Feliciano Lopez Leaves Roger Federer Behind in an Elite Record at Australian Open 2021

Roger Federer made his Grand Slam debut in 1999. And now, in 2021, he has most of the Grand Slam records to his name. But one long-term record that Federer has missed is consecutive Grand Slam appearances. Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez now has a platinum jubilee of consecutive Grand Slam appearance at Australian Open 2021.

At Australian Open 2021, Feliciano Lopez made his 75th consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearance. Lopez made his Grand Slam debut in 2001. But Lopez’s consecutive record started from the French Open 2002 and now is ongoing at the Australian Open 2021. So he last missed a Grand Slam at the 2002 Australian Open.

Lopez’s 75th consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearance was a good one. He finally ended his first-round hoodoo at the Australian Open in 2021. Lopez reached the second round appearance of Australian Open for the first time since 2016. He defeated Australian wildcard Li Tu in four sets.

When and where did Roger Federer end his streak?

Roger Federer once held the consecutive record. At 2015 Wimbledon, Federer made his 63rd consecutive Grand Slam appearance, breaking Andreas Seppi’s record. At that time, Federer hadn’t missed a Grand Slam since 1999. He stretched the record to 65 till the 2016 Australian Open, but his streak ended when he skipped the 2016 French Open due to injury.

But now Federer stands third in this record. Another Spanish player Fernando Verdasco is second with 67 consecutive Grand Slam appearances. Verdasco’s streak ended when he didn’t participate at the US Open 2020.

Feliciano Lopez broke Federer’s record at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. And Verdasco surpassed Federer at the 2019 US Open.

Even though Federer’s record was broken a few years ago, he is still going strong on the ATP tour. Despite a few injury hiccups, Federer still aims to do well. He will turn 40 this year, but he is optimistic. In his last Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open 2020, he made a semifinal appearance. He couldn’t take part in the 2021 Australian Open as he is recovering from his surgery.

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