Roger Federer climbed into rarefied territory on a rainy Friday at the Australian Open. With a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 third-round win over 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov in Rod Laver Arena, the No. 3 seed clinched the 300th Grand Slam match win of his storied career, becoming the first man to reach the milestone.
Only Martina Navratilova (306) stands in front of him. Federer, at 34 a decade Dimitrov’s senior, is the oldest man to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open since Andre Agassi played his way into the quarter-finals in 2005. He is looking to become only the third man to win five Australian Open singles titles after Roy Emerson (six) and Novak Djokovic (five), having won the title in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
Tennis Facts
- Tennis originated in Great Britain.
- Arthur Ashe was the first African American to win the US open.
- Boris Becker was the first unseeded player ever to win the Wimbledon in 1985. He was only 17 years old at the time. He also became the first German and the youngest player to win the title.
- The French Open happens to be named after the stadium where it takes place. The stadium is named after Roland Garros who was a World War 1 pilot.
- The longest match in the history of tennis was played between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. It lasted for about 11 hours.
- Serena and Venus Williams became the first pair of sisters to win the Olympic gold in tennis.
Inclusive Learning – Secret of Success
- Rarefied means belonging to or reserved for a small select group.
- Clinch means confirm or settle.
- Milestone means a significant stage or event in the development of something.
