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| February 19, 2007 | Monday | Safar 1, 1428 |
Federer equals Connors' record as number one
PARIS, Feb 18: Roger Federer will on Monday draw level with Jimmy Connors' record of 160 consecutive weeks as the world's number one tennis player.
The 10-time Grand Slam winner's reign at the top of the ATP rankings began on February 4, 2004 and such is his domination he's assured of staying out in front for months to come to smash Connors' benchmark set between 1974 and 1977.
And in the very probable event that he continues to outsmart his rivals Federer, who competes in his second tournament of the season in Dubai next week, will have another target in his sights - namely the total number of weeks as the top player on the circuit.
He has four tennis greats ahead of him - one within easy reach, John McEnroe (170), then Connors (268), Ivan Lendl (270) and Pete Sampras (286).
There are other targets to aim at too - namely the first player to win 15 Grand Slams, and the first to win four Grand Slams in a season, the French Open being the only one that has escaped his grasp.
The 25-year-old Swiss winning machine said after his success in the Australian Open in January:
In the time that he's occupied the summit he's won 36 of his 50 touraments, with nine Grand Slams out of 13 attempts.
Since 2004 his record stands at 254 victories with 15 defeats - a 94.4 percent success rate.—AFP
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