Famed tennis player, Roger Federer

Federer has enough of a lead over No. 2 Rafael Nadal that he can't be passed by the end of 2006. Federer is only the fifth player to finish No. 1 three years in a row; Pete Sampras holds the record of six, from 1993-98.

Entry rankings, which determine seedings at tournaments are based on a player's results over the previous 52 weeks. In the ATP Champions Race standings, based only on results during this calendar year, Andy Roddick moved up to third, behind Federer and Nadal. The top eight players qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, from Nov. 12-19; Roddick was outside the top eight before the U.S. Open.

In the ATP rankings, Federer and Nadal are followed by Ivan Ljubicic, David Nalbandian and Nikolay Davydenko, rose to No. 5 from No. 6 by reaching the U.S. Open semifinals.

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 16, 2006
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