Roger Federer, often called the best tennis player of all time, currently sits at No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP ranking system. He is behind Rafael Nadal, who is ranked No. 2 and the seemingly unstoppable Novak Djokovic, who is at the moment the undisputed world No. 1. With both Djokovic and Nadal playing fantastic and incredibly consistent tennis, can Roger Federer play his way back to the No. 1 ranking?
Before falling down to No. 3 in the world, Federer had been No. 1 for 285 non-consecutive weeks. That is only one behind the record of 286 weeks held at No. 1 by none other than the legendary Pete Sampras. If Federer can reclaim the top spot again he will surpass the 286 weeks and be in sole ownership of the record of most weeks at No. 1. This would be a miraculous accomplishment.
Federer is eager to return to the top spot, as you can see there is a lot on the line. In many interviews Federer has stated that he feels he is definitely playing well enough to reach the peak. He seems focused and confident, but let’s take a look at his chances.
It will be a huge challenge for him to reclaim the top spot. The ranking system is done by points. Different tournaments award different numbers of points, and depending on how well you do you get more or less points. As of right now, Djokovic holds 13,310 ranking points, Nadal has 10,415 points to his name, and Federer is considerably behind with 8,710 points.
To reclaim the spot Federer will have to gain about 5,000 ranking points. Is this possible? Yes. Federer is on a hot streak. Since the end of last year he has a 33-2 record and is currently on a 10-match, two tournament winning streak.
Federer now has a big chance to gain some major points. This week he is headlining a tournament in Indian Wells, Calif. which awards the winner more than 1,000 points, and next week he will be competing in yet another big tournament in Miami, which offers more than 1,000 points to the winner as well. Playing as he has of late, he stands a good chance to win both of these tournaments, putting him within 3,000 points of Novak Djokovic. Then the clay court season starts just after, which has four tournaments offering 1,000 points each, culminating with the French Open (a 2,000 point tournament). Based on his current streak and level of play, if he continues to play well he will most definitely have chances to overtake the No. 1 ranking.
However, there is also adversity. Federer is 30 years old (usually players of this age have already retired), and he has a wife and two young children on his plate who could sway his focus. He is a little slower than he once was and maybe not quite as sharp.
One would think these factors could cause quite an impact, but they likely will not. Federer has proven time and time again how capable he is of doing the unexpected and far overcoming expectations.
So, is it feasible for Roger Federer to reclaim No.1? I surely think so. With the drive, skill and weapons this man has in his arsenal he is not someone I would feel safe betting against. If his hot streak continues, as it appears it will, and he remains confident, I have no reason to doubt a return trip to the pinnacle of men’s tennis.
After all, he is Roger Federer. And he is the best tennis player of all time.
