Roger Federer is within reach of the No. 1 ATP Ranking for the first time in over five years after successfully defending his Australian Open title at Melbourne Park on Monday. But he needs to act fast! Federer, who last held the top spot on 4 October 2012, moved to within 155 points of Rafael Nadal after claiming his 20th Grand Slam title and could dethrone Nadal as World No. 1 in early March when the ATP World Tour 500 events in Dubai and Acapulco conclude. On 5 March, Nadal will drop the 300 points he earned last year by reaching the Acapulco final (l. Querrey). Federer, who suffered a shock second-round loss to Evgeny Donksoy in the Dubai second...
Roger Federer struck early and struck often to win an unprecedented 20th Grand Slam tournament title at Melbourne Park on Sunday night. Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in a captivating final that was completely dominated by short rallies. The serve and return took centre stage over bruising baseline exchanges to deliver the Swiss maestro his sixth Australian Open crown. The line in the sand in the final was clearly the fourth shot landing in the court. Two shots for the server, two for the returner, and then daylight. Rally Length • 0-4 Shots = 76% (212) • 5-8 Shots = 19% (52) • 9+ Shots = 5% (16) More than three out of every four points...
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...
Roger Federer added another chapter to his phenomenal career on Sunday when the Swiss superstar captured his 20th Grand Slam championship crown to retain his Australian Open title with a thrilling 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic in the night-time final. Twelve months on from beating Rafael Nadal in a pulsating five-set final, the 36-year-old once again drew upon his great skill and ingenuity to build upon his legacy as the greatest player in tennis history by winning a record-equalling sixth Australian Open crown (with Roy Emerson and Novak Djokovic), coming through a draw that respected observers thought would be problematic. "I'm so happy, it's unbelievable,” said an emotional Federer, with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup trophy...
Roger Federer beat Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win his sixth Australian Open and 20th overall Grand Slam title after three hours and three minutes on Sunday night. In a match of multiple momentum shifts, Federer joined Australia's Roy Emerson and Novak Djokovic of Serbia as a six-time champion in the 50th Open Era edition of the Australian Open. Federer has become just the third man, after Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver, in the Open Era to win four or more Grand Slam titles after becoming a 30-year-old and now moves just 155 points behind World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the ATP Rankings. Federer improved to 9-1 lifetime against Cilic in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series,...
