Roger Federer wins tennis fans' favourite player award for 18th year in a row

Players have come and gone and entire careers have started and ended in the 22 years Roger Federer has continued to thrive in his professional tennis career. The man himself has had ups and downs like any other player, but through all this, one thing has remained constant - the fans' love for Roger Federer. At 39, Roger Federer has now played the sport as a professional for more than two decades and has captured the hearts of fans around the world. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Federer has yet again won the ATP Fans' Favourite SIngles Player award. 

Also Read | Federer net worth: Roger Federer Tops Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi As 2020's Highest Paid Athlete

Federer Injury hiatus not an issue as Swiss star bags ATP honour once again

The 'ATP Fans’ Favourite Award' for the Singles Player category may as well be renamed the 'Roger Federer Fans Favourite Award' as the former No. 1 swept away the title for a record 18th time this year. Among the most recent ATP awards, the Fans Favourite Singles category was created in 2000. The first-ever winner in the category was Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, who was followed by the charismatic Russian Marat Safin in 2001 and 2002. 

Also Read | Roger Federer Claims His Children Do NOT Take His Tennis Advice; Reveals Retirement Plans

Since then it has all been about just one man - Roger Federer. After a rather ordinary career (until then) and a 1st round exit at the French Open, Federer shot to fame when he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships. This was to be the first of five consecutive and eight overall titles at Wimbledon alone, as well as the first of Federer's legendary 20 Grand Slams. The 2003 Fans Favourite title was also the first of an impressive 39 ATP awards that Federer has won till date. 

Here's what the World No. 5 had to say on receiving this high honour from his fans once again:

"Hey, it's Roger here. I hope you are all doing well in a difficult year; I want to thank you all for winning the Fans' Favorite award this year again. I thank the ATP, all the tennis fans out there for voting for me, believing in me and wanting to see me back on the Tour. I'm training hard to make that possible. Happy holidays and new year, and let's hope it all gets better next year. I have to be a little bit patient for now, and I can't wait to see you all again soon."

Also Read | Federer ATP ranking: Federer Accused Of 'manipulating' ATP Rankings System For Himself

Federer Injury update and Australian Open 2021 schedule

Despite having played the shortest season of his career - just 6 professional matches in 2020 - Roger Federer's ATP ranking has not taken much of a hit. Having started the year out as No. 3, Federer has fallen just two places due to the protected ranking system started during the pandemic. Federer has undergone two knee surgeries since his Australian Open semi-final loss to Djokovic in Januray 2020 and will be aiming to make his comeback at the 2021 Australian Open. 

Also Read | Roger Federer Provides HUGE Update after Australian Open 2021 schedule announcement

Image Credits: Screenshot from ATP video