My goal has always been to defend the Halle trophy, says Roger Federer

Swiss legend and the oldest player to be ranked number one, Federer has had a career that any young tennis aspirant could only dream of. However, even at the age of 36, the hunger to win more has still been strong in his mind as the Swiss ace expressed ahead of the start of this year’s Halle Open in Germany.

Federer had won the last edition of this tournament by beating local favorite Alexander Zverev in straight sets to lift the trophy for the ninth time in his record-laden career. He revealed that he would look to add to that tally this time too and retain his spot at the top of the world rankings ahead of long-time rival Rafael Nadal.

“I’m always excited for a challenge. I’m up for it. I’m the holder here anyway, so my goal has always been to defend the title. That might take my mind off of number one a little bit; I have hopes of going a long way this week. I want to start out of the blocks quickly. But I also want to enjoy being number one again (sixth time). I don’t know how long I’ll be there. A good step would be to defend the trophy and help myself stay on the top ranking. I did a double-take this morning when I looked at the rankings and saw myself at number one. It was a cool moment I’d like to stay there,” Federer told AFP sources.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion moved back to the top spot through his Stuttgart semi-final place ahead of Nadal, who won the French Open last month. But according to ATP calculations, Federer has to win the Halle Open to stay ahead of Nadal with Wimbledon fast approaching. Federer would begin his campaign in a round of 32 clash with Aijaz Bedene whom he had beaten earlier this year in the Australian Open.