Federer continues dominance with 300 career weeks as No. 1

The Swiss tennis maestro has done it again, reaching yet another milestone. Roger Federer counted his 300th week as the world No. 1 player.

Federer took the record from the retired American legend, Pete Sampras, who had 286 weeks atop the rankings.

Federer’s first appearances in the ATP tour was at the age of 17, when he presented an elegant all-court game. Federer lifted his first grand slam trophy in 2003 at Wimbledon, which marked the start of his monumental achievements.

The following year, Federer gained the No. 1 position for the first time at the age of 22, in Feb. 2004, and held on to it for 237 weeks. Since then, only two players have been able to challenge his position. Spaniard Rafael Nadal took over in August 2008 for a 102-week streak. A year later, Federer reclaimed his title and kept it until 2010 when Novak Djokovic tested Federer and pushed him to the No. 3 position. This summer, Federer won his 17th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, and retrieved his No. 1 position at the age of 31. With this, he matched Sampras’ record of 286 weeks and contines to smash it by holding the No. 1 position for now 300 weeks.

“I never thought of something like this when I was a little kid, that’s for sure,” Federer told reporters in Shanghai after securing the No. 1 spot for another week. “I was just hoping one day my dream was going to come true to play on the regular tour, play Wimbledon, maybe become world No. 1 at some stage. So here I am at 300 weeks. It’s pretty incredible. Probably one of my biggest accomplishments. I’m very proud of that record, no doubt about it.”

Not once in his 14-year career has Federer the middle of a match, and has only withdrawn from tournaments twice. According to the ATP, while atop of the rankings Federer has had victory in 88.9 percent of his matches; while not No. 1 he obtained a 76 percent winning record. In comparison, Nadal lifted 11 trophies winning 86 percent of his matches and Djokovic earned two trophies with an 82 percent win rate while No. 1.

There are a few facts that can help put in perspective the amount of weeks Federer has been No. 1 in the world:
Federer’s 300 weeks at No. 1 are more than every other active men’s player combined (235).

His 300 weeks mean he has been atop of the rankings for almost six years.

Federer became No. 1 on Feb. 2, 2004, the same year that Facebook launched.

Federer took the No. 1 ranking from American tennis player Andy Roddick.

Every Star Wars movie has been in theaters for a combined 233 weeks.

For over a decade Federer has achieved record-breaking success. It is hard to imagine the tennis world without him. His career has been all about colossal achievements and has set the bar high for future players.