Reigning Australian Open champion Roger Federer rewrote the history books in Rotterdam on Friday, becoming the oldest World No. 1 in tennis history.
20-time Grand Slam champion Federer came back from behind to defeat home hope Robin Haase 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to climb above arch-rival Rafael Nadal and reclaim the top spot in the ATP rankings.
Federer survived a major scare before overcoming the stiff challenge of Haase as he looked extremely frustrated at the end of the opening set, which he lost 6-4 after losing his serve in the 9th game.
However, the Swiss maestro quickly regained his touch and within a blink of an eye the Federer Express was in full flight and on a roll. He hardly broke a sweat to completely annihilate his rival in the second set, which lasted only 19 minutes. The 36-year-old from Basel hammered winners at will to level the match at a set apiece.
The third set was quite identical to the previous one as Federer cruised to a 4-0 lead in no time whatsoever. With Roger on the charge, Haase broke down rather quickly as he was unable to find answers to Federer’s aggressive play. Federer didn’t show any sympathy to his challenger in the last two sets of the contest, putting Haase to the sword to eventually advance to the semifinals of the tournament in the Netherlands.
What an amazing run it’s been and a journey it has been for me,” Federer said in his on-court interview. “To clinch No. 1 now this following Monday here in Rotterdam, it really means a lot to me.”
“Reaching No. 1 is one, if not the ultimate achievement in our sport,” Federer said. “When you are older, you feel like you have to put double the work in, so this one maybe means the most to me throughout my career, and doing it right here, at 36, and almost 37 years old, is an absolute dream come true. I can’t believe it.”
Federer last held the top ranking on Nov. 4, 2012. He will now replace Andre Agassi as the oldest No. 1 player in the sport. The American superstar became No. 1 at 33 back in 2003. Federer has held the No. 1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks and a record 302 weeks in total.
