4 Roger Federer records that are tough to break for Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are two of the greatest players to have played the game of tennis. While Federer leads the Grand Slam tally with 20, Djokovic is fast closing the gap with his 17 titles, his last being the Australian Open in January. Their on-court rivalry is also one of the greatest in the sport. They have played against each other 50 times, with Djokovic leading 27-23. Federer dominated during their early matches, but Djokovic took over the lead in the head-to-head in 2016, thanks to a 21–10 record since 2011. A notable aspect is their ability to beat each other on any given day, including Grand Slam play, making it one of the most competitive and evenly matched rivalries in the Open Era. To date, Federer is the only man to have beaten Djokovic in all four majors, and likewise Djokovic is the only man to have beaten Federer in Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York.

Djokovic, being younger than Federer has a great chance to break several of Federer’s records (most notably his tally of 20 Grand Slams). Despite this, Federer holds a few records that even Djokovic will find extremely tough to match. Here are 4 of his records that probably won’t be broken by the Serbian.

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#4 Winning two titles without dropping serve

Federer with the Cincinati title

Federer’s serve is widely regarded as one of the best out there. The way he mixes his serves is unparalleled. Always preferring accuracy over speed, he hits the spots on the tennis court like no other player. This is the reason why it is so difficult to break his serve and why he is the only person to win not one but two titles without having his serve broken (Cincinnati 2012, 2015). Djokovic’s serve isn’t bad, but it is just not on the same level as Federer’s.

#3 65 consecutive grass-court wins

Federer at his favourite playing ground - the Wimbledon

Just as Rafael Nadal is regarded as the best clay-court player of all time, Federer is regarded as the best grass-court player of all time. His 8 Wimbledon titles are a testament to that. His performances on grass have no better proof than the fact that he has won 65 consecutive matches on a grass court from 2003 all the way to 2008. Though Djokovic is no slouch on grass, having won 5 Wimbledon titles, he cannot match Federer’s level of finesse.

#2 24 consecutive finals won

Federer in his early days on the tour

Federer at his peak was absolutely brutal when it came to the important matches of a tournament, playing at a level never seen before. He went on a roll in tournament finals, winning 24 consecutive clashes he contested in from 2003 to 2005.

#1 237 consecutive weeks as world number 1

Federer being felicitated by the ATP

Becoming the world’s best tennis player is every tennis player's dream, but few are able to reach the summit of the rankings. But once you reach there, staying put is the real challenge. It’s easy to reach the top, but difficult to remain there. Federer first became the world number 1 in 2004, and remained so for a record 237 consecutive weeks, before he was dethroned by Nadal in 2008, after he won his first Wimbledon title defeating Federer. That’s more than four and a half years of being the best tennis player in the world! Djokovic might catch up with Federer’s total tally of 310 weeks as the world number 1, but he most likely won’t be able to match this Federer record of 237 consecutive weeks at the peak.

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Also see | 4 Novak Djokovic Grand Slam records that will be tough to break in the future