Roger Federer[3] born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 4 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).[4] His accomplishments in professional tennis have led to him being regarded by many as the greatest tennis player of all time.[a] Federer turned professional in 1998 and has been continuously ranked in the top 10 since October 2002.
Federer holds several records of the Open Era: holding the world No. 1 position for 302 weeks[18][19] (including 237 consecutive weeks);[20] winning 17 Grand Slam singles titles; reaching each Grand Slam final at least five times (an all-time record); and reaching the Wimbledon final ten times. He is among the eight men (and among the five in Open Era) to capture a career Grand Slam. Federer shares an Open Era record for most titles at Wimbledon with Pete Sampras (seven) and at the US Open with Jimmy Connors and Sampras (five). He is the only male player to win five consecutive US Open titles.
Federer has reached 27 men's singles Grand Slam finals, including 10 in a row from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the2007 US Open, both statistics being records. He also appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon through to the 2010 Australian Open. He reached the semifinals at 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championshipsthrough the 2010 Australian Open.[21] At the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, he reached a record 48th Grand Slam quarterfinal and a record 40th Grand Slam semifinal. Earlier at the 2016 Australian Open, he played in a record 65th consecutive Grand Slam tournament. Earlier at the 2015 US Open, he reached a record 27th Grand Slam final. Also earlier at the 2013 French Open, Federer reached a record 36th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. Federer has won the most matches in Grand Slam events (307) and is the first to record 65+ wins at each Grand Slam tournament.
Federer's ATP tournament records include winning a record six ATP World Tour Finals, playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (a record shared with Djokovic and Nadal). He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriotStan Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Representing Switzerland, he was a part of the 2014 winning Davis Cup team. He finished eight consecutive years (2003–2010) in one of the top two positions in the year-end men's rankings and ten (2003–2012) in the top three. He was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four consecutive years (2005–2008).
Pre–1998: Junior years
Main article: Roger Federer junior years
Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon in 1998, where he won both the boys' singles final over Irakli Labadze,[56] and in doubles teamed with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.[57] In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior final in 1998 to David Nalbandian. He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated Guillermo Coria in the final.[58] He ended 1998 with the No. 1 junior world ranking, and he entered his first tournament as a professional during 1998 in Gstaad, where he lost to Lucas Arnold Ker in the first round.
1998–2002: Early career and breakthrough in the ATP
Main article: Roger Federer's early career
Federer entered the top 100 ranking for the first time on 20 September 1999. His first final came at the Marseille Open in 2000, where he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset.[59] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, along with Martina Hingis.[60][61][62] The duo defeated the American pair of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the finals. Federer's first singles win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter in the final.[59] Although he won his first title already in 1999 on the Challenger tour, winning the doubles event in Segovia, Spain with Dutchman Sander Groen, the final was played on Federer's 18th birthday. In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and at Wimbledon that same year defeated four-time defending champion Pete Sampras to reach the quarterfinals. The most prestigious event final he reached during this period was the 2002 Miami Masters event, where he lost to Andre Agassi on hard court.[63]
Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay, over Marat Safin; the victory put him in top 10 for the first time.[63] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.[59][63][64][65][66] He also made six finals in doubles. Of note are Federer and partner Max Mirnyi's defeat in the final of the Indian Wells Masters in 2002, and their victory in the same year in the final of the Rotterdam 500 series event. Federer had won the latter a year earlier with partner Jonas Björkman.[63][66] He finished 2001 with an ATP ranking of No. 13, and 2002 was the first year he was ranked within the top 10, finishing at No. 6.
2003: Wimbledon breakthrough
Main article: 2003 Roger Federer tennis season
In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Mark Philippoussis in the final.[67] Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with Max Mirnyi[68] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.[67] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.[67] Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships over Andre Agassi, finishing the year as world No. 2, narrowly behind Andy Roddick.[67]
2004: Imposing dominance
Main article: 2004 Roger Federer tennis season
During 2004, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles for the first time in his career and became the first person to do so sinceMats Wilander in 1988. His first major hard-court title came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin, thereby becoming the world No. 1 for the first time. He then won his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick.[69] Federer defeated the 2001 US Openchampion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.[69]
Federer won three ATP Masters Series 1000 events, one was on clay in Hamburg, and the other two were on hard surfaces at Indian Wells and in Canada.[69] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.[69] He also won his first tournament on home soil by capturing the Swiss Open in Gstaad. His 11 singles titles were the most of any player in two decades, and his record of 74–6 was the best since Ivan Lendl in 1986. He improved his year-end ranking to world No. 1 for the first time.
2005: Consolidating dominance
Main article: 2005 Roger Federer tennis season
In 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the first two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Safin after holding match points, and the French Open semifinal to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.[70] However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the Wimbledon Championshipsover Andy Roddick. At the US Open, Federer defeated Andre Agassi in the latter's last major final.[70]
Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.[70] The win in Miami was particularly noteworthy as it was the first final contested between Federer and Rafael Nadal in what would become one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history. Federer received from down two sets and a break to take the final in five sets. Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai.[70] Federer lost the year-end championships to David Nalbandian in five sets while playing through a foot injury that sidelined him for almost the entire season after September.[citation needed] He maintained his position as world No. 1 for the entirety of the season.[70]
The season was statistically one of the most dominant in the Open Era. He won 11 singles titles, which tied his 2004 season as the most in over two decades, his 81 match victories were the most since Pete Sampras in 1993, and his record of 81–4 (95.2%) remains the second-best winning percentage in the Open Era behind only John McEnroe in 1984.
2006: Career best season
Main article: 2006 Roger Federer tennis season
The 2006 season was statistically the best season of Federer's career, as well as one of the greatest seasons of any player in tennis history. In December 2011, Stephen Tignor, chief editorial writer for Tennis.com, ranked Federer's 2006 season as the second-greatest season of all time during the Open Era, behind only Rod Laver's Grand Slam year of 1969.[71] Federer won 12 singles titles (the most of any player since John McEnroe in 1984) and had a match record of 92–5 (the most wins since Ivan Lendl in 1982). Federer reached the finals in an astounding 16 of the 17 tournaments he entered during the season.
In 2006, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other, with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open. This was Federer and Nadal's first meeting in a Grand Slam final.[72] He was the first man to reach all four finals in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969. Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis,[72] and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion).[72] In addition, Federer made it to six ATP Masters Series 1000 finals, winning four on hard surfaces and losing two on clay to Nadal. Federer, however, consistently pushed Nadal to the limit on clay throughout the season taking him to fourth-set tiebreakers in Monte-Carlo and Paris, and a thrilling match in Rome that went to a deciding fifth-set tiebreaker.
Federer won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo and captured the year-end championships for the third time in his career, again finishing the year as world No. 1.[72] Federer only lost to two players during 2006, to Nadal four times in finals, and to 19-year-old Andy Murray in the second round of the 2006 Cincinnati Masters, in what would be Federer's only defeat before the final that year. Federer finished the season on a 29-match winning streak, as well as winning 48 of his last 49 matches after the French Open.
A personal highlight for Federer came near the end of the season when he finally won his hometown tournament the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland.
