By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday May 19, 2021
Roger Federer will bid for his 21st major title in two weeks at Wimbledon. But this week in Halle, where Federer is a 10-time champion, the Swiss says he doesn’t like that all the focus is on Grand Slam titles these days.
“It seems like it’s only Grand Slam titles that matter these days. And I don’t like that,” he said. “Most of the time, we play ATP tournaments. At the time, I just wanted to beat Pete Sampras’ record. I’ve always said that anything that comes after 15 Grand Slam titles is a bonus. As long as all three of us play, anything is possible. My goals at Wimbledon are clearly quite high.”
No matter which way we slice it, Novak Djokovic is going to take his fair share of arguments, no matter which measuring stick we use. He broke the record for weeks at No.1 earlier this year, and he is also atop the all-time Masters 1000 titles list, tied with Rafael Nadal at 36.
If Djokovic finishes 2021 at No.1 he will break the record for most year-end No.1 finishes—he is currently tied with Pete Sampras at 6.
Even Federer had to admit he was impressed with Djokovic’s amazing performance last week at Roland Garros.
“The way Novak Djokovic came back against Stefanos Tsitsipas was amazing,” he said. “Even in the semi-final against Rafael Nadal, there were incredible rallies.”