Nice reactions from Tennis World on Federer reaching No 1

tennisaddict

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
Andre Agassi‏Verified account @AndreAgassi 4h4 hours ago
36 years 195 days... @RogerFederer continues to raise the bar in our sport. Congratulations on yet another remarkable achievement!!

Boris Becker‏Verified account @TheBorisBecker 3h3 hours ago
@rogerfederer continues writing history!!! #goat @ATPWorldTour


julien benneteau‏
@rogerfederer Dear Master I dare not imagine the number of messages you must receive, but know that you are the most beautiful number 1 that our sport can dream, what you have just accomplished is one more line to your legend and that it is an honor to have been able to play against you...

@djokernole
Incredible achievement. Congratulations to the whole family and team @ivanljubicic

Riccardo Piatti‏Verified account @RPiatti 1h1 hour ago
I’m glad he started coaching my son a long time ago... Bravo @theljubicic and bravo @rogerfederer #proudofyou #happyforyou #backtothetop

Karolina Pliskova‏Verified account @KaPliskova 1h1 hour ago
Congratulations to @rogerfederer who will become the oldest ever world No. 1 on Monday... Age is just a number!

Billie Jean King‏Verified account @BillieJeanKing 3h3 hours ago
Billie Jean King Retweeted US Open Tennis
Age is nothing but a number. Congratulations, @rogerfederer! #championstatus


Michael Russell‏Verified account @MRusselltennis
Age is just a number...@rogerfederer back to #1!
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tennisaddict

tennisaddict

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tennisaddict

tennisaddict

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Paul Annacone‏ @paul_annacone 4h4 hours ago
"His-story" continues ... @rogerfederer congrats another amazing chapter written ...incredible effort Team RF enjoy .....

Elena Vesnina‏Verified account @EVesnina001 4h4 hours ago
Incredible
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Shelby Rogers‏Verified account @Shelby_Rogers_ 4h4 hours ago
Shelby Rogers Retweeted ATP World Tour

Incredible! Can he please just play forever?!
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#GOAT

yves allegro‏ @yvesallegro
#36 #20 #1

Rob Koenig‏ @RobKoenigTennis 3h3 hours ago

That guy is SO LUCKY! Always getting good draws....
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Barbara Rittner‏ @BarbaraRittner
This guy is just amazing... Roger Federer No. 1 again

Darren Cahill‏Verified account @darren_cahill Feb 15
Enjoying my (highly likely) last day as the coach to the oldest ever No.1 on the ATP tour. Bloody Federer! Greedy mongrel
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oh well... it was a hell of a ride & honour @AndreAgassi
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No better man to break your record. Go get it Rog! Amazing 14 months of tennis. Amazing career.
 
Tennease

Tennease

Legend
Roger Federer turns the clock back, becoming the oldest man to reach tennis world number one
UPDATED 35 MINUTES AGO
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PHOTO
Number one again … Roger Federer (R) sealed a return to the top with his quarter-final win at the Rotterdam Open.

REUTERS: MICHAEL KOOREN
They know a thing or two about time in Switzerland — their cuckoo clocks, expensive wristwatches and unerring railway timetables are proof of that.

Yet it is the Alpine nation's favourite son, Roger Federer, who has apparently mastered the art of reversing it.

The Peter Pan of men's tennis took his time machine to Rotterdam this week and on Friday posted a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Dutchman Robin Haase to reach the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open.

Longest gaps at number one

  • Roger Federer - 5 years, 106 days (2012/2018)
  • Andre Agassi - 3 years, 142 days (1996/1999)
  • Jimmy Connors - 3 years, 65 days (1979/1982)
  • Rafael Nadal - 3 years, 45 days (2014/2017)
  • Andre Agassi - 2 years, 228 days (2000/2003)
    (Source: AP)


In doing so he is guaranteed a return to number one in the ATP world rankings for the first time since November 2012.

"What an amazing run its been and a journey it's been for me ... to clinch world number one," Federer said after his win.

"Getting to number one and enjoying it right here at 36, almost 37 years old is an absolute dream come true. I can't believe it."

The 36-year-old father of two sets of twins becomes the oldest man ever to top the standings, replacing American Andre Agassi who was 33 when he last held the top spot in 2003.

Not only that but the gap of five years and 106 days between separate stints at the summit is the longest in ATP history.

He also sets a new record for the longest time between debuting as world number one (in 2004) and his latest stint — a record previously held by Rafael Nadal, the man Federer has knocked off the top of the pile.

Since Federer lost the top spot in 2012, when many predicted his best days were done, Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray have all had lengthy periods on the throne but while the clock ticks ever louder for that battle-ravaged trio, Federer appears to have found a new dimension.

Late form run stuns tennis world
He is producing one of the best late-career runs by any sportsman.

He claimed a record-extending 20th grand slam title by winning the Australian Open for a second successive year last month, becoming the oldest player to triumph in Melbourne since Ken Rosewall in 1972.

Incredibly, since turning 35 — an age still considered beyond the sell-by-date in the high-octane world of top-level tennis — Federer has won three of the last five grand slam titles on offer playing arguably the best tennis of his career.

Those craving eternal youth really should have a look at this man's DNA.

Yet Federer, for all the unique magic that other players can only dream about, offers a far more pragmatic explanation for his ability to make a mockery of the ageing process.

When he was sidelined by a knee injury in 2016, forcing him to skip the French Open and snap a streak of 65 consecutive grand slam appearances, Federer took a career time-out.

Though he played at Wimbledon that year, soldiering on to the semi-finals, he then shut down his season and came up with a formula designed to protect his knee and back and give him the chance to add several golden chapters to his career.

Quality not quantity was the essence of it and in 2017 he returned to play 12 tournaments, winning seven of them, including the Australian Open, a record eighth Wimbledon and Masters 1000 titles at Indian Wells, Miami and Shanghai.

Federer firing on all cylinders - last five majors
  • Australian Open 2017 - WON
  • French Open 2017 - Did not compete
  • Wimbledon 2017 - WON
  • US Open 2017 - Quarter-Finals
  • Australian Open 2018 - WON

"My philosophy is I play when I'm ready. What I did last year and what Rafael (Nadal) is doing also is maybe a bit of a lighter schedule," he said this week in the Dutch port city.

"It shows to others by working or practising a bit more … you become a different or better player.

"I hope I take that fear away a little bit, that sometimes it's OK to take time."

Easy to say for an athlete for whom the clock appears to be slowing down, rather than speeding up as it does for mere mortals as the years pass, but fellow 30 somethings Nadal, Murray and Djokovic will take heart from his words of wisdom.

Reuters / AP
 
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J

JMR

Hall of Fame
tennisaddict said:
In Julien’s defense , he has tweeted in French and that was twitter translator . Perhaps someone who knows French would have to decipher what he meant
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I haven't seen what he said in French, but my guess is that it probably should have been translated as "Maestro" rather than the more native English "Master." Their connotations are quite different in English. One is respectful; the other is servile.
 
J

JackGates

Legend
Rhino said:
Who would have believed this in late 2016?
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Yeah. And it's hard to even say what's more impressive, nr.1 or winning a major.

You can still get hot at an old age and win a major with a good draw, like Pete did. But to be nr.1, you need to dominate for 12 straight months.

3 slams vs 12 months of consistency and domination, hard to pick.
 
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