He’s the first male player to win 15 major titles and the first to win $50 million in prize money.

“No need to write about that (money),” said top-ranked Roger Federer, evoking laughter from the media. Besides, there are so many other records he aims to surpass before ending an already remarkable career.

On Monday, Federer took the first step toward becoming the first player since Bill Tilden (in 1925) to win six consecutive U.S. Open titles and the first player to win a 5th grass court/hard court double – Wimbledon and the U.S. Open – in the same year.

“He’s the best,” said wild card entry Devin Britton, who was beaten 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 in a one hour, 28-minute first round match. ”He serves unbelievably well. I don’t think a lot of people realize how big he serves. His forehand is just crazy. I tried to keep it away, but sometimes I hit it there just to see it.”

Federer wasn’t surprised that Britton, the reigning NCAA champion, entered the match starstruck. “Young players right now will always be in … awe maybe of great players,” the 28-year-old Swiss said. “They were 10 years old when I was playing my best.

“I think I’ve come along way. I didn’t ever expect to be this successful. I knew I had something special in me, more talent than other players, and maybe the belief that I could play at a very high level on any given day.”

Federer says that he can’t say that his rivalry with Spain’s Rafael Nadal made him a better player, but he does believe that the sports world took note. “I definitely think it increased popularity in the game,” he said. “I think it’s great if I was a part of making the game more popular. I gave a good image for the game. For a very long time I was No. 1 and became Laureus Sports Award champion. I was compared to other greats in other sports.”

So what do you do when you’ve won every significant title and trophy that your sport offers?

“Try to win again and again,” Federer said. “I like being the winner of any tournament in the world. That’s why when I enter, I try to win it. If I don’t, okay, I walk away. I know tennis is not everything, so it’s not a problem. If I enjoy playing tennis, why should I stop just because I’ve beaten the all-time Grand Slam record? That’s not what tennis is all about.”