On 2 February 2004, Roger Federer rose to world No. 1. He then held the top spot for 237 straight weeks. No player, man or woman, had ever led for so long without a break, and the record still stands.
Clinched before the final began
The ranking was settled before the trophy. Federer, seeded second, beat former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in the Australian Open semi-finals. The win meant he would pass Andy Roddick on Monday, whatever the final brought.
A straight-sets final in Melbourne
In the final he met Marat Safin. The Russian ranked only 86th after an injury-hit 2003, yet he had beaten Andre Agassi and Roddick to reach it. Safin broke early, but Federer broke back twice for a 4-2 lead.
Safin saved two set points and forced a tie-break. Federer raced to 4-0 in it and took the set. He pulled away to win 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours and 15 minutes, sealing his first title in Melbourne and his second major overall.
Records that still stand
Federer began the streak fresh from a seven-title 2003 season, holding two Grand Slams and one Masters 1000 title. By the end he owned 12 majors and 14 Masters crowns. He went 430–56 while at No. 1, and the next-longest reign, Jimmy Connors’s 160 weeks, sits far behind.
“I’m happy to have had a great start now to the season, and to finally be No. 1,” Federer told reporters afterwards. “And it does make me feel really strange.”
The reign ended on 18 August 2008, when Rafael Nadal took over at the top. It had lasted four and a half years. For that whole time, the summit of the men’s game had belonged to one man alone.
