London, England – Roger Federer set another record on Monday when he began his 287th week as world No. 1.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion surpassed American great Pete Sampras for the most weeks spent atop the men's rankings.
Federer reached No. 1 again last week after beating Britain's Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final, which gave the iconic Swiss a men's-record-tying seventh Wimbledon title, equaling Sampras and William Renshaw.
"I am extremely proud and honored to have beaten Pete's record as he was my childhood hero and I have always looked up to him," said the 30-year-old Federer, who first became No. 1 in 2004.
"I had set a goal with my team to try and get back to the top of the rankings, but I never thought with the depth in the game this year that I would have been able to get it back so quickly."
The 14-time major titlist Sampras spent 286 weeks at the top.
"The hardest thing to do in sports is the ability to stay on top," Sampras said. "Roger has been able to do so by great play and durability."
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