When Roger Federer began 2017 at No. 17 in the ATP Rankings, his return to World No. 1 seemed like a fairytale. But more than 14 years after he first sat atop the tennis world in 2004, the Swiss is now back at the summit.
Twenty Grand Slam titles! It's an achievement that has long been as unfathomable in men's tennis as it has been improbable. That is, until now. Since his first triumph on the lawns of Wimbledon in 2003, Roger Federer has been proving that anything is possible and the Swiss did just that once again on Sunday at Melbourne Park. Federer celebrated an unprecedented 20th major triumph, claiming the Australian Open title with victory over Marin Cilic. ATPWorldTour.com opens the vault and looks back at the Swiss maestro's 20 Grand Slam victories... (1) 2003 Wimbledon – d. Mark Philippoussis 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) The year was 2003 and the men’s tennis landscape was in flux. Longtime standard bearer Pete Sampras retired the previous...
In his 22nd season on tour, Belarusian Max Mirnyi is still celebrating career milestones. On Tuesday, the 40-year-old ATP World Tour legend became the fourth active player in the Open Era (since April 1968) to record 750 doubles match wins. Mirnyi partnered with Philipp Oswald of Austria to beat Chinese wild cards Mao-Xin Gong and Ze Zhang 7-6(5), 6-1 and advance to the second round of the Shenzhen Open. “I am thrilled that I have come to this stage of my career. It is something that I couldn't have imagined at the beginning of the road,” said Mirnyi, who turned professional in 1996. “Just playing on the ATP World Tour was already a dream come true and I am so...
Everywhere he went, ATP World Tour Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode heard the same thing on Monday at the Winston-Salem Open. “Every player comes up and says, 'What an amazing event. It's so friendly. Loads of practice courts. Good facilities.' So no wonder it won the best 250 award on tour. I can quite see why it won. It's brilliant,” Kermode said. [ALSO LIKE] The Winston-Salem Open, along with the If Stockholm Open, was voted by players as the best ATP World Tour 250 Tournament in 2016. Kermode attended the tournament for the first time on Monday to help officials celebrate the honour. “It's amazing. I arrived and I had no idea what to expect, and then I come...
After his 2016 season, few predicted that Rafael Nadal would be returning to No. 1 on 21 August 2017. The Spanish star had to end his 2016 season early because of a nagging left wrist injury, yet here he is, back at the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Spanish tennis legends, as well as current players from Spain, talked with ATPWorldTour.com about Nadal's ascension to the top. Read more stories in our Rafa Returns To No. 1 tribute... Rafael Nadal: The Humble Champion Coach Roig: 'Rafa Has Been Through A Lot' The Day Nadal Won His First Emirates ATP Rankings Point Manolo Santana “Rafa is a fighter, a warrior, and has always managed to show his best level after...
