Roger Federer – The Living Legend of Tennis
Roger Federer is a remarkable tennis player in the history of the game. The adorable sportsperson has millions of ardent fans all over the globe who follow him fervently.
At the young age of eleven, he was one of the top junior tennis players. He exhibited his distinct capability in the game and in the year 2003, he won the Wimbledon to become the first Swiss man to win a grand slam singles title.
Now, Federer is the winner of 20 grand slam titles and holds the record for it. He won the Wimbledon title for a record-breaking eighth time in the year 2017.
To know more about the life of Roger Federer
Early life of Roger Federer
Roger Federer was born on the 8th of August in the year 1981, in Basel in Switzerland. His father Robert Federer is a Swiss and his mother Lynette Du Rand is a South African.
Roger and his elder sister Diana, grew up in Munchenstein town which was outside the city of Basel.
He showed interest in sports at an early age and when he was eight, he played soccer and tennis. But tennis was a passion for the entire roger family and everyone enjoyed it.
His first sporting hero was Boris Becker and he watched Becker playing in the Wimbledon final in the year 1988. Eventually, he broke into tears when Becker lost the game.
Because of the fondness towards the game, Roger became one of the top three junior players in Switzerland at the age of 11. Then he took tennis seriously and left all the other games.
He found his natural talents in Tennis, practiced it well and played two to three tournaments in a month.
But he was out of control most of the time during play and threw away his racket very often. Then from 11 to 14th age, he got training from Pete Carter, a tough Australian player who mended his techniques and his behaviors.
The training went on and when he was 14, he became the national junior champion and got the opportunity to undergo training at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens.
Then he joined the International Tennis Federation junior tennis circuit in the year 1996 and he got his first sponsorship at the age of 16.
When he was 18 he won the junior Wimbledon title and got the recognition as ITF World Junior Tennis Champion of the year.
Professional Career of Roger Federer
Reached top 100 – Between 1999 to 2000
After three years in Ecublens, Roger Federer joined a new training facility in Biel. It turned to be an opportunity to join with his coach Carter who was a staff there. Then he began his steady rise to the world’s top junior ranking.
In the year 1997, Peter Lundgren a former player from Sweden joined as a staff and Roger worked with him.
He helped Roger to refine his strokes and worked on his self-control. It yielded good results and Roger emerged as a polished teenage player.
As a result of it, Roger got the ITF’s #1 ranking by winning junior Wimbledon titles in singles and doubles in the year 1998. He also reached the finals of the U.S. Open.
Only three players so far won the junior singles in Wimbledon and went on to win the senior singles. With the right skills at his side, Roger wanted to become the fourth player to attain the feat.
He reached the quarter-finals in Toulouse and won the singles and doubles in Swiss satellite events.
Coach Lundgren had more experience and he was a Top-25 player in his time. Roger Federer preferred Lundgren than Carter but he frequently consulted the former coach.
In the year 1999, he performed well in the tournaments in Vienna, Rotterdam, and Basel. His biggest victory was the one he got over Carlos Moya, who was ranked number 5 at the time.
By the end of the year, he was the youngest member of the ATP Tour’s Top 100.
Roger Federer on the rise
Roger Federer In 2000 – 2001
In the year 2000, Roger Federer made his appearances in ATP finals. He participated in the Sydney Olympics and represented Switzerland. He lost the match in the quarter-final
The year 2001 was good for Federer. He won his first ATP singles title in Milan. In the championship, he defeated Goran Ivanisevic, Evgeny Kafelnikov, and Julien Boutter.
Then he led the Swiss Davis Cup to victory and he won both the singles and doubles title. The name ‘Federer Express’ appeared in the headlines.
The next important win, which etched his name in the tennis arena, was beating the tennis champion, Pete Sampras. Roger won the match in five sets and ended the 31-match winning streak of Pete Sampras.
He treated his injury in the summer and then played in the U.S. Open. He lost to Andre Agassi in the tournament. In the following European indoor tournaments, he reached the final in his hometown by winning Andy Roddick. In the final lost the match to Henman.
He won ATP doubles titles in Rotterdam and in Gstaad. Thus he got the #13 rank in the year and performed well on all surfaces.
Roger Federer exhibited a rare feat as a developing player and had a good winning record in hard courts, grass, clay, and carpet.
Roger Federer In 2002 – 2003
In the year 2002, he began the season with a victory in Sydney and advanced to the 16th round. Then he lost a match to Tommy Hass very narrowly.
Reaching the Top 10 spot remained a struggle as his play alternated between splendid and average performances.
In the summer season, Roger Federer managed to get into the Top 10 positions for the first time. But due to the lack of mental toughness, he was vulnerable in long matches.
Then came the death of Carter as a rude shock. It led Roger to focus on his game, his character, and relationships. He wanted to mend his ways to show his respect for Carter.
Roger played hard and it didn’t happen easily. He lost in the first round in the U.S. Hardcourts in Cincinnati. Then he came out of U.S. open after winning only three matches.
In September, he started to get victories. He beat Harazi in DavisCup. Roger also won the doubles event.
Roger reached #6 ranking in the year 2002 and he was the only player among the top 10 who won multiple singles and doubles championships.
In the year 2003, he ended the long-time relationship with IMG and asked his parents to handle his business dealings.
High Winning Percentage: 2004 – 2005
In 2004, Roger Federer won three grand slams titles and he won it for the first time in his career. By winning the Australian Open, he became the world no 1 for the first time.
Then he won his second Wimbledon crown and the U.S. Open.
He won three ATP Masters Series 1000 events and also won the ATP 500 series event in Dubai.
In the year 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the grand slam events. He lost the Australian Open and French Open in the semifinals.
He regained his dominance and won the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open titles.
Further, he won four ATP Masters series 1000 and two ATP 500 series. He maintained his No. 1 position for the entire season.
In the year Federer won 11 singles titles and his 81 match victory earned him the remarkable winning percentage of 95.2%.
The best season in Roger Federer’s career: 2006
The year 2006 was the best season in Federer’s career. The online magazine Tennis.com ranked this season as the second-best of all time in the Open Era. The first being the Rod Laver’s grand slam year 1969.
In the year he won the US Open double and he became the first man in the History to win it three times consecutively.
He won 12 singles titles and his match record was an astounding 92-5. He reached the finals of 16 of the 17 tournaments he played.
Roger Federer won three grand slam singles titles and he lost the French Open title to Nadal.
Then he won six ATP Masters series 1000 finals and won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo.
In the season he won 29 matches without break and won the 48 matches out of the 49 he played.
Dominance over young rivals: 2007
In the year 2007, Federer reached all four grand slam singles finals and won three of them. He won the Australian Open without losing a single set and he became the first man in the 21st century to accomplish this feat.
He won 41 matches without a break and this winning streak was the longest one in his career.
Then fans and commentators addressed him as ‘Darth Federer’ on the U.S.Open.
Roger Federer won in the Hamburg Masters final and he ended the Nadal’s 81-match winning streak. But he lost to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.
He played the Wimbledon final against Rafael Nadal and won the championship for the fifth time consecutively.
Federer faced the young Novac Djokovic in the U.S.Open final and won the close encounter.
He ended the season as No 1 for the fourth year in a row. Then he became the only player in history to win three major titles in a year for three years.
Olympic gold:2008
Roger Federer’s success in the year 2008 was affected by his suffering from mononucleosis and by a back injury at the end of the year.
He won one grand slam title, the U.S. Open in the year by defeating Andy Murray. In the year, Rafael Nadal defeated him in the French Open and Wimbledon.
At the Australian Open, he lost the semifinal match to Djokovic, who won the title. And he also lost in Masters Series 1000 finals to Nadal at Monte Carlo and also at Hamburg.
At the Olympic games, he won the gold medal in the doubles event but lost the singles event. He reached only the quarter-finals and lost the match to James Blake.
Eventually, he lost his ranking and ranked no 2 at the end of the year.
Grand Slam title record: 2009
Roger Federer began the season with a loss to Nadal in the Australian Open.
But in the Madrid Masters event, he defeated Nadal in the clay court.
Then he won the French Open. In the finals, he faced Soderling and won the match in straight sets.
In the Wimbledon final he faced Andy Roddick and won the match. It was his 15th grand slam singles winner and he broke the all-time record of Pete Sampras.
In the final in the Cincinnati Masters, he defeated Novak Djokovic. He defeated Solderling and Djokovic on the run to the finals in the US Open but lost the title to del Potro.
In the year he won his first French Open and surpassed Pete Sampras’s record of winning 14 grand slam titles. The 16-14 fifth set – he played in the finals of Wimbledon was also historic as the longest grand slam final.
He finished the season as the No1 for the fifth time.
Record in Australian Open:2010
Federer started the year with the win at the Australian Open. He defeated Andy Murray in the final. He equaled Andre Agassi’s record of winning the Australian Open four times.
In the French Open, he failed to reach the semi-final. He lost to Soderling in the last 8 round itself and lost the No 1 position.
In Wimbledon, he lost in the last 8 to Tomas Berdych. Subsequently, he fell to rank no 3, which happened for the first time in 6 years and 8 months.
In the US Open, he reached the semi-finals and lost the match to Novak Djokovic.
But he finished the year in good form. He won indoor titles and won the year-end championships in London.
Tour Finals title record:2011
He lost the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic. Though he defeated Djokovic in the semifinals, he lost the final of the French Open to Rafael Nadal.
In Wimbledon, he lost the quarterfinal match to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Then he lost the semi-final match to Novak Djokovic in the US Open.
Federer won matches in the indoor season and won the last three tournaments of the year. He maintained a 16 match winning streak and finished the year at rank no 3.
Olympic Silver and Rank No 1: 2012
In the year, Federer reached the semifinals of the Australian Open but lost the match to Rafael Nadal.
In the Rotterdam Open final, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro and won the title for the first time after the year 2005.
He played the Dubai Tennis Championships and defeated Andy Murray in the final to win the championship for the fifth time in his career.
Then he won the Indian Wells Masters and equaled the record of Rafael Nadal for winning 19 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
When he played at the Madrid Masters on the new blue clay surface, he beat Tomas Berdych in the final and regained the world No 2 ranking from Rafael Nadal.
In the French Open, he lost the semifinal match to Djokovic.
Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray in the Wimbledon and regained the No1 ranking. He equaled the record of Pete Sampras for winning the championship for the seventh time.
Federer lost the final match in the 2012 Olympics to Murray in straight sets and got the silver medal. But in the semifinal, he played for 4 hours 26 minutes. He won the third and final set 19-17, against del Potro.
He won the Cincinnati open by beating Novak Djokovic in the final. But he lost the US Open quarterfinal to Tomas Berdych.
He defeated Wawrinka in the Shanghai Masters and was at No 1 rank for the 300th week. In the ATP finals, he lost the match to Djokovic.
Injuries and drop in ranking: 2013
In the first four months of the year 2013, Federer didn’t reach any final. He suffered from back injuries and dropped from No 2 to No 6 in the ranking.
He won Gerry Weber Open and it was the only title he won in the year 2013.
Roger Federer lost the Wimbledon tournament in the second round itself and it was his worst defeat since 2003.
Then he experimented with various racquets in the summer season and came to use his regular Pro Staff 6.1 90 BLX racquet with the smaller 90-inch hitting area in the latter part of the season.
He lost the tournaments in Hamburg and Gstaad due to his back injuries.
Davis Cup: 2014
Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray in the Australian Open to reach the 11th consecutive semi-final in Melbourne. But he lost the match to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
He won the Dubai Tennis Championships by defeating Tomas Berdych in the final. Then in the Indian Wells Masters, he lost the final to Novak Djokovic in the final-set tiebreaker.
In the Davis Cup, he lost the final match to Stan Wawrinka. Then he won Halle Open by beating Alejandro Falla in the final.
At the Wimbledon final, Djokovic defeated him in a five-set match. Then Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated him in the Canadian Open.
He won his sixth Cincinnati crown by defeating David Ferrer and it was his 22nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.
Roger Federer lost the US Open semifinal match to Marin Cilic. He led Switzerland to the finals in the Davis Cup by winning both of his singles matches against Italy.
He beat Djokovic in the semifinals in the Shanghai Masters and Gillies Simon in the final. Federer got 23rd Masters 1000 title and returned to the No. 2 ranking.
Then Federer played Swiss Indoors and won his sixth title. He also reached the finals of the 2014 ATP World Tour. But he withdrew from the final because of a back injury.
Despite the injury, Federer finished the season on a high by defeating Richard Gasquet in Davis Cup. He won the Davis Cup for Switzerland for the first time in its history.
1,000th victory of Roger Federer: 2015
Roger Federer started the 2015 season by winning the Brisbane International. When he won the match, he became the third player after Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, who won 1000 or more matches.
Moreover, he became the first man who won at least one title in a year for the consecutive 15 years.
He played and won the Dubai event by playing the final against Novak Djokovic. And it became his third time winning a title, seven or more times after Wimbledon and Halle.
Then Roger played the Indian Wells and lost the match to Djokovic.
When Federer won the Istanbul Open clay-court tournament, it was his third title in the season. He won the match on the clay court after winning the French Open in 2009.
He lost the final match to Djokovic in the Italian Open and also lost the French Open in quarterfinals to Stan Wawrinka.
Ferderer won the Gerry Weber Open and he became the third man to win a title eight times. Then he advanced to his 10th Wimbledon final and lost the match to Novac Djokovic.
He defeated Andy Murray and Novac Djokovic to win the Cincinnati Masters for the seventh time. Federer reached the US Open final but was defeated by Djokovic.
Then he won the Swiss Indoors tournament by defeating Rafael Nadal and it was the seventh time he won his home town tournament.
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Injuries and setback of Roger Federer: 2016
Roger Federer started the season by playing in the Brisbane International. He was the defending champion in the tournament but he lost the final to Milos Raonic.
He lost the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Then he underwent knee surgery and missed Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells tournaments.
Federer made his comeback at the Monte-Carlo Masters but lost the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets.
He withdrew from the Madrid tournament due to a back injury. Then he participated in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia but lost it in the third round. He also withdrew from the French Open.
Federer lost in the semifinals of Stuttgart and Halle as he still suffered from recurring knee pain.
In the Wimbledon, when he reached the semifinals by defeating Marin Cilic, he equaled the all-time records of Jimmy Connors’ for eleven Wimbledon semifinals. Eventually, he lost the semifinal to Raonic and also injured his knee in the fifth set.
Federer also missed the 2016 Summer Olympics due to his injury. Finally, he ended the season by not winning a title and with the rank below the top ten.
Roger Federer won his 20th Major title: 2018
Federer partnered with Belinda Bencic and won the Hopman Cup to begin the season.
He reached the Australian Open final and defeated Marin Cilic in the five-set final. His sixth title win at the Australian open helped him to equal the record of Roy Emerson and Djokovic.
Federer also became the first man to win twenty grand slam titles. Then he won the Rotterdam Open title and returned to No. 1 in the ATP rankings. And he was the oldest ATP world No. 1 by more than three years.
In the Indian Wells Masters, he lost the finals to del Potro in a three-set match. When he lost the second match in Miami Open to Thanasi Kokkinakis, he lost his No 1 ranking to Nadal.
He won the Stuttgart Open and regained the No 1 ranking. In the following week, he lost his ranking when he failed to defend his title in Halle Open.
In the Wimbledon, he lost the quarter-final match to Kevin Anderson. Federer lost the Cincinnati final to Djokovic and it ended his 14 matches winning streak in Cincinnati.
Then in the US Open, he lost the match in the fourth round to John Millman. In the Laver Cup, he won both his singles matches and helped Team Europe to defend the title.
He lost the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters to Borna Coric in straight sets. He won the Swiss Indoors in straight sets by defeating Marius Copil in the final and it became his 99th singles title.
Federer reached the finals in Paris Masters but lost the match to Djokovic in three sets. He also lost the ATP match in the semifinal.
Hopman Cup record and 100 titles: 2019
Federer won the Hopman Cup with Belinda Bencic and became the first player to win the mixed-gender event three times.
In the Australian Open, 14th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated him in the fourth round.
Federer won his 100th career singles title by winning the Dubai tennis championships.
Then he reached the finals of the Indian Wells but lost the match to Dominic Thiem. In the Miami Open, he defeated John Isner and won the 4th Miami Open title.
After three years, he played in the clay-court tournament but he lost the Madrid Open in the quarterfinals. He withdrew from the Italian Open at the quarter-finals stage due to leg injury.
Federer next played in the French Open after a gap of four years. Though he avenged his defeat four years ago, by defeating Stan Wawrinka at the quarterfinals, he lost the semifinal match to Rafael Nadal.
He won the match at Halle by defeating David Goffin. With this winning, Federer became the first one to win a singles tournament for ten times or more.
In the Wimbledon Championships, Federer reached the final after defeating Nadal in the semifinals. But lost the final match to Djokovic, which lasted for four hours and fifty-seven minutes.
He lost the Cincinnati Masters to Andrey Rublev in the third round. In the US Open, Federer lost the quarter-finals match to Grigor Dimitrov.
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