Roger Federer (ˈfeːdəʁɐ) (born 8 August 1981) is a
SwissSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
professional tennis player who held the
ATPThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the
Association of Tennis ProfessionalsThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(ATP). Federer has won a men's record 16
Grand SlamThe four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
singles titles. He is one of seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam and one of three (with
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
and
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
) to do so on three different surfaces (clay, grass, and hard courts). He is the only male player in tennis history to have reached the title match of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times and also the final at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam finals, of which 10 were consecutive appearances, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals over the four and a half years from the
2005 Wimbledon ChampionshipsThe 2005 Wimbledon Championships was the 119 edition. It was held at the All England Club between 20 June and 3 July.Roger Federer successfully defended the men's singles crown defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. Whilst Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport played the longest women's final in...
through the
2010 Australian OpenThe 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
, the lone exception being the
2008 Australian OpenThe 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
. He holds the record of reaching the semifinals or better of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments over five and a half years from the
2004 Wimbledon ChampionshipsList of the 2004 Wimbledon Champions:-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 4–6, 7–5, 7–6, 6–4*It was Federer's sixth title of the year, and his 17th overall. It was his third career Grand Slam title, and his 2nd at Wimbledon....
through the
2010 Australian OpenThe 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
. At the
2011 US OpenThe 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, he reached a record 30th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Federer has won a record 6 ATP World Tour Finals and 18
ATP Masters SeriesThe ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...
tournaments (second all-time). He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot
Stanislas WawrinkaStanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
at the
2008 Summer Olympic GamesTennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 10 to August 17 at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre. The DecoTurf surface rendered the event a hardcourt tournament....
. He spent eight years (2003–2010) continuously in the top 2 in the year-end rankings. His rivalry with
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
is considered one of the greatest of all time in the sport. In 2011, he was voted the second most trusted and respected human in the world, second only to
Nelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
.
As a result of Federer's
successes in tennis, he was named the
Laureus World Sportsman of the YearThe Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and...
for a record four consecutive years (2005–2008). He is often referred to as the Federer Express or abbreviated to Fed Express, or FedEx, the Swiss Maestro, or simply Maestro. In 2011, Federer was ranked no. 25 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List.
Childhood and early life
Federer was born in Binningen, near
BaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette Durand. He holds both Swiss and South African citizenships. He grew up in suburban
MünchensteinMünchenstein is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland.-Historical records:Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as Kekingen. In 1270 it was mentioned as Geckingen and in 1279 as Munchenstein.* 1259: The hamlet and the mill, between "Neue...
, near Basel, close to the French and German borders and speaks
Swiss GermanSwiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
, German, French and English fluently, Swiss German being his native language. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met
Pope Benedict XVIBenedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome. Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to
compulsory military serviceSwitzerland has mandatory military service for all able-bodied male citizens, who are conscripted when they reach the age of majority, though women may volunteer for any position....
in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his military obligation. Federer himself also credits the range of sports he played as a child—he also played badminton and basketball—for his hand-eye coordination. “I was always very much more interested if a ball was involved,” he says. Most tennis prodigies, by contrast, play tennis to the exclusion of all other sports.
Marriage and family
Federer is married to former
Women's Tennis AssociationThe Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
player Mirka Vavrinec. He met her while both were competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Vavrinec retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury and has since been working as Federer's public relations manager. They were married in Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family at Wenkenhof Villa (municipality of Riehen). On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.
Outreach and charitable efforts
Federer supports a number of charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports. In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006. At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP tour and WTA tour called Rally for Relief. The proceeds from the event went to the victims of the
tsunamiA tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
caused by the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquakeThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. Since then, he has visited South Africa and
Tamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami. He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the
2010 Haiti earthquakeThe 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
, Federer arranged a collaboration with fellow top tennis players
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
,
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
,
Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
,
Kim ClijstersKim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
,
Serena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
,
Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, and Sam Stosur to forgo their final day of preparation for the
2010 Australian OpenThe 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
to form a special charity event called Hit for Haiti, in which all proceeds went to Haiti earthquake victims. He was named a 2010 Young Global Leader by the
World Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in recognition of his leadership, accomplishments, and contributions to society.
Similar to the 2010 event, Hit for Haiti, Federer organized and participated in a charity match called Rally for Relief on 16 January 2011, to benefit those that were affected by the 2010-2011 Queensland floods.
Federer is currently number 25 on Forbes top 100 celebrities.
Pre-1998: Junior years
Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon in 1998, where he won both the boys' singles tournament over
Irakli LabadzeIrakli Labadze |Georgia]]) is a professional tennis player. His career high singles ranking was "World No. 42" which he attained in July, 2004.Labadze turned pro in 1998, and has recently passed the $1 205 296 career prize money mark...
, and in doubles teamed up with
Olivier RochusOlivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...
, defeating the team of
Michaël LlodraMichaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
and
Andy RamAndy Ram is a professional tennis player from Israel, and the first Israeli tennis player to win a seniors Grand Slam event . He plays more doubles than singles as he prefers doubles more and wins more matches...
. In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior tournament in 1998 to
David NalbandianDavid Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
. He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated
Guillermo CoriaGuillermo Sebastián Coria , nicknames include El Mago , is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina who was runner-up in the 2004 French Open...
, in the finals. He ended 1998 as the junior world no. 1.
1998–2002: Early career in the ATP
Federer's first tournament as a professional was Gstaad in 1998 (12th grade), where he faced
Lucas Arnold KerLucas Arnold Ker is a professional tennis player from Argentina.Arnold Ker started playing tennis in the Olivos Tenis Club of Buenos Aires, under coach Malcolm Campbell....
in the round of 32 and lost. Federer's first final came at the Marseille Open in 2000, where he lost to fellow Swiss
Marc RossetMarc Rosset is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland who is best remembered for winning the men's singles Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games....
. Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland along with
Martina HingisMartina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
. The duo defeated the American pair of
Monica SelesMonica Seles is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, former Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007...
and
Jan-Michael GambillJan-Michael Charles Gambill is an American tennis player who made his professional debut in 1996. His highest singles ranking to date is World No. 14, which he first reached on June 18, 2001...
in the finals. Federer's first win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated
Julien BoutterJulien Boutter is a former professional male tennis player from France.-Career:At the 2002 Australian Open, Boutter defeated number 2 seed and former World number 1 Gustavo Kuerten, despite being down two sets, 3–6, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–3.In his career he has won 1 singles title and reached the final...
. In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and at
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
that same year defeated four-time defending champion
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
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 AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, on hard court. In addition, Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay, over
Marat SafinMarat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
; the victory made him a top-10 player for the first time. Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six. He also made six finals in doubles. Of note are Federer and partner
Max MirnyiMax Mirnyi is a professional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a...
'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 eventThe 2002 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was part of the International Series Gold of the 2002 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from February 18 through February 24, 2002.The singles field...
. Federer had won the latter a year earlier with partner
Jonas BjörkmanJonas Lars Björkman is a former World Number 4 Swedish professional tennis player. He is also a former World No. 1 in doubles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup Doubles championships....
.
2003–2007: Breakthrough and dominance
In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at
WimbledonList of the 2003 Wimbledon Champions:-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Mark Philippoussis, 7–6, 6–2, 7–6*It was Federer's 5th title of the year, and his 9th overall. It was his 1st career Grand Slam title. He became the first Swiss male player to win a Grand Slam singles...
, beating
Mark PhilippoussisMark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry....
. Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with
Max MirnyiMax Mirnyi is a professional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a...
, and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost. Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna. Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships over
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
.
During 2004, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles for the first time in his career and became the first person to do so since
Mats WilanderMats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
in 1988. His first Grand Slam hard-court title came at the
Australian OpenThe 2004 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tournament held in Melbourne, Australia 19 January to 1 February, 2004.-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Marat Safin, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2...
over
Marat SafinMarat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
. He then won his
second Wimbledon crownList of the 2004 Wimbledon Champions:-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 4–6, 7–5, 7–6, 6–4*It was Federer's sixth title of the year, and his 17th overall. It was his third career Grand Slam title, and his 2nd at Wimbledon....
over
Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
. Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion,
Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, at the US Open for his first title there. 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. Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.
In 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the first two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Safin and the French Open semifinal to eventual champion
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the
Wimbledon ChampionshipsThe 2005 Wimbledon Championships was the 119 edition. It was held at the All England Club between 20 June and 3 July.Roger Federer successfully defended the men's singles crown defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. Whilst Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport played the longest women's final in...
over
Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
. At the US Open, Federer defeated
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
in the latter's last Grand Slam final. Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay. Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai. Federer lost the year-end championships to
David NalbandianDavid Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in the final.
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 OpenThe 2006 French Open was held in Paris, France from May 28 to June 11, 2006. Both defending champions, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin-Hardenne, retained their titles. It is one of the four tennis Grand Slams. This edition made history as it became the first Grand Slam tournament to start on a...
. This was the two men's first meeting in a Grand Slam final. Federer defeated Nadal in the
Wimbledon ChampionshipsThe 2006 Wimbledon Championships began on 26 June and finished on 9 July 2006.-Gentlemen's singles: Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 6-0 7-6 6-7 6-3-Ladies' singles: Amélie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne 2-6 6-3 6-4...
final. In the
Australian OpenThe 2006 Australian Open was played between 16 and 29 January 2006.- Leadup :Several leading men's players declined to attend the Open due to injury, including Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and defending champion Marat Safin....
, Federer defeated
Marcos BaghdatisAt the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
, and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion). 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 won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo and captured the year-end championships for the third time in his career.
In 2007, Federer reached all four Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of them. He won the
Australian OpenThe 2007 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 15 January until 28 January 2007.The total prize pool was set at exactly A$20 million, with the winners of both the men's and women's singles competition each receiving A$1,281,000. Over 500 players...
over
Fernando González----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
,
WimbledonThe 2007 Wimbledon Championships were held between 25 June and 8 July 2007. For the first time there was equal prize money for the men's and women's singles champions. Reconstruction work on Centre Court was in progress and thus it had no roof....
over
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
for the second time, and the US Open over
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. Federer lost the
French OpenThe 2007 French Open was held in Paris, France from 27 May through to 10 June 2007. Followed two weeks later, as usual, by Wimbledon in London, United Kingdom. Rafael Nadal became the first man to win the tournament 3 times consecutively since Björn Borg, 1978–81; and maintained his unbeaten run...
to Nadal. Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 finals in 2007, winning the Hamburg and Cincinnati titles. Federer won one 500 series event in Dubai and won the year-end championships.
2008 to present
In 2008, Federer won one Grand Slam singles title, which came at the US Open over Briton Andy Murray. Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the
French OpenThe 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 25 through June 8, 2008....
, and at
WimbledonThe 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year...
, when he was going for six straight wins to break
Björn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
's record. At the
Australian OpenThe 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
, Federer lost in the semifinals to Djokovic, which ended his record of 10 consecutive finals. Federer lost twice in Master Series 1000 finals on clay to Nadal, at Monte Carlo and Hamburg. However, Federer captured two titles in 250-level events at Estoril and Halle and one title in a 500 level event in Basel. In doubles, Federer and
Stanislas WawrinkaStanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
won the gold medal at the
Olympic GamesThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles, the
French OpenThe 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
over
Robin SöderlingRobin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, and
WimbledonThe 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
over
Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
. Federer reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Nadal at the
Australian OpenThe 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, and to
Juan Martín del PotroJuan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
at the
US OpenThe 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
. Federer won two more events, the first at the Madrid Masters over Nadal in the final on clay. The second was in Cincinnati over Djokovic, although Federer lost to Djokovic in Basel, later in the year. Federer completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title and won a men's record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title, which is one more than
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
's mark of fourteen.
In 2010, Federer slowed down in his milestones and achievements. The year started with a win at the
Australian OpenThe 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
, defeating Andy Murray in the final. But at the
French OpenThe 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the
2004 French OpenThe 2004 French Open was the 103rd edition of the tournament. Gastón Gaudio became the first men's Open Era Grand Slam title winner to save match points in the final; the last time that had happened was 70 years earlier. Gaudio also became the first Argentine man since Guillermo Vilas to win a...
, losing to Söderling, in the quarterfinals, and losing his no. 1 ranking. At the French Open, Federer won his 700th tour match and 150th tour match on clay. Federer was just one week away from equaling
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
's record of 286 weeks as world no. 1. In a big surprise at Wimbledon, Federer lost in the quarterfinal to
Tomáš BerdychTomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
, and fell to world no. 3 in the rankings. At the
2010 US OpenJuan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August...
, Federer reached the semifinals, avenging his French Open loss to Söderling in the quarterfinals, but then lost a five-set match to third seed
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. Federer made it to four
Masters 1000The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
finals, losing three of them (the
Madrid OpenRoger Federer was the defending champion, but Rafael Nadal defeated him 4–6, 6–7, in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray...
, the Canadian Masters, and the Shanghai Masters) while winning the the
Cincinnati MastersThe Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
against
Mardy FishMardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
. In 2010 Federer equaled Agassi for the number of Masters wins at 17 and tied
Bjorn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
's mark for number of total titles won, moving to just one behind Sampras. Towards the middle of July, Federer hired
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
' old coach
Paul AnnaconePaul Annacone is a former touring professional tennis player and current well-known tennis coach.-As a college player:...
to put his tennis game and career on the right path on a trial basis.
Federer won two lesser titles at the
Stockholm OpenThe If Stockholm Open is a tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year. The organizer of the tournament is The Royal Lawn Tennis Club of Stockholm....
and the
Davidoff Swiss IndoorsThe Swiss Indoors is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit between 1970 and 1989. It is currently part of the World Tour 500 Series of the ATP Tour. It is held annually at the St...
which brought his tally to 65 career titles. Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships by beating rival
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, for his fifth title at the event. He showed much of his old form, beating all contenders except Nadal in straight sets. Since Wimbledon 2010, Federer had a win-loss record of 34–4 and had multiple match points in two of his losses: to
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
in the semifinal of the US Open, and to
Gaël MonfilsGaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
in the semifinal of the Paris Masters. Federer did not play in the 2010 Davis Cup.
The year 2011, although great by most players' standards, was a lean year for Federer. He was defeated in straight sets in the semifinals of the
2011 Australian OpenThe 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
by eventual champion
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not hold any four of the Major titles. In the
French OpenThe 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
semifinal, Federer ended Djokovic's undefeated streak of 43 consecutive wins with a stunning four set victory. However, Federer then lost in the final to
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. At Wimbledon, Federer advanced to his 29th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, but lost to
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It marked the first time in his career that he had lost a Grand Slam match after winning the first two sets. At the
US OpenThe 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, Federer lost a much-anticipated semifinal match with
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, after squandering two match points in the fifth set which ironically, repeated his previous year's result against Djokovic and added a second loss from two sets up in Grand Slam play to his record. The loss at Flushing Meadows meant that Federer did not win any of the four Majors in 2011- the first time this has happened since 2002. During this 2011 season, Federer did win the
Qatar OpenThe 2011 Qatar Open, known as the 2011 Qatar ExxonMobil Open for sponsorship reasons, was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 19th edition of the Qatar Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
defeating
Nikolay DavydenkoNikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
in the final. However,
he lost the final in Dubai, to Djokovic, and also lost the
Miami MastersThe 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
and Madrid Open semifinals to
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. In pulling out of the
2011 Shanghai MastersThe Shanghai Masters is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It is held annually in October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's...
, Federer dropped out of the top 3 for the first time since June 2003. Later in the season, things did begin to pick up for Federer. He ended a 10 month title drought and won the Swiss Indoors for the fifth time. Federer followed this up with his first win at the Paris Masters, where he reached his first final at the event and defeated
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. At the
2011 ATP World Tour FinalsThe 2011 ATP World Tour Finals was a tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 20 and November 27, 2011. The defending champion in singles was world no. 4 Roger Federer, while the defending champions in doubles were Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić...
, Federer crushed Rafael Nadal, in exactly one hour en route to the semifinals, where he defeated David Ferrer to reach the final at the year-end championships for the 7th time, his 100th tour-level final overall. As a result of this win, Federer also regained the world no. 3 ranking from Andy Murray. In the final, he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the third consecutive Sunday and, in doing so, claimed his record 6th ATP World Tour Finals title.
Federer vs. Nadal
Federer and
NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.
They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 14 September 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray became the new No. 2). They are the only pair of men to have ever finished four consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked number 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is five years younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.
Nadal leads their head-to-head 17–9. However, most of their matches have been on clay, which is statistically Nadal's best surface and statistically Federer's worst surface. Federer has a winning record on grass (2–1) and indoor hard courts (4–0) while Nadal leads the outdoor hard courts by 4–1 and clay by 12–2. Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 19 of their matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record 8 Grand Slam finals. From 2006 to 2008 they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and then they met in the 2009 Australian Open final and the 2011 French Open final. Nadal won six of the eight, losing the first two Wimbledons. Three of these matches were five set-matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open), and the 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. They have also played in a record 9
Masters SeriesThe ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...
finals, including their lone five hour match at the 2006
Rome MastersThe Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
which Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break having saved two match points.
Until 14 September 2009, when Juan Martín del Potro beat Nadal in the US Open semifinal on his way to defeating Federer in the final itself, no player had beaten both Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam. Federer was undefeated in US Open finals until losing in five sets to del Potro (5). Both Federer and Nadal have won Grand Slam events on three different surfaces successively (2008 French Open, 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open for Nadal and 2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon for Federer). Federer lost to Nadal on 5 June 2011 in the French Open final. This rivalry is also part of the "Trivalry" between Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
Federer vs. Djokovic
The two have met 24 times with Federer leading 14–10, and 5–4 in Grand Slam events. Djokovic is the only player besides Nadal to have defeated Federer more than once in a Grand Slam tournament since 2004, the only player besides Nadal to defeat Federer in consecutive grand slam tournaments (2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open) and the only player besides Nadal who has "double figure" career wins over Federer. Djokovic is one of two (the other again being Nadal) players currently on tour to have defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam (2008 Australian Open and 2011 Australian Open).
Because of the continuously improving game and general rise of Djokovic in the last 3 years, many experts include Djokovic when talking about Nadal and Federer (all 3 have played each other at least 24 times) and Federer has cited his rivalry with Djokovic as his second favorite after his rivalry with Nadal. Experts such as John McEnroe have said that this is the beginning of a new change in tennis and have coined the current situation "The Trivalry" between Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer. Djokovic's recent back-to-back-to-back wins against Federer at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells tournament have made this rivalry even more intense. During that span, Djokovic had gone on a 43–0 winning streak dating back to the Davis Cup final the previous year. Federer ended Djokovic's perfect 41–0 season defeating him in the semifinals of the 2011 French Open, but Djokovic was able to avenge his loss at the 2011 US Open, and Federer lost with a score of. Federer cited this as one of the greatest losses in his career, as he had 2 consecutive match points in set five, with his serve, and was 2 sets up before Djokovic came back in what has become one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history (according to John McEnroe). McEnroe claimed that Djokovic's crosscourt forehand return was "one of the great all-time shots in tennis history" and that the semi was one of the greatest matches in history. Djokovic ended Federer's streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title per year and Djokovic became the second male tennis player to have at least 10 wins against Federer (the other being Nadal).
This rivalry is part of the "Trivalry" that consists of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer. This rivalry is one of the greatest in the Open Era and many experts have included Federer vs Djokovic as one of the best hard-court rivalries in the Open Era.
Federer vs. Hewitt
Federer and
Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
have played each other on 26 occasions. Early in their careers, Hewitt dominated Federer, winning seven of their first nine meetings, including a victory from two sets down in the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal which allowed Australia to defeat Switzerland. However, from 2004 onward, Federer has dominated the rivalry, winning 16 of the last 17 meetings to emerge with a 18–8 overall head-to-head record. This is Federer's longest rivalry as these two first played each other as juniors in 1996. They have met in one Grand Slam final, the 2004 US Open final, where Federer won to win his first US Open title. Federer is 9–0 against Hewitt in Grand Slams, and has won six of the Grand Slams in which he has defeated Hewitt.
Federer vs. Nalbandian
David NalbandianDavid Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
was Federer's biggest rival earlier in his career. Both players had an outstanding junior career, Federer won the Wimbledon junior title and Nalbandian won the US Open junior title (beating Federer). Even though Federer has a narrow advantage against Nalbandian, leading their meetings 11–8, Nalbandian beat Federer in their first five meetings after turning professional, including the fourth round of both the Australian Open and US Open in 2003. Their most impressive match was in the 2005 Shanghai Tennis Master Cup, where Nalbandian came back from being two sets to love down against Federer and ultimately prevailed in a fifth set tiebreak. The loss prevented Federer from tying John McEnroe's 82–3 all-time single year record, set in 1984. Nalbandian, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Murray have beaten Federer 8 times, with only Rafael Nadal and
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
recording more victories over Federer.
Federer vs. Murray
These two have met 14 times, all hard courts, with Murray leading 8–6. Federer has won each of their Grand Slam matches (both were in the final) in straight sets at the 2008 US Open and 2010 Australian Open, but Murray leads 5–1 in ATP 1000 tournaments. They have met three times in the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray winning in Shanghai in 2008 and Federer in London in 2009 and 2010. Apart from Nadal, Murray is the only other current top ten player to have a positive head to head record against Federer.
Federer vs. Roddick
One of Federer's longest rivalries is with
Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
.
Having met on many occasions, including four Grand Slam finals (three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open), Federer leads 21–2. Federer's dominance on the tour emerged as Roddick rose to World No. 1 ranking in 2003.
In the 2009 Wimbledon final Roddick took Federer to five sets. It included a fifth-set made up of 30 games (a Grand Slam final record) with the match lasting over 4 hours. With that victory, Federer broke Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles.
Playing style
Federer's versatility was summarized by
Jimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer."
Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his style of play and exceptional shot making. Federer mainly plays from the baseline but is also comfortable at the net being one of the best volleyers in the game today. He has a very effective
smashA smash in tennis is a shot that is hit above the head with a serve-like motion. A smash can usually be hit with great force relatively safely and is often a shot that ends the point. Most smashes are hit fairly near the net or in mid-court before the ball bounces, generally against lobs that have...
and very effectively performs rare elements in today's tennis, such as backhand smash, half-volley and jump smash (slam dunk).
David Foster WallaceDavid Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays, and short stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...
described Federer's exceptional speed, fluidity and brute force of this forehand motion as "a great liquid whip," while
John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport." Federer is also known for his efficient movement around the court and excellent footwork, which enables him to run around shots directed to his backhand and instead hit a powerful inside-out or inside-in forehand, one of his best shots. Federer plays with a single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. He employs the
sliceIn racquet sports, backspin , is a shot such that the ball rotates backwards after it is hit. The trajectory of the shot involves an upward force that lifts the ball...
, occasionally using it to lure the opponent to the net and pass him. Federer can also fire
topspinIn ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates as if rolling in the same direction as it is moving. Topspin on a shot imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air . It can be generated by hitting the ball with an up-and-forward swing, with...
winners and possesses a 'flick' backhand where he can generate pace with his wrist; this is usually used to pass the opponent at the net. His
serveA serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player begins a serve by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite backside box without being stopped by the net. The ball can only touch the net on a return and will be considered good if it falls on the opposite side...
is difficult to read because he always uses a similar ball toss regardless of what type of serve he is going to hit and where he aims to hit it, and turns his back to his opponents during his motion. He is often able to produce big serves on key points during a match. His first serve is typically around 200 km/h (125 mph), however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph). Federer is accomplished at
serve and volleyServe and volley is a style of play in tennis where the player serving moves quickly towards the net after hitting a serve. The server then attempts to hit a volley , as opposed to the baseline style, where the server would stay back following the serve and attempt to hit a groundstroke Serve and...
ing, and used this tactic especially frequently in his early career. His speciality is a half-volley from the baseline which enables him to play very near to the baseline and to pick up balls (even deeper ones) very early after their bounce, thus giving his opponents less time to react on his shot. Late in his career Federer also added the drop shot to his game and utilizes a well-disguised one off of both wings. He sometimes uses a between-the-legs shot, which is colloquially referred to as a "tweener." His most notable use of the tweener was in the semifinals of the
2009 US OpenThe 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
against
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, bringing him match point.
Equipment, apparel, endorsements
Federer currently plays with a customised
Wilson Six.One Tour BLXThe Wilson Sporting Goods Company is a sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, and currently is a foreign subsidiary of the Finnish company Amer Sports....
tennis racquet, which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 12.5 ounces (354.4 g), and thin beam of 18 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3). Federer
stringsIn tennis, the strings are the part of a tennis racquet which make contact with the ball. The strings form a woven network inside the head of the racquet...
his racquets at 21.5kg mains/20kg crosses pre stretched 20%, utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his cross strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his main strings. When asked about string tensions, Federer stated "this depends on how warm the days are and with what kind of balls I play and against who I play. So you can see – it depends on several factors and not just the surface; the feeling I have is most important."
Federer is one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. He has a contract with
NikeNike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
footwear and apparel. For the 2006 championships at Wimbledon, Nike designed a jacket emblazoned with a crest of three tennis racquets, symbolising the three Wimbledon Championships he had previously won, and which was updated the next year with four racquets after he won the Championship in 2006. In Wimbledon 2008 and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan. He also has his own logo, an R and F joined together.
Federer endorses Gillette,
JuraJura Elektroapparate AG is a Swiss developer and distributor of home appliances, headquartered in Niederbuchsiten, Canton of Solothurn. The company was founded in 1931 by Leo Henzirohs. Formerly, Jura ran its own factory, but outsourced production to outside companies in the 1990s.Jura is currently...
, a Swiss-based coffee machine company, as well as
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
and
NetJetsNetJets, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, offers fractional ownership and rental of private business jets.-History:NetJets Inc., formerly Executive Jet Aviation, was founded in 1964 as one of the first private business jet charter and aircraft management companies...
. Federer also endorses
RolexRolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
watches, although he was previously an ambassador for
Maurice LacroixMaurice Lacroix is a luxury brand of Swiss watches based in the Canton of Jura and headquartered in Zurich.-History:Maurice Lacroix was founded as part of Desco von Schulthess of Zurich in 1975. Founded in 1889, Desco von Schulthess is an older company with roots in the silk trade...
. Also in 2009 Federer became brand ambassador for Swiss chocolate makers Lindt. In 2010 his endorsement by Mercedes-Benz China was extended into a global Mercedes-Benz partnership deal.
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the round robin. Rafael Nadal would have been seeded number one, but pulled out pre-tournament citing a knee injuryNovak Djokovic won in the final 6–1, 7–5, against Nikolay Davydenko.-Seeds:...
| 2009 | 2010 Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but did not qualify for the event.Roger Federer won the tournament after beating Rafael Nadal 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 in the final. It was his fifth title of the year and his fifth year-end championships title. The single set that he lost to Nadal was the only...
| 2011 The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2011 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...
| 2012 The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2012 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...
| |SR | |W–L | |Win % |
| Grand Slam Tournaments |
| Australian Open |
A |
LQ |
3R |
3R |
4R |
4R |
W |
SF |
W |
W |
SF |
F |
W Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but retired due to a right knee injury trailing 3–6, 6–7, 0–3 in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray.Roger Federer met Andy Murray in the final of this event...
|
SF Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament by defeating Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final. It was Djokovic's 2nd title at the Australian Open, with this title bearing many resemblances to his title in 2008. Djokovic...
|
|
4 / 12 |
59–8 |
88.06 |
| French Open |
A |
1R |
4R |
QF |
1R |
1R |
3R |
SF |
F |
F |
F |
W Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost in the fourth round to Robin Söderling. This was Nadal's first ever defeat at the French Open, having won the title in all six of his other appearances...
|
QF Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth...
|
F Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and, after this tournament, six-time winner of this event defended his title by beating long-time rival Roger Federer for his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time in the open era. Notably, the Spaniard played his first ever...
|
|
1 / 13 |
49–12 |
80.33 |
| Wimbledon |
A |
1R |
1R |
QF |
1R |
W |
W |
W |
W |
W |
F |
W |
QF The Men's Singles event at the 2010 saw Rafael Nadal, the World No. 1 and 2nd seed, defeat 12th seed Tomáš Berdych 6–3 7–5 6–4 in the final to win his 2nd Wimbledon title, and his 8th Grand Slam title overall....
|
QF Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title. Upon reaching the final, he gained the World No.1 ranking as a result. This marks the first time that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal is ranked No...
|
|
6 / 13 |
59–7 |
89.39 |
| US Open |
A |
LQ |
3R |
4R |
4R |
4R |
W |
W |
W |
W |
W |
F |
SF Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August...
|
SF Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but was defeated in the final by Novak Djokovic with a score of 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 6–1. Djokovic claimed his first US Open title, his third Grand Slam of the year, and his fourth Grand Slam overall.-Seeds:...
|
|
5 / 12 |
61–7 |
89.71 |
| Win–Loss |
0–0 |
0–2 |
7–4 |
13–4 |
6–4 |
13–3 |
22–1 |
24–2 |
27–1 |
26–1 |
24–3 |
26–2 |
20–3 |
20–4 |
|
16 / 50 |
228–34 |
87.02 |
Finals: 23 (16 titles, 7 runners-up)
| Outcome |
Year |
Championship |
Surface |
Opponent in the final |
Score in the final |
| Winner |
2003 |
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
(1) |
Grass |
 Mark PhilippoussisMark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry....
|
7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3) |
| Winner |
2004 The 2004 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tournament held in Melbourne, Australia 19 January to 1 February, 2004.-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Marat Safin, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2...
|
Australian Open (1) |
Hard |
 Marat SafinMarat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
|
7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner |
2004 |
Wimbledon (2) |
Grass |
 Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
|
4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 |
| Winner |
2004 |
US Open (1) |
Hard |
Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
|
6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 |
| Winner |
2005 |
Wimbledon (3) |
Grass |
Andy Roddick |
6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
| Winner |
2005 |
US Open (2) |
Hard |
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
|
6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1 |
| Winner |
2006 The 2006 Australian Open was played between 16 and 29 January 2006.- Leadup :Several leading men's players declined to attend the Open due to injury, including Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and defending champion Marat Safin....
|
Australian Open (2) |
Hard |
 Marcos BaghdatisAt the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
|
5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 |
| Runner-up |
2006The 2006 French Open was held in Paris, France from May 28 to June 11, 2006. Both defending champions, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin-Hardenne, retained their titles. It is one of the four tennis Grand Slams. This edition made history as it became the first Grand Slam tournament to start on a...
|
French Open (1) |
Clay |
 Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
|
6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Winner |
2006 |
Wimbledon (4) |
Grass |
Rafael Nadal |
6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3 |
| Winner |
2006 |
US Open (3) |
Hard |
Andy Roddick |
6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner |
2007 The 2007 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 15 January until 28 January 2007.The total prize pool was set at exactly A$20 million, with the winners of both the men's and women's singles competition each receiving A$1,281,000. Over 500 players...
|
Australian Open (3) |
Hard |
 Fernando González----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
|
7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up |
2007 The 2007 French Open was held in Paris, France from 27 May through to 10 June 2007. Followed two weeks later, as usual, by Wimbledon in London, United Kingdom. Rafael Nadal became the first man to win the tournament 3 times consecutively since Björn Borg, 1978–81; and maintained his unbeaten run...
|
French Open (2) |
Clay |
Rafael Nadal |
3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner |
2007 |
Wimbledon (5) |
Grass |
Rafael Nadal |
7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2 |
| Winner |
2007 |
US Open (4) |
Hard |
 Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
|
7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
| Runner-up |
2008The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 25 through June 8, 2008....
|
French Open (3) |
Clay |
Rafael Nadal |
1–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
| Runner-up |
2008 |
Wimbledon (1) |
Grass |
Rafael Nadal |
4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8), 7–9 |
| Winner |
2008 |
US Open (5) |
Hard |
Andy Murray |
6–2, 7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up |
2009 The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
|
Australian Open (1) |
Hard |
Rafael Nadal |
5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 2–6 |
| Winner |
2009 The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
|
French Open (1) |
Clay |
 Robin SöderlingRobin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
|
6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4 |
| Winner |
2009 |
Wimbledon (6) |
Grass |
Andy Roddick |
5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14 |
| Runner-up |
2009 The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
|
US Open (1) |
Hard |
 Juan Martín del PotroJuan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
|
6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
| Winner |
2010 The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
|
Australian Open (4) |
Hard |
Andy Murray |
6–3, 6–4, 7–6(13–11) |
| Runner-up |
2011 The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
|
French Open (4) |
Clay |
Rafael Nadal |
5–7, 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 1–6 |
Year-End Championship performance timeline
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the round robin. Rafael Nadal would have been seeded number one, but pulled out pre-tournament citing a knee injuryNovak Djokovic won in the final 6–1, 7–5, against Nikolay Davydenko.-Seeds:...
| 2009 | 2010 Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but did not qualify for the event.Roger Federer won the tournament after beating Rafael Nadal 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 in the final. It was his fifth title of the year and his fifth year-end championships title. The single set that he lost to Nadal was the only...
| 2011 The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2011 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...
| 2012 The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2012 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...
| |SR | |W–L | |Win % |
| Year-End Championship tournaments |
| YEC |
NQ |
NQ |
NQ |
NQ |
SF |
W |
W |
F |
W |
W |
RR Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the round robin. Rafael Nadal would have been seeded number one, but pulled out pre-tournament citing a knee injuryNovak Djokovic won in the final 6–1, 7–5, against Nikolay Davydenko.-Seeds:...
|
SF |
W Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but did not qualify for the event.Roger Federer won the tournament after beating Rafael Nadal 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 in the final. It was his fifth title of the year and his fifth year-end championships title. The single set that he lost to Nadal was the only...
|
W Roger Federer was the defending champion and confirmed the title, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 in the final. It was the 6th ATP World Tour Finals title for Federer and the 70th title of his whole career.-Seeds:...
|
|
6 / 10 |
39–7 |
84.78 |
| Win–Loss |
0–0 |
0–0 |
0–0 |
0–0 |
3–1 |
5–0 |
5–0 |
4–1 |
5–0 |
4–1 |
1–2 |
2–2 |
5–0 |
5–0 |
|
Finals: 7 (6 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Outcome |
Year |
Championship |
Surface |
Opponent in the final |
Score in the final |
| Winner |
2003 The 2003 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 34th edition of the year-end singles championships and the 29th edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the 2003 ATP Tour...
|
Houston |
Hard |
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
|
6–3, 6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner |
2004 The 2004 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 30th edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the 2004 ATP Tour...
|
Houston |
Hard |
Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
|
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up |
2005 The 2005 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 36th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 31st edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the 2005 ATP Tour...
|
 Shanghai |
Carpet (i) |
David NalbandianDavid Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
|
7–6(7–4), 7–6(13–11), 2–6, 1–6, 6–7(3–7) |
| Winner |
2006 The 2006 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 37th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 32nd edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the 2006 ATP Tour...
|
Shanghai |
Hard (i) |
James Blake James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
|
6–0, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner |
2007 The 2007 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 38th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 33rd edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the 2007 ATP Tour...
|
Shanghai |
Hard (i) |
David FerrerDavid Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
|
6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner |
2010 The 2010 ATP World Tour Finals was held at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 21 and November 28, 2010...
|
 London |
Hard (i) |
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
|
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner |
2011 The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals was a tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 20 and November 27, 2011. The defending champion in singles was world no. 4 Roger Federer, while the defending champions in doubles were Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić...
|
London |
Hard (i) |
 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–3 |
Olympic games
Finals: 1 (1 title)
| Outcome |
Year |
Championship |
Surface |
Partner |
Opponents |
Score in the final |
| Winner |
2008The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
|
Beijing The Men's Doubles tennis competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held from August 10 to August 16 at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre. The DecoTurf surface rendered the event a hardcourt tournament. Matches were best-of-3 sets, except for the final which was best-of-5 sets...
|
Hard |
 Switzerland WawrinkaStanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
|
Sweden Aspelin Simon Aspelin is a former professional tennis doubles player from Sweden who turned professional in 1998...
Sweden JohanssonKarl Thomas Conny Johansson , commonly known as Thomas Johansson, is a former Swedish professional tennis player. He is a former Australian Open singles champion and Olympic silver medalist in doubles.-Junior career:...
|
6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–3 |
Records
- These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis.
- Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
- Records in italics are currently active streaks.
| Time span |
Selected Grand Slam tournament records |
Players matched |
Wimbledon 2003 —
Australian Open 2010 |
16 titles |
Stands alone |
Wimbledon 2003 —
French Open 2009 |
Career Grand Slam |
Rod LaverRodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
|
Wimbledon 2003 —
French Open 2011 |
23 finals |
Stands alone |
Wimbledon 2005 —
US Open 2007 |
10 consecutive finals |
Stands alone |
Wimbledon 2004 —
Australian Open 2010 |
23 consecutive semifinals |
Stands alone |
Wimbledon 2004 —
US Open 2011 |
30 consecutive quarterfinals |
Stands alone |
| 2006–2007 |
2 consecutive years winning 3+ titles |
Stands alone |
| 2004 & 2006–2007 |
3 years winning 3+ titles |
Stands alone |
| 2004–2007 |
4 consecutive years winning 2+ titles |
Stands alone |
| 2004–2007 & 2009 |
5 years winning 2+ titles |
Stands alone |
| 2003–2010 |
8 consecutive years winning 1+ title |
Björn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
|
Australian Open 2004 —
Australian Open 2010 |
9 hard-court titles |
Stands alone |
Wimbledon 2003 —
Australian Open 2006 |
First 7 finals won |
Stands alone |
Australian Open 2004 —
US Open 2011 |
8 consecutive years winning 20+ matches |
Stands alone |
French Open 2006 —
US Open 2009 |
Runner-up finishes at all 4 grand slams |
Ivan LendlIvan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
|
US Open 2006 —
French Open 2007 |
36 consecutive sets won |
Stands alone |
| US Open 2007 |
35 consecutive service points won |
Stands alone |
| US Open 2007 |
$2.4 million earned at one event |
Stands alone |
| Wimbledon 2009 |
50 aces in a final |
Stands alone |
French Open 2004 —
Wimbledon 2008 |
18 consecutive No. 1 seeds |
Stands alone |
Wimbledon 2003 —
Australian Open 2010 |
4+ titles at 3 different grand slams |
Stands alone |
2003 Wimbledon -
2011 French Open |
5+ finals at all 4 grand slams |
Stands alone |
2003 Wimbledon -
2011 French Open |
6+ semifinals at all 4 grand slams |
Stands alone |
2003 Wimbledon -
2007 French Open |
2+ consecutive finals at all 4 grand slams |
Ivan LendlIvan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
|
2003 Wimbledon -
2009 French Open |
5+ consecutive semifinals at all 4 grand slams |
Stands alone |
2003 Wimbledon -
2011 US Open |
7+ consecutive quarterfinals at all 4 grand slams |
Stands alone |
2005 Wimbledon —
2007 French Open |
2 winning streaks of 25+ matches |
Stands alone |
2005 Wimbledon —
2009 US Open |
3 winning streaks of 20+ matches |
Stands alone |
2004 Wimbledon —
2009 US Open |
5 winning streaks of 15+ matches |
Stands alone |
| Grand Slam tournaments |
Time Span |
Records at each Grand Slam tournament |
Players matched |
| Australian Open |
2004–2010 |
4 titles overall |
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
|
| Australian Open |
2006–2007 |
2 consecutive titles |
Ken RosewallKenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
Guillermo VilasGuillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:...
Johan KriekJohan Kriek is a South African American professional male tennis player and founder of the Global Water Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to delivering clean water to the world's neediest communities. Kriek has won two Australian Opens and has reached the semi-finals at the French...
Mats WilanderMats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
Stefan EdbergStefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix...
Ivan LendlIvan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
Jim CourierJames Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...
Andre Agassi |
| Australian Open |
2004–2010 |
5 finals overall |
Stefan Edberg |
| Australian Open |
2004–2011 |
8 consecutive semifinals |
Stands alone |
| Australian Open |
2007 |
Won without dropping a set |
Ken Rosewall |
| Australian Open |
2000–2011 |
59 singles match wins |
Stands alone |
| French Open |
2006–2009 |
4 consecutive finals |
Björn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
Ivan Lendl
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
|
| French Open |
2006–2008, 2011 |
4 runner-ups |
Stands alone |
| French Open |
2006–2008 |
3 consecutive runner-ups |
Stands alone |
| French Open |
2005–2009 |
5 consecutive semifinals |
Stands alone |
| French Open—Wimbledon |
2009 |
1 "Channel Slam": Winning both tournaments in the same year |
Rod LaverRodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
Björn Borg
Rafael Nadal |
| Wimbledon |
2003–2007 |
5 consecutive titles |
Björn Borg |
| Wimbledon |
2003–2009 |
7 finals overall |
Boris BeckerBoris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
|
| Wimbledon |
2003–2009 |
7 consecutive finals |
Stands alone |
| Wimbledon |
2003–2009 |
7 consecutive semifinals |
Stands alone |
| US Open |
2004–2008 |
5 titles overall |
Jimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
Pete Sampras |
| US Open |
2004–2008 |
5 consecutive titles |
Stands alone |
| US Open |
2004–2009 |
40 consecutive match victories |
Stands alone |
| Time span |
Other selected records |
Players matched |
2 February 2004 —
17 August 2008 |
237 consecutive weeks at No.1 |
Stands alone |
October 2003 —
January 2005 |
26 consecutive match victories vs. top 10 opponents |
Stands alone |
| 2005–2006 |
56 consecutive hard-court match victories |
Stands alone |
| 2003–2008 |
65 consecutive grass-court match victories |
Stands alone |
| 2003–2005 |
24 consecutive tournament finals won |
Stands alone |
| 2006 |
9 hard court titles in 1 season |
Jimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
|
| 2006 |
94.12% of tournament finals reached in 1 season |
Stands alone |
| 2006–2007 |
2-season match winning percentage over 96% |
Stands alone |
| 2004–2007 |
3-season match winning percentage over 95% |
Stands alone |
| 2004–2007 |
4-season match winning percentage of 92.92% |
Stands alone |
| 2004–2007, 2009 |
5-seasons match winning percentage over 90.9% |
Björn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
|
| 2002–2011 |
30 Masters 1000 finals reached |
Stands alone |
| 2004–2008 |
2 consecutive Olympic games as wire-to-wire No. 1 |
Stands alone |
| 2005–2007 |
3 consecutive calendar years as wire-to-wire No. 1 |
Stands alone |
| 2005–2007 |
3 calendar years as wire-to-wire No. 1 |
Jimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
|
| 2003–2011 |
6 ATP World Tour Finals titles |
Stands alone |
| 2007 |
$10 million earned in a season |
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
|
| 2005–2007 |
2 winning streaks of 35+ matches |
Björn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
|
| 2004–2009 |
6 winning streaks of 20+ matches |
Stands alone |
See also
Video
- Wimbledon Classic Match: Federer vs Sampras Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 31 October 2006, Run Time: 233 minutes, ASIN: B000ICLR98.
- Wimbledon 2007 Final: Federer vs. Nadal (2007) Kultur White Star, DVD Release Date: 30 October 2007, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN: B000V02CU0.
- Wimbledon — The 2008 Finals: Nadal vs. Federer Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 19 August 2008, Run Time: 300 minutes, ASIN: B001CWYUBU.
External links
Profiles