Roger Federer
IN PHOTO: Roger Federer (R) of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic of Serbia pose with their first and second place trophies after their final match at the ATP Championships tennis tournament in Dubai February 28, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Roger Federer has said that he wants to reclaim the World No. 1 rank. However, Federer also revealed that Serbian athlete and current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is making it hard for him to get back to the top spot.

“I’d love to get back to World No. 1, but Novak is making it very difficult,” Federer said during a Moet & Chandon event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on March 7 in celebration of his 1000th match win, which he claimed at the 2015 Brisbane International in January. “My whole season is geared towards peaking at Wimbledon, I’d love to win there one more time.”

Federer first held the World No. 1 rank in February 2004. It was the year when he won three of the grand slam tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) of the season. Since he made it to the top of the Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP world rankings, Federer has ended the season as the top-ranked player for five times (2004 – 2007 and 2009) equaling the records of tennis legends such as Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, who both have finished as World No. 1 in the ATP year-end rankings.

The last time that Federer has held the top spot was in July 2012 after winning his seventh Wimbledon title. In the latest world rankings released by ATP on March 2, Federer still trails behind Djokovic, who has a commanding lead of 3,960 points over him.

Federer is set to participate at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells Masters tournament, where he is joined by rival defending champion Djokovic and top 10 stars such as Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic. The women’s lineup is headed by returning player Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, and Ana Ivanovic.

The 33-year-old is a four-time Indian Wells champion. Federer won the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2012. Federer is coming off a win against Djokovic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. He currently has a 11-1 win-loss match record in the current tennis season.

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