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ROGER FEDERER

Federer ties Sampras at 64 titles in Stockholm

Roger Federer won his 64th career title on Sunday, levelling with Pete Sampras in the title Pantheon after defeating Germany's Florian Mayer at the Stockholm Open.

Federer ties Sampras at 64 titles in Stockholm

The 6-4, 6-3 victory in 63 minutes was particularly pleasing for the Swiss world number two, who now has a few days off before tackling the outside duties

which come with his position as top seed from November 1st on home turf at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

“It feels great winning any event, but it’s especially nice to do it where I’ve never had a chance before,” said Federer, whose only other Stockholm visit was a decade ago.

“There is such a great tennis heritage here with all the greats. I knew I’d have a chance here, this was a good week for me. I’m happy to have played well,” he added.

There is little time for reflection for Federer, 52-12 this season, who bounced back with style from his Shanghai finals loss one week earlier against Britain’s Andy Murray.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion faces yet another uphill climb as he takes aim at the next step on the title ladder, the 77 trophies of John McEnroe.

American Jimmy Connors with 109 heads the all-time list, with Ivan Lendl second at 94 and McEnroe third.

“You want to savour every victory – you never know which one will be the last. Things move really fast. This was only a 250 event, but the victory is very special. This is maybe one tournament to remember more than some others,” said Federer.

Federer’s trophy was his third this year after the Australian Open and Cincinnati prior to the US Open. He stands 3-4 in his 2010 finals out of 15 events played.

However, the Stockholm success a decade after he last played the event will stand the 29-year-old in good stead for the last three tournaments of his season after he vowed to try and add to his victory total in the run-up to the eight-man World Tour Finals in London from November 21st.

“I came up with some good tennis. I was down a break had to scramble and battle back, but I found a way. Once I get the lead, it’s difficult for my opponents. When my game is on, I can really play well,” said Federer.

“This was a really good week. I’m happy how I pulled up after back-to-back weeks. And I’m happy with how I’m playing. Mayer played nothing-to-lose and hence offensive, tennis. But playing good opponents makes you play better also. I felt I gained the intensity and was able to keep it up,” he added.

Federer’s dominating win in front of Swedish royalty marked his 36th consecutive victory against Germans since losing to Nicolas Kiefer in 2002. He wrapped up the opening set in 34 minutes, then went to work to secure the victory.

A break in the sixth game of the second for 4-2 was enough, with Federer putting a forehand long on the first of three match points, but completing the win on his second opportunity with a service winner.

“Roger really deserved to win. I hope you get back to number one as soon as possible,” said the 47th-ranked Mayer, without a title from three career finals.

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ROGER FEDERER

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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