Leading the third set 1-0, 40-15 on the Central Court in Rotterdam, the 36-year-old served wide to Haase’s forehand, appearing to ace his opponent. As the crowd cheered in appreciation, Federer calmly lined back to prep himself for the second serve.
A bewildered Haase soon called out across the court: “Roger, no one called ‘out’.”
The Swiss legend simply replied “It’s out”, prompting the chair umpire to declare the service as a ‘fault’.
In the end, it was too easy for the Federer as he won the point anyway on his second service. He took advantage of Haase’s forehand error, eventually taking a 2-0 lead and bringing himself just four games away from earning a semi-final berth.
With the win, Federer reclaimed the numero uno spot in ATP rankings after a little more than five years since he last held it, precisely 2050 days. Federer displaced Rafael Nadal from the summit after beating Robin Haase 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the last eight of the Rotterdam Open.
In the process, the ‘Swiss maestro’ also became the oldest World No. 1 in tennis history at the age of 36, surpassing Andre Agassi. The American held the previous record for the oldest world No 1 in Men’s tennis aged 33 back in 2003.
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