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Swiss in line for $1.5m payout from ATP Masters Series Bonus Pool

Basel, Switzerland – Roger Federer clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fourth consecutive year after defending his hometown title at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel title on Sunday. He is the fourth player to finish No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for at least four consecutive years, joining Pete Sampras (6), Jimmy Connors (5) and John McEnroe (4). Ivan Lendl also finished No. 1 four times but in five years.

As well as securing the end of season No. 1 slot, Federer is also in line to secure a $1.5m payout from the ATP Masters Series Bonus Pool. The $3 million ATP Masters Series Bonus Pool pays $1.5m, $750,000, $500,000 and $250,000 respectively to the world's top four players in the year-end ATP Race standings (released after Tennis Masters Cup) provided they have played eight of the season's nine ATP Masters Series tournaments, including Madrid and Paris.

Federer said: “The big goal for me of the season – protect the No. 1 ranking and as well win Wimbledon – I’ve achieved basically all of that, but there’s still a bit left to make it an even more incredible season by hopefully winning Paris and Shanghai. I know it’s very difficult; I have to go through many Top 10 players to do that. But the season so far has been excellent, and of course it’s even nicer to have clinched [the year-end No. 1 ranking] in Basel.”

The 26-year-old Swiss has been the ATP No. 1 ranked player every week since February 2, 2004, after capturing his second career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Since the beginning of 2004, Federer has compiled a match record of 310-22 (.934) and has won 41 of 50 finals. Currently going into his 196th week as the World No. 1, he broke Connors’ almost 30-year record (160) for most consecutive weeks at the top spot on February 26, 2007.

“Roger continues to set new standards not just for tennis supremacy, but for all sports. He is not only one of the greatest tennis players of all-time, but one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports,” said Etienne de Villiers, Executive Chairman and President of the ATP. “In an era where the depth in the men’s game has never been greater, Roger has dominated men’s tennis during the past four years like no other player in tennis history. What is so thrilling for all tennis fans, is that he seems determined to maintain his position at the very summit of our sport for some time to come.”

Federer has captured an ATP-best seven titles for the fifth consecutive season, including three Grand Slam crowns for the third time in four years and at least two ATP Masters Series shields. He has compiled a 7-4 record in finals during the year, and earned his 50th career title in August at the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati. With his quarterfinal victory on Friday in Basel, he surpassed Carlos Moya (543) for the most match wins for an active player.

The Swiss is the first player in history to reach all four Grand Slam finals in back-to-back years and has advanced to an all-time record 10 consecutive Slam finals (since 2005 Wimbledon). He joined Bjorn Borg as the only players to win at least five straight Wimbledon crowns in the Open Era, and followed at the US Open by becoming the first player since Bill Tilden in the1920’s to capture four straight US Open titles. It was his 12th career Grand Slam crown, leaving him two away from all-time record of Sampras.