Roger Federer equals Ivan Lendl with 94th career title after defeating Rafael Nadal in Shanghai Masters

Tennis legend Roger Federer drew level with former Czechoslovakian player Ivan Lendl, with regards to the number of career titles won, with both having notched up 94 titles each, to their name. Federer notched up his 94th career title after notching up a straight sets win over long-time rival Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer, who already has the highest number of men’s singles Grand slam titles at 19, took a step closer to rewriting another record, with his victory in Shanghai, on Sunday.

In case you didn’t know

Federer played brilliantly to notch up a straight sets victory over Nadal, winning 6-4, 6-3 in the summit clash of the Shanghai Masters. Nadal, who has been Federer’s main title rival over the years, has a better record against the Swiss legend. Federer has won 14 matches against Nadal, while the Spaniard has won 23 times.

However, this statistic is somewhat skewed, as many of these matches have been played on clay court, a surface on which Nadal has been far more superior than any others, over the years.

Heart of the matter

Federer climbed to the number two spot on the list of most number of men’s singles titles won in the open era of tennis. He is currently tied at the second spot, along with Lendl on the list, which is currently lead by USA tennis player Jimmy Connors, with 109 titles.

Federer and Lendl are followed by the legendary American John McEnroe, who is long behind them. However it doesn’t seem line anyone will catch up with Federer any time soon, as Nadal is the nearest active player on that list, with 75 titles.

This, however, is not the only record that Federer achieved today. This was his 27th Masters 1000 title, 350th Masters 1000 win and 700th hardcourt win. He has also maintained a 10-1 record against the top 10 ranked players in 2017.

Roger Federer records his:- 94th career title- 27th M1000 title- 350th M1000 win- 700th Hardcourt win- 10-1 vs top 10 in 2017

— Steph Trudel (@TrudelSteph) October 15, 2017

What’s next?

With all four of the Grand Slams already over, the players are all but looking to end their season with a few more victories under their belt. However, all eyes will be on the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month, to see which payer ends the season on a high.

Author’s take:

While Federer has reached the number two spot on the list of most titles won in the Open era, it seems unlikely that he will go on to take the numero uno spot, as Jimmy Connors is still 15 titles ahead of the Swiss maestro. While Federer does seem to be on top form at the moment, he is 36-years-old now, and his advancing age could bring in a downturn in form in the seasons to come.

From our side, however, we sincerely hope that he keeps playing the maestro that he is, for years to come.