Roger Federer given special prize after beating Robin Haase to usurp Rafael Nadal as No 1
ROGER FEDERER was given a special prize after beating Robin Haase to replace Rafael Nadal as world No 1.
Federer defeats Haase to become world number one
Federer replaced Nadal as world No 1 with a 3-6 6-1 6-1 victory over Haase at Rotterdam.
The result means the 36-year-old returns to the summit of the ATP Tour for the first time since 2012, where Novak Djokovic stole it from him.
Roger Federer also becomes the world's oldest No1, taking that honour from American Andre Agassi.
And the Swiss maestro was given a special prize after the match, where he opened up on his battle to reclaim top spot.
And Agassi tweeted: "36 years 195 days...
"@RogerFederer continues to raise the bar in our sport.
"Congratulations on yet another remarkable achievement!!"
There is a huge 14 years and 17 days between the day Federer first became No 1.
Speaking before the match, he insisted he was unfazed by the prospect of regaining his old rank.
But his reaction and delight suggests that was just a rouse.
Despite his achievement, however, tennis writer Nima Naderi expects Nadal to win the French Open.
“I think you’ve got to play the same schedule as last year,” Naderi said.
“Why fix something that isn’t broken? Don’t play the clay season, you’re not going to win the French.
“I know people are going to hit me up on Twitter like ‘what are you talking about?’. But he’s not going to win the French Open.
“He’s not going to beat Dominic Thiem, he’s not going to beat Nadal on clay. That’s it.”