Roger Federer, arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, has shattered so many records when he won the Rotterdam title a week ago. At 36, he became the oldest world number one, erasing the record set by Andre Agassi who achieved the feat at 33 years of age. It goes without saying that the Swiss Maestro is now extending his record-setting weeks at the top of the rankings.
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“I think reaching No. 1 is the ultimate achievement in our sport,” said Federer. “This one maybe means the most to me [of any achievement] throughout my career, getting to No. 1 and enjoying it right here at 36, almost 37 years old. [It] is an absolute dream come true, I can’t believe it.”
However, his stay at the top may be short lived after he decided to skip the Dubai Tennis Championships this week. Federer is a 7-time champion in this Middle Eastern city and judging from the draw this week, it would have been an easy road to the final for the Swiss where he could potentially meet young Grigor Dimitrov in a rematch of the Rotterdam final. Gaining additional 500 ranking points would cement his place at the top for a while. In fact if you’re going to be searching for tennis tips on who will win this tournament, you’ll certainly find him in the mix.
Federer has a daunting task ahead of him when he arrives in the US. He’s the defending champion of both the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open. These are elite ATP Masters 1000 tournaments dubbed as the Sunshine Double in the month of March. Last year, Federer defeated compatriot Stan Wawrinka for the title in California and beat rival Rafael Nadal for the trophy in Florida.
Federer will need to perform well if he wants to hold on as the world number one. Rafael Nadal, who’s currently playing this week at the ATP 500 Acapulco Open, can easily retake the top ranking with a strong run in both of these tournaments. Federer is set to defend 2000 ranking points while Nadal has a chance to improve on his combined 690 points earned within this period.
But should we doubt Federer’s capacity at this stage? He’s unbeaten so far this season. He did not lose a set in his first six matches at the Australian Open. His real test was in the final where he defeated Marin Cilic in five sets. By skipping Dubai, he’ll have ample time to rest and prepare for the gruelling month of tennis in American courts.
With top players Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray sidelined due to injury, it’s hard to pick a player against Federer. Nadal will certainly pose a challenge. The Spaniard may easily regain the top ranking but he will have so many points to defend during the claycourt season that he could very well relinquish the honor back to the Swiss rival.
