After 20 Grand Slams, 1251 victories, 103 titles, and an astonishing 310 weeks as world number one, Roger Federer finally called time on his legendary career. The Swiss maestro changed the face of the sport with his effortless elegance on the court, and the 41-year-old will widely be remembered as the greatest to ever do it.
Eventually, age and injuries caught up with the living legend, and Federer will hang up his racquet following the Laver Cup in London later this month.
However, before Roger Federer leaves the Tennis court for one final time, we take a trip down memory lane to look at the five most unforgettable moments from his career.
It was a changing of the guard on the grass courts of the All-England Club in the summer of 2001 as Roger Federer shocked Pete Sampras with a stunning upset in the fourth round of Wimbledon. In their only competitive match against each other, Federer beat Sampras in a five-set epic at age 19 in his first-ever appearance on centre court. With this win, Federer ended Sampras’ 31-match win streak at Wimbledon and prevented the American from winning a record sixth title in a row in London.
Although Federer didn’t go on to win Wimbledon that year, the Swiss maestro would eventually dominate on the grass courts of the All-England Club and win a record eight majors at the Championships.
Roger Federer completed his long-awaited career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2009 as he won his first and only French Open title. After falling short against Rafael Nadal throughout the prime of his career on the clay courts of Paris, Federer finally got his hands on the trophy with a straight-set victory over Robin Soderling in 2009, who had beaten Nadal earlier in the tournament in the fourth round.
Federer proclaimed this title as his greatest ever victory, and the Swiss maestro equalled Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major titles with this win on Court Philippe Chatrier.
After five years without a single Grand Slam title, Roger Federer reminded the world that he still has what it takes at age 35 as he beat Rafael Nadal in a five-set epic to win his 18th major crown. After missing most of the 2016 season due to injury, Federer eclipsed father time with a historic performance in Melbourne to win his fifth Australian Open title. Federer fought back from a break down in the fifth set to beat Nadal for the first time at a Grand Slam since the 2007 Wimbledon final.
More impressively, Federer followed this victory with another major’s win at Wimbledon in 2017 before defending his Australian Open title a year later to win Grand Slam number 20.
Roger Federer’s dominance wasn’t only limited to the grass courts of Wimbledon. The Swiss maestro also conquered New York with an unstoppable run at the US Open throughout the 2000s. Federer became the first player since Bill Tilden to win five US Open titles in a row, hoisting the trophy aloft each year from 2004 to 2008.
Federer’s historic run at Flushing Meadows eventually ended at the 2009 US Open, where he suffered a shocking upset against Martin del Potro in the final despite leading two sets to one and being just two points away from a historic sixth consecutive title in the fourth set.
Roger Federer reached the summit of the sport in 2009 when he beat Andy Roddick in the 2009 final to win a record 15th Grand Slam title. Federer passed his idol Pete Sampras’ tally of 14 with a phenomenal performance at the Championships, outlasting Roddick in a marathon five-set encounter that spanned four hours and 18 minutes.
Federer clinched his sixth Wimbledon title with a 16-14 victory in the deciding fifth set against the big-serving Roddick, a win which took him back above Nadal to the top of the ATP rankings and number one on the all-time list of Grand Slam titles.
[Featured Image Credit: Midway Gentleman]
Shivaan Shah