Roger Federer holds a traditional Arab khanjar before his opening round match in Dubai. Photo / Reuters
LONDON - Roger Federer set a new record for men's tennis dominance today, when he celebrated his 161st consecutive week as world tennis No 1.
The Swiss eclipsed Jimmy Connors' 30-year-old milestone after extending a streak that began on February 2 2004.
"I've been looking forward to this
day to come and I'm very excited. That is definitely one of the biggest records I've broken so far in my career," Federer said in Dubai.
American Connors enjoyed 160 weeks as the world's top-ranked player between July 1974 and August 1977.
The Swiss master is guaranteed to leave that benchmark far behind as his closest rival, Spain's Rafael Nadal, trails the 25-year-old by 3415 points in the ATP entry system.
When the ATP updated the rankings they showed Federer atop with 8120 points and Nadal on 4705.
The rest lag far behind with American Andy Roddick in third place on 2830.
"I am profoundly proud of not only being able to compete with my opponents today, but also with history," Federer said.
"One hundred and sixty one weeks is a long time and being able to lead this statistic from now on is a terrific feeling. As you can imagine it has taken a lot to come this far."
Such is Federer's dominance in the sport, the Swiss made sure he would overtake Connors by winning the season-ending Masters Cup in November.
The only tournament he has played since was last month's Australian Open, where he became the first man in 27 years to win a grand slam title without dropping a set.
"I guess I'm the best tennis player in the world. If I were another player, I would be amazed a little bit to see always the same guy winning," Federer said in Melbourne.
Federer's triumph at Melbourne Park gave him a 10th grand slam title. He returns to action in Dubai this week.
- REUTERS
