Roger Federer Extends ATP Tennis Title-Winning Streak to 12 Straight Years
Roger Federer extended his streak of winning at least one title on the men’s tour to 12 seasons by beating Juan Martin del Potro in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final.
Federer, 30, won 6-1, 6-4 in Rotterdam yesterday to secure his 71st career title from 101 finals and improve his record against Del Potro of Argentina to 9-2.
Switzerland’s Federer, No. 3 in the ATP rankings, has won the past five indoor hard court tournaments he’s entered, a streak of 24 straight victories stretching back to the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals.
“It’s nice to pick up the momentum after the indoor season I had last year,” Federer, who finished 2011 by winning titles in Basel, Paris and London, told reporters. “I really enjoyed myself here and saved my best for last.”
Federer took a 5-0 lead in the first set yesterday before Del Potro, 23, held serve for the first time. The Swiss then served out the 34-minute set and broke 10th-ranked Del Potro again in the fifth game of the second set. He saved all seven break points on his own serve during the match.
Federer was playing in his third tournament of the year. He withdrew from the Qatar Open with a back injury after the quarterfinals, then lost to Rafael Nadal of Spain in the Australian Open semifinals. He represented Switzerland against the U.S. in the Davis Cup first round, losing to John Isner.
Victoria Azarenka, the No. 1-ranked women’s player, lifted her winning run in 2012 to 17 matches by beating Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-1, 6-2 in the Qatar Open final.
Azarenka, a 22-year-old from Belarus, won the Sydney International before breaking through for her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
To contact the reporter on this story: James Cone in London at jcone@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net
Roger Federer
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Roger Federer celebrates his victory over Juan Martin Del Porto in the Final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
Roger Federer celebrates his victory over Juan Martin Del Porto in the Final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Photographer: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Rate this Page
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions.