Monday, 19 February – Roger Federer’s remarkable late-career renaissance
continues to reach new heights with his victory at the ABN AMRO World Tennis
Tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday. He reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking for the
first time since 2012.
The Swiss maestro arrived in the Dutch port city knowing a semi-final appearance
would enable him to wrest top spot from his long-time rival Rafael Nadal, who was
not in action.
Federer duly achieved that, defeating Dutchman Robin Haase 4-6 6-1 6-1 in the
quarter-finals. He then maintained his imperious form, defeating Italian Andreas
Seppi in straight sets in the semi-finals and fellow Rolex Testimonee and World No. 5
Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-2 in the final to clinch his third Rotterdam title.
The triumph came three weeks after he had added a 20th Grand Slam title to
his trophy cabinet – four more than his nearest rival Nadal – by winning a second
consecutive Australian Open, his sixth in all.
It was in Melbourne 12 months earlier that his return to the pinnacle of the men’s
game began. Having ended 2016 ranked 16 in the world, his title triumph at Rod Laver
Arena in 2017, defeating Nadal in an epic five-set match, heralded the start of a stellar
year in which he added a record eighth crown at The Championships, Wimbledon, and
a return to the top 10.
The evergreen 36-year-old continues to rewrite tennis history, his feats marking him
as the greatest player of his generation, and arguably, of all time. He is now set to
extend his record 302 weeks in total as World No.1, including 237 consecutively
between February 2004 and August 2008.
The Swiss great has now surpassed by more than three years Andre Agassi’s
record as the oldest top-ranked men’s player in history. The American achieved that
milestone aged 33 years and 131 days in 2003.
Associated with Rolex since 2001, Federer is indisputably a tennis legend. Since his
maiden Grand Slam tournament victory at Wimbledon in 2003, he has exemplified
sporting greatness. Alongside fellow Rolex Testimonees from other sporting fields
– the late golfing legend Arnold Palmer, skier Jean-Claude Killy and racing driver Sir
Jackie Stewart – he stands with the best of the best.
But his status goes beyond the tennis court he has graced with distinction for two
decades. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to aid underprivileged
children in his mother’s native South Africa and beyond, and he has served as a
Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Together, Federer and the leading Swiss watchmaker have built a partnership based
on deep mutual respect and shared values. He is a sportsman of exceptional calibre,
allied with human qualities that make him the perfect fit with the Rolex name.
Rolex is proud to count Roger Federer among its family of Testimonees and
congratulates him on yet another exceptional feat in regaining the World No. 1 ranking.
