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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
After pulling out of the remaining season in February, Roger Federer is expected to return for the next year’s Australian Open. Having undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Federer is presently in the recovery phase. However, in his absence, arch-rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been breaking the Swiss maestro’s records.
Having equaled Federer’s record of winning 20 Grand Slam titles, Nadal is most likely to move past his adversary next season. On the other hand, Djokovic secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for the sixth time in his career to move past Nadal and Federer, who have ended the season as No. 1 five-times in their careers.
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Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Rafael Nadal on the court before the final REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Notably, the Serbian is a looming threat to Federer’s astonishing record of 310 weeks spent at the No. 1 ranking. Djokovic is closing in and will topple Federer if he stays No. 1 until March next year.
Can Roger Federer break another record?
There’s one record that Federer could aim for, and that is breaking Jimmy Connors’ all-time mark of 109 ATP titles. Currently, a holder of 104 ATP titles, Federer would require seven more titles to break the historic feat. This is perhaps the only record that Nadal and Djokovic might not reach considering they are on 84 and 77 ATP titles, respectively.
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Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts during a practice session during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on in London, England. Picture Credit: Getty Images
During an interview, tennis analyst Catherine Whitaker talked about the ultimate record which Federer could achieve. Whitaker suggested that there’s a slight possibility that the former World No. 1 might take part in lower-tier events in pursuit of Connors’ record. However, with Federer turning 40 next year, adding seven titles to his tally would be a tough task.
“The only really significant record that Federer can go for that the other two are very unlikely to get … is the all-time titles currently held by Jimmy Connors… Could you imagine if we see him entering a behind-closed-doors Sofia this time next year. If he thinks ‘right, my exit strategy is …just forget it, I’ll just go for that 110 titles’, Sofia here I come,” said Whitaker.
With the ATP World Tour Finals beginning next week, Djokovic has a chance to equal Federer’s record of winning six titles at the ATP Nitto Finals, if the Serbian lifts the season-ending championships.
