Rod Laver backs Roger Federer to break Jimmy Connors' record
Battling on the tennis courts all over the world for the last two decades, everything that Roger Federer touches seems to turn to gold recently, standing at the top of the ATP Race at the age of 37 after the first three months of the new season! The 20-time Grand Slam champion failed to defend the Australian Open title in January, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in four tight sets before heading to Dubai after a suitable rest. As we all know, Roger went all the way in the desert to claim that elusive 100th ATP crown, becoming only the second Open era player to achieve that after Jimmy Connors.
Joining the great American on the "Centurion" list, Roger is determined to win as many titles as possible by the end of a career, thinking not about the ranking but rather about trophies as he has been melting the deficit down in the last couple of years. Standing on 88 ATP titles at the beginning of 2017 after missing the second part of the previous season due to a knee injury, Roger kicked off another strong run, claiming seven crowns that year and adding four in 2018 to come on the verge of elusive 100. No one had doubt Federer would claim that 100th title at some point and the main question now is if he can reach Connors' record, needing seven titles to match the American and eight to pass him and secure one of the most significant Open era records.
Roger will compete on clay for the first time since 2016, entering Madrid and Roland Garros but not giving himself a lot of chances to conquer any of those, setting eyes on Stuttgart-Halle-Wimbledon swing on his beloved grass, trying to reduce the deficit to Connors and stand with a realistic chance of passing him in 2020. Roger has already been confirmed for Dubai 2020, also saying he would love to play in Miami again and defend the title, not even thinking about the retirement date and enjoying every minute on the court. Another tennis legend and a huge admirer of Federer's game, Rod Laver, is entirely sure Roger will pass Connors and stand alone on that colossal record, exciting to see Roger in action on clay and grass in the next couple of months.
"Can Roger Federer beat Jimmy Connors' career titles record? Absolutely! He is closing in - Miami victory is a real incentive. Great for tennis fans around the world, I can't wait for the fabulous tennis we're going to see in the upcoming clay-court and grass-court seasons."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2I73LS0
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