Roger Federer and Wimbledon are synonymous with one another and with good reason. He took over the mantle of the best grass player from Pete Sampras in 2003, when he won his first Grand Slam title aged just 21 at the All England Club. The Swiss would then go on to not only become the best player in the world but also set amazing new records at Wimbledon.
One of Roger’s finest achievements and records is the most number of titles at Wimbledon. That particular record is under threat from Novak Djokovic who could very well equal the Swiss’ 8 championships in a few weeks’ time. However, Roger boasts of another astonishing record at London’s Grand Slam that will take some doing to beat, even for the Serbian.
Long road for Djokovic to equal this Roger Federer Wimbledon record
Federer took to the grass courts of Wimbledon like duck to water. Following his maiden Grand Slam in 2003, the Swiss star went on to win the title for the next four years as well, making it five consecutive grass Majors. Over the course of the rest of his career, Federer amassed a total of eight titles. While that is impressive in itself, another mind-boggling stat is the number of match wins he’s had at the Slam.
With 105 wins in total, Federer is comfortably well ahead of the pack. To put that into context, Jimmy Connors has 84, Boris Becker has 71 while Pistol Pete has 63 match wins at the Major. And the man who is about to embark on a mission to equal Federer’s 8 titles, Novak Djokovic, has 86 match wins in total. That puts him 19 wins behind the 20-time Grand Slam champion!
Even if the Serb, who is an overwhelming favorite at this year’s Wimbledon, were to win another title, it would still take his tally to just 93. In order to surpass Roger, Novak would have to win two more titles, assuming he wins it this year. Three more titles in London would require 21 wins, which will take his tally to 107.
That may just be beyond the Serbian’s reach but he has enough records already to his name to fret about it too much. And he might just achieve the best record of them all by August.
Age is just a number for Djokovic
At 36, Nole is defying his age to continue to rule men’s tennis. Having captured the Australian Open and the French Open earlier this year, he is a heavy favorite to capture Wimbledon too. If he does go on to capture the title in London, he will not only equal Roger’s tally but also become the oldest champion at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. He currently shares that particular record with Roger Federer.
Unless there is an unforeseen hiccup in the offing for the Serb, it looks like he will be lifting his third Grand Slam of the year soon. Nick Kyrgios, the biggest threat for Nole, had to deal with an injury that left him on the sidelines until recently. The Australian made his debut for the season just a couple of weeks back at the Stuttgart Open, losing in the very first round.
If things go to plan for Nole in the coming few weeks, the World No. 1 will be vying for a Calendar Slam once again come August in New York. And this time around, his experience of the previous failure to do so may very well give him that edge.
