Roger Federer set a new record for men's tennis dominance on Monday, when he celebrated his 161st consecutive week as world number one.

The Swiss player eclipsed Jimmy Connors's 30-year-old milestone after extending a streak that began on February 2, 2004.

"I've been looking forward to this day to come and I'm very excited. That is definitely one of the biggest records I've broken so far in my career," Federer told reporters before beating Kristian Pless 7-6 3-6 6-3 in the first round of the Dubai Open.

Connors, an American legend, enjoyed 160 weeks as the world's top-ranked player between July 1974 and August 1977.

The Swiss master is guaranteed to leave that benchmark far behind as his closest rival, Spain's Rafael Nadal, trails the 25-year-old by 3,415 points in the ATP entry system.

When the ATP updated the rankings at around 0500 GMT, they showed Federer atop with 8,120 points and Nadal at 4,705.

The rest lag far behind with American Andy Roddick in third place on 2,830.

"I am profoundly proud of not only being able to compete with my opponents today, but also with history," Federer told his official Web site.

"One hundred and sixty one weeks is a long time and being able to lead this statistic from now on is a terrific feeling. As you can imagine it has taken a lot to come this far."

GRAND SLAM

At the Australian Open last month Federer won a 10th grand slam title, becoming the first man in 27 years to win a major without dropping a set.

Winning all four majors this year and holding the grand slam would seem to be the next obvious target for Federer, but the mild-mannered champion is not getting ahead of himself.

"(The grand slam) is not really a goal I set for myself," Federer told a conference call after his win over Pless. "I can't look beyond the French Open because I have never won it and I really hope I can win it this year."

He is also looking forward to next year's Olympic Games while another goal this year is to again win the prestigious Sportsman of the Year prize at the Laureus awards, although he may face stiff competition from friend Tiger Woods.

"It is always difficult to compare different sports. Maybe I have had my best year so I hope I can win again," he said. "(Tiger) has got it easier as he is playing on grass all the time."

But such is Federer's dominance in tennis, it was certain he would overtake Connors by winning the season-ending Masters Cup in November.

When asked if he would play on into his 40s, as Connors did, he was skeptical.

"I doubt I'll still be playing then because the game is more demanding these days," said Federer, who will be honored in Switzerland with a special stamp to celebrate his achievement.

"But I'm definitely getting more focused on what happens after tennis," Federer added, mentioning his foundation and the possibility of starting a family and getting married.

He said Connors had not been in contact, although good friend Tim Henman had sent him a congratulatory text message.

Connors has hailed Federer in the past though, when he awarded the former ball boy with a watch for being a promising young Swiss player.

"I don't know if I still have it," Federer joked.

(China Daily via Reuters February 27, 2007)