Facts About Federer Are Frightening

By Keith Hawkins
ESPN.com
Original Article

Updated: September 9, 2007, 9:19 PM ET

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Stat No. 11: Roger Federer served 11 aces in Sunday's final.

NEW YORK -- What more is there to say about Roger Federer, who continues to rewrite the record books with every Grand Slam title he captures. He might not win as many matches or titles as he did the past couple of seasons, but Federer's win over Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open final only reinforced his reign over the rest of the field.

Here's our Top 10 list (and change) of Federer's accomplishments resulting from his 12th career Grand Slam title:

0: No one has beaten Federer in a Grand Slam final that wasn't played at Roland Garros.

1: First player in the Open era (i.e., since 1968) to win the U.S. Open in four consecutive years. Before 1968, Bill Tilden was the last player to win the U.S. Championships at least four years in a row, taking the title from 1920 through 1925.

2: Number of players in the Open era who have won four consecutive Grand Slam titles at two events. Bjorn Borg won the French Open from 1978-81 and Wimbledon from 1976-80. Federer has won Wimbledon each of the last five years to go along with his four consecutive U.S. Open titles. 2.4: Million dollars he earned for winning the U.S. Open. Prize money for winning the U.S. Open is $1.4 million, but because Federer won the U.S. Open Series, he earns an extra million.

3: Times Federer has won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in the same year (2004, 2006, 2007)

4: Number of players Federer has lost to in 2007: Guillermo Canas and Rafael Nadal, twice; Djokovic and Filippo Volandri, once each.

5: Career wins against Djokovic, including three in 2007.

6: Titles Federer has won in 2007, tied with Nadal for the most this season.

7: Set points Federer saved in the first two sets. Federer staved off five in the first set and two more in the second before winning both in tiebreaks.

8: Number of players who have won at least four U.S. Open titles. Richard Sears, Bill Larned and Tilden won the most (7). In the Open era, the only players with more U.S. Open titles than Federer are Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, each with five.

9: Grand Slam sets Federer has lost in 2007: zero at the Australian, four at the French Open, three at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open.

10: Consecutive Grand Slam final appearances. You have to go back to the 2005 French Open to find the last time Federer did not make it to the final of a Slam.

Keith Hawkins is the tennis editor for ESPN.com.