Roger Federer says that Simona Halep should be praised for her year-end No.1 ranking despite the fact that she didn’t win a major this year and did not reach the semifinals at this weeks WTA Finals.

“Not for a second should you ever take away anything from Halep or anybody who has worked their life to achieve a life-long dream,” he said according to Swiss journalist Svenja Mastroberardi.

See Roger’s full statement on the subject below:

Here is Federer's full quote about @Simona_Halep being year-end No. 1 without winning a Grand Slam title: pic.twitter.com/2TvgoLuAIQ

— Svenja Mastroberardi (@svenja_mastro) October 28, 2017