World number one Roger Federer Monday said he would like to stay as the top tennis player as long as possible.

Federer, 28, replaced Rafael Nadal to reclaim his crown as the world's top singles player after victories at Wimbledon, the French Open and the Cincinnati Masters in 2009.

The Swiss told reporters before his match in Qatar Open that he hoped to hold on to the position as long as possible.

"I would like to stay the top player in the world ... because going from number two to number one was hard work and not an easy thing to do especially with Rafa playing so well," Federer said.