It was an 'absolutely amazing' week: Roger Federer

After celebrating his return to the top of the ATP rankings by clinching the Rotterdam Open, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has insisted that it was an 'absolutely amazing' week for him

Roger Federer. Pic/AFP

After celebrating his return to the top of the ATP rankings by clinching the Rotterdam Open, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has insisted that it was an 'absolutely amazing' week for him. Yesterday, Federer, the oldest man to clinch the world number one spot in tennis, eased past Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 to clinch his 97th title at the Rotterdam Open.

Speaking after his win, Federer revealed that though his goal was to make it to the semi-finals as he wanted to become the oldest man to seal a numero-uno spot, he somehow managed to lift the title. 'Thank you very very much. What a week it's been, absolutely amazing. The goal was to make it to the semis but I won the tournament so I am very happy. I would like to thank everybody who has been part of this tournament over the years. Getting the players back and making them feel incredibly welcome,' the Daily Express quoted Federer, as saying.

Meanwhile, the Swiss star also hailed Dimitrov after a tough week in the Netherlands, adding that he is looking forward to face him ahead in the season. 'Of course I would also like to congratulate Grigor after a tough week. I hope you feel better tomorrow or tonight already. All the best for the season, keep it up and I'm sure I'll see you around soon,' he said.

By becoming the oldest number one male player by defeating Dutch opponent Robin Haase in quarter-finals, the 36-year-old had surpassed eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi, who previously held the record at 33 years since September 2003.

Federer first became world number one in February 2004 and had not topped the rankings since October 2012. He, in fact, slipped to a low of 17th in January 2017. Federer will officially dethrone his old rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings when the new ATP rankings are updated on Monday.

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