Swiss Roger Federer is now the world’s number one tennis player, after topping the world ranking table for the first time since November 2012, becoming the oldest player to make this accomplishment, after winning the title for the Rotterdam Open.
Federer, 36, managed to eliminate Rafael Nadal from the top rankings after his remarkable success over the past 14 months, as he won three major tournaments, bringing his total number of won tournaments to 97.
He also broke the record held by retired American Andre Agassi, who was the top player in the world, ranking at the age of 33. The first time the “Maestro” (Federer) qualified to the top was on 2 February 2004.
Federer now has a 345-point lead over Nadal, who is recovering from a muscle injury and will not be able to follow Federer even if he won the Acapulco Mexico tournament (26 February to 3 March).
The ranking witnessed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov qualifying to fourth place globally, displacing German Alexander Zverev, who now ranks fifth.
On the other hand, South African Kevin Anderson returned to the top 10, ranking ninth, eliminating Spanish Pablo Carreno Busta from the list.
The following are the top players and their points:
- Swiss Roger Federer, 10,105
- Spanish Rafael Nadal, 9,760
- Croatian Marin Cilic, 4,960
- Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, 4,635
- German Alexander Zverev, 4,450
- Austrian Dominic Thiem, 4,220
- Belgian David Goffin, 3,280
- American Jack Sock, 2,880
- South African Kevin Anderson, 2,825
- Argentinean Juan Martin del Potro, 2,815
