Lopez breaks Federer record for consecutive Slam appearances

The left-handed Spaniard had equalled the mark set by Roger Federer at Roland Garros.

Published : Jul 03, 2018 18:02 IST , london

Lopez has not missed a Slam since making his debut at the 2002 French Open.
Lopez has not missed a Slam since making his debut at the 2002 French Open.
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Lopez has not missed a Slam since making his debut at the 2002 French Open.

Spain's Feliciano Lopez set a new record for consecutive Grand Slam appearances on Tuesday when he started his 66th major in a row at Wimbledon.

The 36-year-old left-handed Spaniard had equalled the mark set by Roger Federer at Roland Garros.

On Tuesday, the 70th-ranked Lopez grabbed the record when he went on court to face Federico Delbonis of Argentina at the All England Club.

Lopez has not missed a Slam since making his debut at the 2002 French Open.

His best runs at the majors have all come at Wimbledon with three quarterfinal runs in 2005, 2008 and 2011.

He also made the last eight at the US Open in 2015.

“I'm happy for him. I had a good run,” said Federer.

“But it's nice that more and more players are able to keep themselves in shape.

“Especially I think as Feliciano and me, we go way back to the Junior European Championships under-16 here in Hatfield, all the way to today, that we can talk about breaking each other's records, him breaking mine.

“It's a great thing. It's a testament for both of us to keep yourself in shape, loving the sport.”

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