Roger Federer dreams of becoming World Number 1 again

What's the story?

After a 5-year long infuriating spell of remaining so close to the top berth yet so far, World Number 2 Roger Federer has finally allowed himself to dream of reclaiming the Number 1 ranking which belonged to him for a glorious 302 weeks of his spectacular career.

The ABN AMRO Tournament which is being held at Rotterdam is the ticket for the 36-year-old Swiss to become the oldest man in tennis history to dominate the highest pedestal in ATP rankings.

In case you didn't know…

Roger Federer holds the unique record for being the only man to spend 237 consecutive weeks at World Number 1 and 302 weeks overall. If he manages to topple arch-nemesis and 16-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal from the top spot, Federer will write history again.

His decision to play in Rotterdam, an event where he has been a champion in 2005 and 2013 came quite suddenly. Riding on the unexpected success of his surreal 20th Grand Slam win at the Australian Open, Federer is making the best of the moment and hoping to extend his dream run.

The heart of the matter

However, the Swiss maestro knows that the road to the very summit is not the easiest but he is determined to reclaim the top spot. To do that, Federer would have to reach the semis of the Rotterdam Open and en route, sign up for a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with childhood friend and fierce compatriot, Stan Wawrinka who is making a comeback after a knee surgery in July.

Prior to the event, Federer said at a press conference, “I am hoping to get to number one and hoping to do it this week. You always want to do it the tough way, it's not easy to get there.”

"The achievement would be quite incredible," he added.

The 20-time Grand Slam Champion understands that climbing back to the top of the ATP Rankings is no cakewalk especially at a baffling age of 36. However, he hopes to see his dream converting to reality and will begin his ascent to the top on Wednesday against the Belgian Ruben Bemelmans.

What's next?

Shortly after winning the Australian Open unexpectedly in January, an emotionally-overcome Federer hinted at playing in the upcoming Dubai Open too. Since he is playing so much of the hard court season, it is again likely that he will give the clay court season a miss to preserve his finesse and form.

Author's take

The earnest Federer fan in each of us impatiently flutters around for the day this 36-year-old legend will take it into his own hands to rewrite history and become the oldest World Number 1!

When it comes to Federer we never know what to expect for he is always out there breaking conventions. Considering how impressive his form is, what with a near-perfect performance in the Australian Open, we can see Federer hovering incredulously close to the elusive dream of returning as the No. 1 after 5 long years and we cannot wait for the history to unfurl its wings.