Roger Federer will chase history in a matter of weeks as he looks to lift a milestone 100th career title. The Swiss is set to be part of the field at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – an event he has won on seven previous occasions – in what will be his first competitive appearance since a surprise fourth-round Australian Open exit at the hands of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Only Jimmy Connors (109) has passed the 100 mark in terms of ATP titles won in the Open Era but Federer is itching to join him on triple digits. The 37-year-old was forced to wait more than four months for title No. 99 in Basel, losing finals in Halle and Cincinnati along the way, and there will have been another four-month gap between that victory and his latest appearance in Dubai.
Federer skipped the event in 2018 – choosing to pursue the world No. 1 ranking in Rotterdam instead – but tournament director Salah Tahlak is excited to welcome the 20-time champion back to the United Arab Emirates. And he confessed he’s keen to see Federer handed an easy draw in order to make history at the ATP 500 event. ‘For Roger, Dubai is important because his first official title came in Milan,’ Tahlak told the Khaleej Times. ‘It was a tournament owned by Dubai Duty Free. It has always been a great bond between Roger and Dubai. ‘So it’s very important to have him back. I hope the draw next Saturday will help him because if he reaches the final and wins it, it will be the number eight title for him in Dubai and that will also be the 100th title of his career.
‘It will be a magical moment. It will also be a great legacy that he will be leaving behind if he wins his 100th title in Dubai.’ With Federer past his prime, there has been plenty of focus on who will become tennis’ next superstar and Tahlak has backed Tsitsipas to replace him as the sport’s most famous player. ‘I think he is the next Roger. He is the future,’ Tahlak added. ‘You know there will be a big gap when Roger, Rafa (Nadal), Novak (Djokovic), Andy (Murray), (Juan Martin) Del Potro retire. So tennis will need new stars like him.’
