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The Tennis Podcast

20 Years Following Federer - The Oldest No.1 Tennis Player Ever

The Tennis Podcast

David Law

Sports, Wimbledon, Tennis, Sports & Recreation

4.52.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2018

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Roger Federer has spent more than half of his life as a professional tennis player, becoming in the eyes of most people, and according to most stats, the best male player ever to pick up a racquet. 

After becoming the oldest person to reach World No.1 since the rankings began, two men that have covered every one of Federer’s 20 years playing the sport got together on the latest Tennis Podcast to reminisce and assess his latest feat.

Presenter David Law (BBC 5 Live) asks guest Christopher Clarey (New York Times) for his early memories of Federer, where he believes the Swiss stands in the pantheon of all-time sporting greats, what he’s really like, and whether he thinks Federer has decided on a retirement plan. 

They also discuss the comeback of Serena Williams, the state of the WTA Tour, and the issues of ‘grunting’ raised by Caroline Wozniacki.

The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm John McEnore. I'm Bjorn Borg.

0:02.2

This is Martina Navratlova. I'm Matt Svillander.

0:04.9

I'm Stan Ravinka. I'm Lainey Nguet. I'm Andy Moray.

0:07.6

This is Kay on behalf of Jody The Ferret.

0:10.5

And you're listening to The Tenors Podcast.

0:23.3

Well, hello and welcome to The Tenors Podcast.

0:25.2

Brought to you an association with the Tenor Graph

0:27.2

and with Euro Sport and of course with Charlie The Ferret,

0:31.0

whose mum Kay just heard from in our intro.

0:33.2

So thanks very much Kay for your support and Charlie, of course,

0:36.4

we are going to be speaking a lot about Roger Federer this week.

0:40.2

Why? Because he is the oldest world number one

0:43.6

in the history of singles in tennis.

0:46.0

And that happened this week.

0:47.2

So we've got to reflect on it, haven't we?

0:48.8

No Catherine Rittica to talk to about it,

0:50.7

because she's in career still in Pion Chang at the Winter Olympics,

0:54.7

but we'll be back with our listener special that we recorded

0:58.0

during the Australian Open. That'll take place next week now.

1:01.0

We've got a very special guest joining us this week.

1:03.7

It is Chris Clarey from The New York Times,

1:05.6

one of our favorite guests.

...

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