Roger Federer 'pulling power' creates insane tennis history

Breaking records is nothing new for Roger Federer.

However, the 20-time grand slam champion has described his latest slice of history as an unforgettable moment.

Federer was not part of the new-look Davis Cup tournament won by hosts Spain, but the 38-year-old was still pulling in the crowds when he met Alexander Zverev in an exhibition match in Mexico City.

Gathered inside the world’s largest bullring, the Plaza de Toros, was the biggest crowd ever seen in the history of tennis.

According to organisers, 42,517 spectators packed into the specially-erected arena to watch Federer beat Germany’s Zverev 6-3,4-6,6-2.

The enormous crowd eclipsed the 35,681 spectators that attended the 2010 exhibition match between Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels.

"You are an incredible audience, your support has given me goosebumps, I do not have enough words to thank you," said Federer.

The 20-time grand slam champion also posted his thanks to Mexican fans with an incredible picture that captured the event.

The attendance has not yet been ratified by the International Tennis Federation so it does not stand as an official record.

The biggest crowd for an official match is Arthur Ashe stadium at Flushing Meadows in New York, home of the US Open, which can seat around 23,000.

‘The Roger show’

Federer and Zverev's exhibition in Mexico City was almost double that.

Respected Aussie tennis coach Roger Rasheed said the massive crowd in Mexico was testament to Federer's incredible popularity around the world.

“That’s amazing. It just shows the pulling power of Roger, doesn’t it?" Rasheed said on Big Sports Breakfast.

“Anywhere in the world, it was really the Roger show for 42,000 people and that’s going head-to-head with Davis Cup.”

Incredibly, Federer plans on breaking the record again when he plays Rafael Nadal in an exhibition match in South Africa next year.

The showdown between the two most successful male tennis players in history is set to be staged at the Cape Town Stadium, which has a capacity of 55,000.

The Mexico match was the fourth of a highly lucrative five-stop Latin American tour for Federer who is set to earn $14.6 million - three times as much as he has earned this season, according to Swiss daily Le Temps.

After a controversial first step on Tuesday in Chile, a country where sport has come to a grinding halt for a month because of the social crisis that has left 23 dead and more than 2,000 injured, the roadshow moved to Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

Friday's planned match in Colombia was cancelled because of the curfew in Bogota after violence following massive demonstrations against President Ivan Duque.

The tour ends with the two players meeting again in Ecuadorian capital, Quito, on Sunday.

With agencies