And when he beat the fast rising Ruud 6-3 6-1 7-6 (10-8) on Suzanne Lenglen, the 37-year-old also became the oldest man to make the fourth round at the French Open since Italian Nicola Pietrangeli almost 50 years ago in 1972.

“It’s true I played many matches in grand slam tournaments, and it’s even more pleasant to do this in Roland Garros, because I have a lot of records, milestones from Wimbledon or the US Open,” Federer told reporters. “But doing anything in Roland is very special, because I played a lot here. It was my first grand slam where I was in the main draw.”