3 milestones Roger Federer could achieve in 2020

Modified Nov 30, 2019 10:30 GMT

#2 Most singles match wins

Jimmy Connors holds the record for most singles match wins in the Open Era

American Jimmy Connors holds the record for most singles wins by any player in the Open Era.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion won the last of his 1274 match wins on tour when he beat Martin Sinner in the last 16 in Basel in 1995, before losing to Marc Rosset in the quarterfinals.

In 2019, Roger Federer became the only player after Connors to achieve 1200 singles match wins, when the Swiss maestro beat Kevin Anderson in the Miami quarterfinals en route to winning his 28th Masters 1000 title. Federer closed the season with a 1237-270 win-loss record, following a semifinal defeat to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas at the season-ending ATP Finals in London.

Federer has been averaging 52 wins a season for the last three seasons, going 54-5 in 2017, 50-10 in 2018, and 53-10 in 2019. If the same trend were to continue in 2020, Federer, who is 37 short of Connors' mark, would claim the record outright some time around Wimbledon or the north American hardcourt swing. The Swiss had his 38th match win of 2019 in the semifinals of the grasscourt major.

Of course, the presumption here is that the Swiss won't suffer any drastic drop in form or major injuries next year.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

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