at least, his place in tennis history is already sealed, although new chapters of this history are being added as time passes and that perhaps one day it is only reasonable to imagine that a number of Federer’s own records may be caught up to. But for now let us look forward to what there is still to aim for because as Roger states himself:



Updated after the Paris Masters (stats correct to Monday 14th November, 2011)


Title records by tournament type

Most outdoor titles

Here Federer is 4th in the list, needing an extra 5 outdoor tournament victories to equal Vilas.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Outdoor titles[/u]
[B]1		Vilas		56[/B]
2		Connors		55
3		Lendl		52
4		Federer		51
Most Tennis Masters Cups / World Tour Finals won

Winning in 2011 would see Federer as the only man with 6 year end championship trophies.
Code:
[u]Rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]TMC / WTF titles[/u]
[B]=1	Federer		5 [/B]
[B]=1	Sampras		5[/B]
[B]=1	Lendl		5[/B]
Most Masters 1000 titles

In 2011 Federer has surpassed Agassi but is one behind Nadal, even though he has the record for the most finals of Masters 1000 tournaments reached (in fact at Paris Bercy he became the first to reach the finals of all 9 Masters 1000 tournaments)
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Masters 1000 titles[/u]
[B]1		Nadal		19[/B]
2		Federer		18
Most individual Masters 1000 tournaments won

By winning Paris, Federer overtakes Nadal and equals Agassi. He has yet to win Monte Carlo (3 time finalist), Rome (2 time finalist). Note that Federer’s best result in Shanghai is a loss in the final, but this event replaced Hamburg, which he won on 4 occasions.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Different Masters 1000s won[/u]
=1		Federer		7
 [B]=1		Agassi		7[/B]
Most ATP 500 titles

Federer needs 2 more to tie with the leader, Sampras
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]ATP 500 titles[/u]
[B]1		Sampras		12[/B]
2		Nadal		11
3		Federer		10
Most ATP 250 titles

By winning Doha, Federer surpassed Sampras and Hewitt
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]ATP 500 titles[/u]
[B]1		Muster		26[/B]
 2		Federer		21

Match winning records

Matches won in all Grand Slams

Federer stands 2nd in the Open Era list
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Grand Slam match wins [/u]
[B]1		Connors		233[/B]
2		Federer		228
Matches won on hard courts at Grand Slams

Federer is now second in this particular statistic, 7 wins away from Agassi
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Grand Slam hard court wins [/u]
[B]1		Agassi		127[/B]
3		Federer		120
Most Grand Slam semi final appearances

Connors leads the pack, but Federer is currently 2 away from him.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Grand Slam semi final appearances[/u]
[B]1		Connors		31[/B]
 2		Federer		29
Most Grand Slam quarter final appearances

Connors again holds the record and is 7 ahead of Federer, who is joint 3rd in the list
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Grand Slam quarter final appearances[/u]
[B]1		Connors		41[/B]
2		Agassi		36
=3		Federer		34
3		Lendl		34
Matches won at the Masters Cup / World Tour Finals

Federer is 5 behind Lendl at the moment.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Year-end Championship matches won[/u]
[B]1		Lendl		39[/B]
2		Becker		36
3		Sampras		35
4		Federer		34
Most Tennis Masters Cup finals / World Tour Finals appearances in finals

Federer and Sampras (both with 6) are 3 behind Lendl.
Code:
[U]Rank[/U]    [U]Player[/U]		[U]TMC / WTF finals[/U]
[B]1	Lendl		9[/B]
2	Becker		8
[COLOR=red]=3	Federer		6[/COLOR]
=3	Sampras		6

‘Consecutive’ records

Most consecutive Grand Slam appearances

Federer will have to participate in every major tournament up to and including US Open 2013 to match Wayne Ferreira’s Open Era record.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Consecutive Grand Slams entered[/u]
[B]1		Ferreira		56[/B]
2		Edberg		54
 3		Federer		48
Most consecutive seasons having reached a Grand Slam final

Federer will have to reach at least one Grand Slam final in each year up to 2013 to match Sampras and Lendl.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Years [/u]
[B]=1		Sampras		11[/B]
[B]=1		Lendl		11[/B]
2		Federer		9

Australian Open records

Note that due to the existence of the Challenge Round in early years of the slams and its subsequent discontinuation, pre Open Era comparisons are only made for wins and finals

Most championships won

Federer has equalled Andre Agassi’s Open Era record of 4 Australian Open wins. This feat has been matched by 2 players, including Ken Rosewall who had victories either side of the introduction of the Open era. The all-time record belongs to Roy Emerson
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Australian Opens won[/u]
[B]1		Emerson		6[/B]
=2		Federer		4
=2		Agassi		4
=2		Rosewall	4
=2		Crawford	4
Most final appearances

Federer is tied with Stefan Edberg’s record 5 Australian Open finals in the open era. Ken Rosewall achieved the same feat but 3 of his titles came before the Open era. In those earlier days, 3 separate players made final appearances a record 7 times.
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Australian Opens finals[/u]
[B]=1		Emerson		7[/B]
[B]=1		Bromwich	7[/B]
[B]=1		Crawford	7[/B]
=4		Federer		5
=4		Edberg		5
Most semi final appearances

Federer is tied with Edberg’s record of 8 in the Open Era
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Australian Opens semi finals[/u]
=1		Federer		8
 [B]=1		Edberg		8[/B]
Most quarter final appearances

Federer is joint 2nd in the standings, 2 behind Edberg as things now stand
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Australian Opens quarter finals[/u]
[B]1		Edberg		10[/B]
=2		Federer		8
=2		Lendl		8
=2		Newcombe	8
French Open records

Most final appearances

Federer is 1 behind Borg’s all-time record of 6 although there is good reason to think that Nadal will comfortably surpass this by the time his career draws to an end.
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]French Open finals[/u]
[B]1		Borg		6[/B]
=2		Federer		5
=2		Wilander	5
=2		Lendl		5
=2		Drobny		5
=2		Cochet		5
=2		Lacoste		5 
=2		Nadal		5
Most semi final appearances

Federer is at the time of writing, equal with Borg, Wilander’s and Nadal’s record of 6 in the Open Era
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]French Open semi finals[/u]
=1		Federer		5
 [B]=1		Borg		6[/B]
[B]=1		Wilander	6[/B]
[B]=1		Nadal		5[/B]
Most quarter final appearances

After FO 2011, Federer is 1 behind record holders Agassi and Vilas
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]French Open quarter finals[/u]
[B]=1		Agassi		9[/B]
[B]=1		Vilas		9[/B]
=3		Federer		8
3		Connors		8

Wimbledon records

Most championships won

Federer is just 1 behind Pete Sampras’ Open Era record. William Renshaw also ties Sampras for the most number of victories at Wimbledon for all time (including pre Open era)
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Wimbledons won[/u]
[B]=1		Sampras		7[/B]
[b]=1		Renshaw		7[/b]
2		Federer		6
Most final appearances

Federer shares the Open Era record with Sampras and Becker but trails two of the tournament’s early participants by 1.
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Wimbledon finals[/u]
[B]=1		Gore		8[/B]
[B]=1		Bromwich	8[/B]
=3		Federer		7
=3		Sampras		7
=3		Becker		7
Most semi final appearances

Connor’s record of 11 semi finals is going to be very difficult for Federer to match. He is currently 4 behind.
Code:
[u]Open era rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Wimbledon semi finals[/u]
[B]1		Connors		11[/B]
2		Becker		9
=3		Sampras		8
=3		McEnroe		8
=5		Federer		7
=5		Lendl		7

US Open records

Most championships won

Federer needs 2 more US Open victories to tie 3 players from before the Open Era. He currently shares the Open Era record with Connors and Sampras
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]US Opens won[/u]
[B]=1		Tilden		7[/B]
[b]=1		Larned		7[/b]
[b]=1		Sears		7[/b]
=4		Federer		5
=4		Sampras		5 
=4		Connors		5
Most final appearances

Tilden’s all-time record of 10 is also going to be extremely difficult to match as he needs 4 more. The Open Era record shared by Lendl and Sampras are 2 more than Federer at the moment.
Code:
[u]All-time rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]US Open finals[/u]
[B]1		Tilden		10[/B]
2		Larned		9
=3		Sampras		8
=3		Lendl		8
=5		Connors		7
=5		Sears		7
=7		Federer		6
=7		Agassi		6

Rankings records

Note that rankings statistics compare players since 1973, when the ATP first used the computerised ranking method.

Most weeks at number 1

Please refer to the excellent thread on this topic (http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=157340) for more details. Federer has totalled 285 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, 1 behind Pete Sampras’ record
Code:
[u]Rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Total weeks at number 1[/u]
[B]1	Sampras		286[/B]
2	Federer		285
Most weeks ranked in top 2

Federer is now just 1 week behind Sampras
Code:
[u]Rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Total weeks at number 1 or 2[/u]
[B]1	Sampras		376[/B]
2	Federer		375
Most years ended at number 1

Alongside Connors, Federer is also 1 shy of Sampras
Code:
[u]Rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Year end number 1s[/u]
[B]1	Sampras		6[/B]
=2	Federer		5
=2	Connors		5
Most years ended in top 2

Although Federer has the consecutive record with 8 years, he currently shares the non-consecutive record with Connors
Code:
[u]Rank[/u]	[u]Player[/u]		[u]Year end number 1 or 2[/u]
[B]=1	Federer		8[/B]
[B]=1	Connors		8[/B]

PS: I am aware that there are more potential records which he can target, which I will add on in due course. In the meantime please let me know if there is anything I have missed out or if there are any important ones which you think should be included here.
Please also let be know if you spot any errors. Thanks :)
 
#362 · (Edited)
Thread update is on the way. My sincerest apologies for not having got round to it sooner as promised. But in the meantime, here are some interesting things that have transpired since the last major change to the OP:


Selected records which Roger has accomplished since last update:

Grand Slam related records:
  • His record of 62 consecutive appearances at Grand Slam tournaments is an ongoing record. He has the record for the most consecutive appearances at each stage of Grand Slam tournaments - 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round, 4th round, QF, SF and F. Note that if he participates in 7 more slams he will have sole ownership of the record number of total appearances at each stage of Grand Slam tournaments too (at the moment he has 64 1st round appearances as opposed to Santoro’s 70).
  • He now has now overtaken Connors to clinch the record for the most Grand Slam semi-finals (36), quarter-finals (44) and overall match wins (285).
  • He has the most matches won on hard courts in Grand Slams (147).

World Tour Finals records:
  • He won his 6th title, eclipsing Lendl and Sampras on 5.
  • He has won 48 matches at this event, overtaking Lendl who had 39.
  • He has equalled a few records: total finals (9 - shared with Lendl), semi finals (12 - shared with Lendl) and appearances (13 - shared with Agassi). All his appearances were consecutive; 13 consecutive appearances is an outright record.

Title records:
  • He has become the only person to have won at least 1 title for 15 consecutive years on tour.
  • He has comfortably surpassed Vilas for the most outdoor titles. He now has 65, although Nadal is just 1 behind with 64.
  • He won a 6th year-end championship (now known as the World Tour Finals), breaking the tie he had with Lendl and Sampras.
  • In winning Halle 2015 he claimed the sole lead for the most ATP 500 titles (16). Nadal has 15.

Final records:
  • He appeared in 11 finals at his home tournament of Basel. This is the most number of finals contested at the same tournament. He also has 10 finals or better at Halle (Vilas had 10 at Buenos Aires).

Match winning records:
  • He has won the most matches won on hard courts (633).
  • He has now won more singles matches at the Olympic Games (13) than anyone else.

Ranking records:
  • He obtained a number of ranking records such as the longest time spent as #1 (302 weeks, overtaking Sampras’ 286 weeks), longest time spent in the top 2 (455 weeks and counting), the sole lead for the number of years finished in the top 2 (10 years - 5 years as #1 and 5 years as #2) etc.
  • He became the oldest player in the Open Era to finish the season ranked #2 at 33 years and 4 months. The next oldest was Agassi at 32 years and 8 months.


The above doesn’t count the categories in which Roger already held the Open-Era record but has further extended them (eg. Grand Slam tournaments won, grass court tournaments won etc).


There really is no finish line :)
 
#368 ·
After this Wimbledon, he now has 63 consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances, beating the record of Ai Sugiyama.
 
#369 ·
He's also increased his record of winning at least one match in each slam to 49. I have no idea if anyone is better in the WTA but I doubt it. I generally only compare to male players.

Djokovic could be a competor here also in the future, he's on 43 straight played and 38 straight won at least one match.
 
#371 ·
I posted this on the Wimbledon thread, but perhaps There is no finish line is a better place for it.

I thought this was an excellent piece.

Don’t Feel Sorry for Federer
By Kate Battersby

A horrible trap lies in wait for all of us when discussing an underdog losing a match, and we’re never likelier to plunge headfirst into it than when a legend of the game is beaten by a world No.1 on the biggest stage of all.

We find ourselves applying a peculiar lexicon to the legend, of the kind suitable for some kind of cuddly toy. We reduce him to an adorable mascot for whom victory would have been a bonus, and who no longer experiences defeat as a lacerating wound. We do it because he is not 22 any more, and because he is loved.

Just don’t expect Roger Federer to thank you for it. He may be loved, but he has no interest in being adorable.

What he sought from the Wimbledon final 2015 was victory. He wanted to be the first man to take eight titles here. He wanted his 18th Grand Slam.

If that would have made him, at 33 years 338 days, the oldest champion here since the game turned professional, then so be it. What he absolutely specifically did not care about was next time, or last time, or any other time. He wanted what Novak Djokovic wanted, with the same stinging ambition as the Serb.

The hateful bottom line is this: on this day, Federer wasn’t good enough, and he knows it better than anyone. The champion defended his title 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3. For all the wonder of that second set, Federer had two points to win the first. What if he had led two sets to love? No point asking. He didn’t win it. Saving seven set points on the way to grabbing the second may have been astonishing to witness at courtside or on television worldwide, but it still left Federer an unconquerable distance from victory.

He lost, and he doesn’t want anyone’s sympathy, or – shudder – pity. To accept it would serve only to cheapen all that he achieved in his pomp. If there was no need for allowances back then, there is no need now.

“It’s always a mental and physical challenge to keep going, keep going,” he said tiredly. “I had chances. He got the break in the first set on a forehand I should not miss. Happy that I won the second set but still know I’m a long way away. A pity I couldn’t make more of the momentum. I couldn’t take advantage of the rain. I still won six matches. Lost one.”
In these post-match Q&As, he excels at betraying as little of his private hurt as possible, remaining at his most elaborately unruffled answering questions which effectively request that he bleed in front of the media. But the truth was evident in what was unsaid.

Witness his demeanour throughout the trophy presentation. Without ever erring towards the unsportsmanlike, he could hardly bear to look at Djokovic even fleetingly. Set aside any thoughts of dislike between them – the Swiss used unusually strong language this Fortnight to refute suggestions by Djokovic’s coaching consultant Boris Becker of any such thing. So let’s be clear – what turned Federer’s stomach was defeat.

“You walk away empty-handed,” he said. “For me a finalist’s trophy is not the same. Everybody knows that. I would have loved to win. There’s no doubt about that.”
He could not bring himself to gaze upon the famous golden trophy in the hands of another. When he was required to walk a circuit of the Centre Court with the plate he earned as runner-up, it was apparent in his body language that there could be nothing worse requested of him – and above all things, he could not lift the plate to the crowd. After all, someone might think that this was the trophy he actually wanted.

“I’m not going to accept losing and say it’s normal because I lost against the world No.1,” said Federer. “It’s not normal. I’ve beaten him. I’m one of the few guys that’s got a chance. I believed I was going to come through as the winner. I’m right there. My game is good.”

Courtesy is one of Federer’s on-court signatures, so do him the courtesy of judging him by the standards you judge all others. If you must make allowances, then make allowance only for brilliance – his own, and his opponent’s. Make allowance for that mind-blowing second set. Make allowance for the fact that out of seven billion people on this planet, the only one nearer to touching perfection in the art of tennis was on the opposite side of the net.

The sporting super-elite are not interested in coming second. What drives their necessarily lop-sided existence is a near-manic focus on victory. Nobody gets to be a legend by accident. It’s no use imagining that Roger Federer does not possess the same raging need to win on the basis that he looks nice and is a polite sort of chap.
What was it he said on court in those moments after defeat? Ah yes: “I am still very hungry and motivated and a match like this is very helpful.”

That chilly little phrase, “very helpful”… terrifying. Take it as read – Roger Federer lost, and that knowledge is burning him alive.
 
#375 · (Edited)
I think the only consecutive record he is still chasing is Connors' massive consecutive weeks in the top 10.

Federer is just 106 weeks behind with about 48 weeks guaranteed already (F Wim + W Cincy) will likely be enough to carry him through to 2016.

That means he is 58 weeks behind. Soon he'll begin making his assault on this record.
 
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