Feliciano Lopez has celebrated overhauling Roger Federer in the Wimbledon record books, with the Spaniard moving past his previous record of 65 consecutive Grand Slam appearances on the second day of play at the 2018 Championships.
Lopez toasted appearing in a record 66th consecutive Grand Slam by easing past Federico Delbonis 6-3 6-4 6-2 and into the second round at Wimbledon.
And Lopez was pleased to finally achieve some bragging rights over Federer — with the Swiss winning all 13 of their previous meetings.
“Well, when I was thinking about breaking the record, I thought, wow, I'm going to beat Federer at something, which is a lot already,” he said.
“Just it's only a number, and I'm really proud of my consistency. Is not about, you know, the number of Grand Slams played. It's about how many years have been playing, you know, at the top level. This is the most important thing.”
Lopez added that his style of play and good luck with injuries were likely behind his extraordinary longevity.
“I think the way I play helps, I think I don't play so many rallies,” he said. “Also my technique. I play quite easy, so I don't make a huge effort in every single shot that I play. That's also important.
“And I haven't, you know, suffered any big injuries in my career. This is the most important thing. And also mentally I have the strength enough to be, you know, playing so many years.”
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