Roger Federer’s stunning tennis record continues - Rafael Nadal not far behind
ROGER FEDERER has become the first player to spend 850 weeks in the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
Roger Federer says he has 'no plans' for retirement
Roger Federer, 36, has spent 850 weeks in the top 10 of the rankings and is the first male player to do so.
Federer has spent 310 of those weeks at No 1, and is also the only player to manage a top 20 finish for 18 consecutive years.
Federer has only dropped out of the top ten once since he first entered in October 2002.
That absence was down to his knee injury in 2016, before he returned in style to win the 2017 Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal is Federer’s closest active rival in terms of the most weeks in the top 10 - the Spaniard’s tally coming in at 720.
Federer, the current the world No 6, has hit back at retirement claims by telling fans that he “doesn’t even think about it”.
He said: "I hope that once again this will be the beginning of a great season for me, just like the last two years which have been damn good for me.
“Then we'll see if there will be a 2020 season or not. But for now, I honestly do not think about retirement.”
Despite Federer having won a record 20 Grand Slam titles in the illustrious career, Pete Sampras has revealed one record that he thinks neither Federer, Nadal or Novak Djokovic will never beat.
Sampras has claimed that Rod Laver’s Grand Slam clean-sweeps that the American achieved in both 1962 and 1969 will not be equalled.
“[Rod Laver] is the most humble champion I’ve ever been around,” Sampras told Tennis 365.
“His records are never going to be touched. Those two [calendar] Grand Slams will never happen.”
Novak Djokovic says Roger Federer's record is 'still far' away
Federer has come close to achieving the unlikely feat on three separate occasions - winning three Slams in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Rod Laver himself has spoken out on Federer’s future by saying: ”I think Federer has maybe got another Wimbledon in him, but he is battling a little bit.
"His age and strokes are not quite the same as they were two years ago.”