Federer returns to the top of the rankings
Roger Federer has returned to the top of the world rankings despite missing the entire clay-court season. Barely a week after Rafa Nadal clinched his 11th French Open title and himself returned to the top of the tree, Federer knocked him off the perch with victory over Milos Raonic in the Mercedes Cup final.
Nadal has had a storming season on the red-dirt, with tournament wins in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and the French Open, however with the grass court season now here, the Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion looks set to extend his record-breaking 310-weeks as the world’s top ranked player.
Much has been said on the ATP circuit about the way Federer manages his schedule these days, although there are few arguments about the benefits he reaps at the ripe old age of 36. With a focus on the Grand Slams (not including the French Open) and Masters events, his schedule enables him to accumulate maximum points where available, keeping him top of the rankings, or at least within a sniff.
Not sure what the issue is for those that have a problem with him cherry picking his events, he still has to beat the best in the tournaments that he participates in!
So happy!
Thank you Stuttgart ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zdL3AcRK99— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 17, 2018
With Wimbledon looming, the 20-time Grand Slam champion, got his build-up off to the perfect start at the Mercedes Cup, his 98th professional title. Next stop is Halle this week, a tournament he uses as his traditional warm-up ahead of SW19, and one that he has triumphed in on nine occasions.
Federer has never made it a secret that Wimbledon is his favourite tournament and grass his surface of choice. Granted it is a short season, barely three weeks not including Wimbledon, however his record is nothing short of spectacular. The Swiss maestro has racked up an incredible 18-titles with an additional 9-finals on grass during his career to date, a record that most players would be proud of on all surfaces during a career!
Federer is primed and focused on adding another Wimbledon title to an already record breaking career and with wins at Halle and SW19, it would be some way of celebrating the 100 career titles landmark.
