Roger Federer: 287 weeks on top

On Monday Roger Federer surpassed Pete Sampras to set a new record for the most weeks on top of the ATP rankings.

After claiming his seventh Wimbledon title a week ago, Federer returned to the top for the first time since June 2010.

All-in-all, the Swiss star has been the best tennis player for 287 weeks, one more than Sampras, whose record looked almost unreachable ten years ago.
Federer will enter the London Olympics next week as the world's top-ranked player, which means he could prolong his reign at least until the beginning of August.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion says he's “extremely proud and honored to have beaten Pete's record as he was my childhood hero and I have always looked up to him.”
While AP quotes Sampras as saying that “the hardest thing to do in sports is the ability to stay on top. Roger has been able to do so by great play and durability.”

Another former tennis king, Russia’s Marat Safin also believes the Swiss player’s achievement is well-deserved. “Roger has long been the best player in all aspects of play. He beat the likes of Sampras and [Andre] Agassi. His play is just excellent,” Safin told the Sovsport paper.