Roger Federer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | ||
| Wimbledon 2009 | ||
| Country |  Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | Wollerau, Switzerland | |
| Date of birth | 8 August 1981 | |
| Place of birth | Basel, Switzerland | |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |
| Turned pro | 1998 | |
| Plays | Right-handed; one-handed backhand | |
| Career prize money | US$55,350,778 * All-time leader in earnings | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record | 688–162 (80.9%) | |
| Career titles | 62 | |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (February 2, 2004) | |
| Current ranking | No. 1 (February 1, 2010) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | W (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010) | |
| French Open | W (2009) | |
| Wimbledon | W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) | |
| US Open | W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) | |
| Major tournaments | ||
| Tour Finals | W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) | |
| Olympic Games | SF (2000) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record | 112–72 (60.9%) | |
| Career titles | 8 | |
| Highest ranking | No. 24 (9 June 2003) | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2003) | |
| French Open | 1R (2000) | |
| Wimbledon | QF (2000) | |
| US Open | 3R (2002) | |
| Major doubles tournaments | ||
| Olympic Games |  Gold Medal (2008) | |
| Last updated on: 24 November 2009. | ||
Federer has won 16 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other male player. He is one of six male players to have captured the career Grand Slam, one of only three (with Laver and Agassi) since the beginning of the Open Era and one of only two male players (the other being Agassi) in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 22 career Grand Slam finals, and as of January 2010, has reached the semi-finals or better of the last 23 Grand Slam tournaments, a record streak that spans over six years.Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has appeared in 18 of the last 19. Federer has won 4 ATP World Tour Finals and 16 ATP Masters Series tournaments, one fewer than all time winner Andre Agassi. He also won the Olympic Gold Medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. As a result of his successes in tennis, Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).
Childhood and personal life
Federer was born in Binningen, near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South Africa-born Lynette Du Rand.He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, near Basel, close to the French-German borders and Federer speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently.He was raised as a Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome.Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service 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 obligations.
Marriage and family
Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. They met while 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 24 July, Federer announced on his Facebook page that Mirka had given birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, on the previous day.Outreach and charitable efforts
Federer supports various 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 Katrina.He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006.Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the worst tsunami-affected areas in India.He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer responded by collaborating with fellow top tennis players Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur to forgo their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a special charity event called Hit For Haiti, in which all proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake victims.Tennis career
Junior ranks
Federer was four years old when Boris Becker – his childhood idol – won his first Wimbledon title in 1985. From then on, Federer watched "tennis matches on television for hours on end."Reflecting on his childhood, he said, "I liked tennis the best of all sports. It was always exciting and winning or losing was always in my hands."Soon after enrolling in school at the age of six, Federer became the best in his age group and trained three times a week in and around Basel.It was at these sessions where he became friends with Marco Chiudinelli, a "talented" boy a month younger than Federer. The boys often played squash, table tennis and soccer together. A region-wide top tennis group was formed when the pair was eight years old; despite playing for different clubs, they became members.They first played each other at an official event called The Bambino Cup in Arlesheim when both were eight. "Back then we only played one long set of up to nine games," Chiudinelli recollects. "Things weren't going well for me at the beginning. I was behind 2–5 and I started to cry. We cried a lot back then even during the matches. Roger came up to me and tried to comfort me when we switched sides. He told me everything would be alright, and in fact, things got better. I took the lead 7–6 and noticed that the tide had turned. Then he began to cry and I ran up to him and give him encouragement and things went better for him. It was the only time I could beat him.It was pretty loud when we were in training," Chiudinelli said. "We talked more than we trained, training didn't seem too important to us. We just wanted to have a good time and we goofed around a lot. One of us was frequently kicked off the court. Roger lost to practically everyone in training. He was the only one that I beat, but the difference was enormous. When it came down to business, he could flip a switch and become a completely different person. I admired that about him. I could give him a thrashing in training but when we played at a tournament together, he gave me a thrashing. Even back then he was a real competitor.
When he was 10, Federer began weekly private coaching with Adolf Kacovsky – a tennis coach at The Old Boys Tennis Club. "I noticed right away that this guy was a natural talent," said Kacovsky. "He was born with a racquet in his hand." At first, Federer received lessons only while part of a group, although "the club and I quickly noticed he was enormously talented. We began giving him private lessons that were partly funded by the club. Roger was a quick learner. When you wanted to teach him something new, he was able to pick it up after three of four tries, while others in the group needed weeks."
A "star pupil", the Swiss youngster always wanted to become the best in the world. "People laughed at him, including me," recollects Kacovsky. "I thought that he would perhaps become the best player in Switzerland or Europe but not the best in the world. He had it in his head and he worked at it."
He played football until the age of twelve when he decided to focus solely on tennis.At fourteen, he became the national champion of all groups in Switzerland and was chosen to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens. He joined the ITF junior tennis circuit in July 1996.In 1998, his final year as a junior, Federer won the junior Wimbledon title and was recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion of the year.
Early career in the ATP: 1998–2002
In July 1998, Federer joined the ATP tour at Gstaad, where he lost to Lucas Arnold Ker in straight sets. Although he played two more ATP tournaments in 1998, the majority of his matches were still at the Junior level.In April 1999, he debuted for the Swiss Davis Cup team against Italy and finished the year ranked World No. 66.During that time, he was the youngest player in the top 100. He also competed in his first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, but lost to Patrick Rafter in the first round after a 4 set match.He also made his first appearance at Wimbledon, where he entered as a wildcard. After a 5 set match, he lost in the first round to Czech player, Jiri Novak, who was then ranked 59th.In the same tournament, Federer partnered Lleyton Hewitt in the Men's Doubles, where they managed to reach the Round of 16, losing to Pat Rafter and Jonas Bjorkman in another 5 set match. In January 2000, Federer competed for the first time in the Australian Open, losing to 49th ranked Arnaud Clément of France in the third round.He then equaled this achievement in his very first US Open, losing in the third round to 12th ranked Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.After reaching the semi-finals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,Federer reached his first ATP final in Marseille, where he lost to compatriot Marc Rosset, and was also the runner-up in his home tournament at Basel.He did, however, win the Harry Hopman Cup in Australia defeating Jan-Michael Gambill in the final in straight sets.Even though he failed to make an impression at Grand Slams, it was the first year he played in all four.Federer would then end the year ranked World No. 29.
Federer at the 2002 US Open
Federer reached his first Masters Series final in 2002 at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where he lost to Andre Agassi. He won his next Masters final in Hamburg. He also won both his Davis Cup singles matches against former World No. 1 Russians Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. He had early-round exits at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open; Federer also suffered the devastating loss of his long-time Australian coach and mentor, Peter Carter, in a car crash in August.Federer reached No. 6 in the ATP Champions Race by the end of 2002.He jumped in the rankings from 13th at the end of September to 7th by the middle of October.This qualified him for the first time in the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup. However, his run at the tournament was ended in the semi-finals by then World No. 1 and eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt.
Top 10 and Grand Slam success: 2003–present
2003
In the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, Federer lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open to David Nalbandian. He then won two hard court tournaments in Marseille and Dubai before being upset in early round matches at the Masters Series tournaments in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. On clay, Federer won the tournament in Munich, was the runner-up at the Masters Series tournament in Rome, and lost in the third round of the Masters Series tournament in Hamburg. Federer was seeded fifth at the French Open but lost to Luis Horna in the first round. Federer was undefeated on grass in 2003, winning both of the grass court tournaments he played. A victory against Nicolas Kiefer in the final of the tournament in Halle was followed by his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. He defeated Andy Roddick in the semi-finals and Mark Philippoussis in the final and lost only one set during the tournament, to Mardy Fish in the third round. During the North American summer hard court season however, Federer lost to Roddick in the semi-finals of the Masters Series tournament in Montreal and to David Nalbandian in the second round of the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati and the US Open. During the autumn, Federer played four consecutive indoor tournaments in Europe. He won the tournament in Vienna but failed to reach the finals of the tournament in his home tournament of Basel and the Masters Series tournaments in Madrid and Paris. To end the year, Federer won his first ever Tennis Masters Cup title in Houston. As the third-seeded player, he defeated Andre Agassi, Nalbandian, and Ferrero during the round robin competition before beating World No. 1 Andy Roddick in the semi-finals and Andre Agassi in the final. Federer challenged for the top ranking during 2003, finishing the year at World No. 2, just behind Roddick and just ahead of Juan Carlos Ferrero.2004
Federer at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
2005
Federer during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his third consecutive title.
Federer successfully defended his Wimbledon title, winning for the third consecutive year by defeating Roddick in a rematch of the previous year's final, this time winning in straight sets. Federer also defeated Roddick in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to take his fourth Masters Series title of the year (and sweep all the North American Masters events) and became the first player to win four Masters Series titles in one season.He then dropped only two sets en route to his second consecutive US Open title, defeating Andre Agassi in four sets in the final. Federer became the first man in the open era to win Wimbledon and the US Open back-to-back in consecutive years (2004 and 2005). Federer however, failed to defend his year end Masters Cup title, losing to David Nalbandian of Argentina in a four-and-a-half hour, five-set match.Had he won the match, Federer would have tied John McEnroe's 1984 record for the highest yearly winning percentage in the open era (82–3), as well as winning a streak of 25 consecutive finals.
2006
Nadal serves to Federer at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships final, where Federer won his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
He also successfully defended his Masters titles at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, and became the first player ever to win the Indian Wells-Key Biscayne double in consecutive years. Federer then started the clay-court season by reaching the final of the ATP Masters Series event at Monte Carlo losing in four sets to Nadal. He then reached the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome where he lost to Nadal, 6–7(0), 7–6(5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(5) in an epic five-set match that culminated in a decisive tiebreak.At the French Open, Federer found himself in final for the first time but lost to defending champion Nadal in four sets. Although the French Open title eluded him, Federer became one of only two active players who had reached the finals of all four Grand Slam singles tournaments, the other being Andre Agassi.
Federer won his third consecutive US Open title in 2006.
2007
Federer won his 3rd Australian Open and 10th Grand Slam singles title, defeating Fernando González of Chile in the final. He became the first man since Björn Borg in 1980 to win a Grand Slam singles tournament without losing a set.His winning streak of 41 consecutive matches ended when he lost to Guillermo Cañas in the second round of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, after winning the tournament for three consecutive years. The following week at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Federer again lost to Cañas, this time in the fourth round in three sets. However, he was awarded four ATP Awards during a ceremony at the tournament, making him the first player to receive four awards during the same year.
Federer during the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, where Federer won the fifth consecutive title.
Federer at the 2007 US Open, where he won his fourth consecutive title.
2008
Federer began the year by attempting to defend his title at the Australian Open. He lost, however, in the semi-finals to eventual champion Djokovic 7–5, 6–3, 7–6(5). This ended his record of ten consecutive Grand Slam finals, the most ever for a men's player. In March, Federer revealed that he had recently been diagnosed with mononucleosis and that he may have suffered from it as early as December 2007. Federer also had an illness related to food poisoning prior to the start of the Australian Open. He noted, however, that he was now "medically cleared to compete".Although Federer was seeded first and was the defending champion at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, he lost to Murray in the first round. On 10 March, Federer won his third exhibition match out of four against former World No. 1 Pete Sampras at Madison Square Garden in New York City 6–3, 6–7, 7–6.Federer began the clay court season at the Estoril Open in Portugal. This was his first tournament with coach José Higueras.and his first non-Master Series clay-court tournament since Gstaad in 2004.Federer won his first tournament of the year when Nikolay Davydenko retired from the final while trailing 7–6, 1–2 with a leg ligament strain. Federer then played three Masters Series tournaments on clay. At the Masters Series Monte Carlo, Federer lost to three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the final in straight sets. Federer made 44 unforced errors, lost a 4–0 lead in the second set, and fell to 1–7 against Nadal on clay courts.At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia Federer lost in the quarter-finals to Radek Štěpánek. Federer was the defending champion at the Masters Series Hamburg but lost to Nadal in the final. At the French Open, Federer was defeated quickly by Nadal in the final 6–1, 6–3, 6–0.This was the fourth consecutive year that Federer and Nadal had played at the French Open, with Federer losing his third consecutive final to Nadal.Federer's record of 23–4 (2005–08) at the French Open is second only to Nadal's record of 28–0 during the same period.
Federer serving for the third set against Nadal in the Wimbledon final
Federer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he won Doubles Gold.
Federer won his 57th career title at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel, beating David Nalbandian in the final. He became the only player in history to win the title three consecutive years. He reached the quarter-finals of his next event, the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris before withdrawing because of back pain. This was the first time in Federer's career of 763 matches that he had withdrawn from a tournament.This meant that 2008 was his first year since 2003 in which he did not win a Masters Series title.Federer entered the Tennis Masters Cup as the top-seeded player after Nadal withdrew from the tournament. He drew Simon, Murray, and Roddick in the Red Group. In his opening match, Federer lost to Simon but kept his hopes alive by defeating Roddick's replacement, Stepanek, in his second match. He lost his third match to Murray who won the match 4–6, 7–6(3), 7–5. Federer had received medical treatment for back and hip problems in the third set but lost after saving seven match points.However, Federer still ended the year ranked World No. 2.
2009
Federer at the 2009 Australian Open, where he lost to Nadal in the final in five sets.
Federer completed a career Grand Slam at the 2009 French Open.
Federer set a new record for number of Grand Slam men's singles titles at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships with fifteen, and won his sixth Wimbledon title in seven years.
Federer won his first match after a five-week break at the second round of the 2009 Rogers Cup against Frederic Niemeyer, 7–6(3), 6–4, having received a first-round bye.He then defeated countryman Stanislas Wawrinka 6–3, 7–6(5), coming back from 0–3 down in the second set; in doing so, he made more history by contributing to the first occasion where the top 8 ranked men had all made the quarter-finals of a single tournament, joining the other seven players: Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Davydenko. However, in the quarter-finals, he lost to Tsonga 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–7(3), despite leading 5–1 in final set. Despite the relatively early exit in Montreal, Federer started off well at the 2009 Cincinnati Open, beating José Acasuso in the second round (after having another bye in the first round like the other top seeds) and David Ferrer in the third round. He then beat Lleyton Hewitt in the quarter-finals, followed by Murray in the semi-finals 6–2, 7–6(8) to reach the final, where he defeated Novak Djokovic 6–1 7–5.Federer began his US Open campaign well with a 6–1, 6–3, 7–5 victory over unseeded Devin Britton.He advanced to the third round with a second round 6–3, 7–5, 7–5 win over Simon Greul.His third-round match was against Hewitt, against whom he lost his first set of the tournament but eventually rallied to win 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4.After this match, Federer held a 16–7 lead over Hewitt, continuing a fourteen match winning streak against him.Federer next defeated Tommy Robredo 7–5, 6–2, 6–2 to book a quarter-final berth against Robin Söderling for the third Grand Slam in a row, which he won in four sets 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(6), 7–6(6) after saving a set point in the fourth set.Federer reached his 21st Grand Slam final by defeating number four seed Novak Djokovic for the third straight year. He triumphed 7–6(3), 7–5, 7–5, and in doing so reached match point by performing a between-the-legs passing shot, which he later described as "...the greatest shot I ever hit in my life."He lost to del Potro in the final, the score being 6–3, 6–7(5), 6–4, 6–7(4), 2–6.The loss broke Federer's streak of forty consecutive wins at the US Open. It also marked the first time Federer had lost in a Grand Slam final to an opponent other than Rafael Nadal.
Federer went to play in the Davis Cup tie with Italy, and in his first match on the red clay courts at Valletta Cambiaso Club, in Genoa, won in a match against Simone Bolelli with a score of 6–3, 6–4, 6–1.[He sealed Switzerland's qualification for the World Group with a 6–3, 6–0, 6–4 victory over Potito Starace.Following the match, Federer was quoted as saying "I was able to play very well. I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm — everything is hurting. And I've got to do some baby-sitting."He later withdrew from the 2009 Japan Open and the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000.At the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, Federer defeated Olivier Rochus, Andreas Seppi, Evgeny Korolev, and his childhood friend Marco Chiudinelli in straight sets, before losing in the finals to Novak Djokovic 4–6, 6–4, 2–6.Federer's next tournament was at the Paris Masters, where his 6 previous appearances had never extended past the quarterfinals. After a first round bye, Federer continued his Paris Open struggles with an early exit to second round opponent Julien Benneteau 3–6, 7–6(4), 6–4.Federer's final tournament of the year was the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals, starting the 22nd of November. He beat Fernando Verdasco 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 in the first of his Round Robin matches followed by a victory over Andy Murray 3–6, 6–3, 6–1 which secured him the Year-end Number 1 ranking for the fifth year. However, he lost to del Potro once more, but he won enough games to qualify for the semi-finals. In the semis he met Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Federer for the first time in their 13 encounters 6–2, 4–6, 7–5. This loss ended Roger Federer's 2009 tennis season. A year where he managed to accomplish three major goals: winning his first French Open title, breaking Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam wins and regaining the Number 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal.
2010
Federer started the year at the Capitala World Tennis Championship, a three day exhibition in Abu Dhabi. He, along with second seeded Rafael Nadal, were awarded byes to the semifinals, where he lost to Robin Soderling 7–6(6), 6–7(1), 2–6.On January 2, Federer returned back to solid form as he brushed aside David Ferrer (who lost to eventual champion Nadal) 6–1, 7–5 to claim the 3rd spot in the warm up tournament. Federer played in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open where he defeated Christophe Rochus 6–1, 6–2 in the first round, which having defeated Rochus, Federer won in the second round against Evgeny Korolev in 6–2, 6–4. In the quarter-finals Federer survived a scare to defeat latvian Ernests Gulbis 6–2, 4–6, 6–4. In the semi-finals, Federer was defeated 6–4 6–4 by Nikolay Davydenko. Federer later has stated to the press that he will not be playing in the Davis Cup tie against Spain. Federer has also decided not to commit to the AAMI Classic.On Sunday January 17, Federer joined a number of top world players from the ATP and WTA tours to help raise money for relief efforts in Haiti. Players that took part were Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick,Novak Djokovic, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, and Sam Stosur.
Federer won his 16th Grand Slam at the 2010 Australian Open. In the first round he faced Igor Andreev, against whom Federer held a 2–0 lead in their Head-to-Head. Federer won 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(2), 6–0. He then faced Victor Hănescu, winning 6–2, 6–3, 6–2. Federer beat Albert Montañés in the third round 6–3, 6–4, 6–4. In the fourth round, Federer beat Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets 6–2, 6–3, 6–4. In the quarter final Federer faced Nikolay Davydenko. Federer looked to be in trouble during the early stages of the match, after having lost the first set and being down 1–3 and 15–40 in the second, but was able to win in four sets: 2–6, 6–3, 6–0, 7–5. Federer faced World No. 10 and 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semis, and trailed past him 6–2, 6–3, 6–2. This also marked the 23rd consecutive time that Federer has appeared in a semi-final of a grand slam tournament, and the seventh consecutive year Federer has made at least the semifinals at the Australian Open, breaking the previous record by Ivan Lendl. In the Final, Federer faced the No. 5 Seed Andy Murray who he beat in straight sets 6–3 6–4 7–6(11) to claim his 4th Australian Open and 16th Grand Slam Title.This was also his first title at the Australian Open since the surface was changed in 2008 and his first Grand Slam title as a father. This win tied him for most Australian Open victories at four with Andre Agassi.
Rivalries
Federer vs. Nadal
Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry
Nadal during the 2009 Australian Open final
They have held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until September 14, 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray become 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 13–7.Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 16 of their matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record 7 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. Nadal won five of the seven, 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 8 Masters Series finals, including their lone five hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tiebreak.
Until 14 September 2009, when Juan Martin del Potro beat Nadal in the US Open semi-final on his way to defeating Federer in the final itself, no player had beaten Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam. Nadal has not lost a French Open (4) or Australian Open (1) final, while Federer was undefeated in US Open finals until losing to del Potro (5). Both 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 vs. Roddick
Main article: Federer–Roddick rivalry
Federer and Roddick have a long, though lopsided, rivalry. They have met 21 times during their careers, with Federer leading their overall head-to-head series 19–2. Roddick is Federer's most frequent opponent on tour.Roddick has lost four Grand Slam finals, each time to Federer: Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and one US Open in 2006. On February 2, 2004, Federer supplanted Roddick as World No. 1 to begin his record reign of 237 consecutive weeks at number 1. Federer and Roddick are the only players to have finished each tennis season in the ATP top 10 every year from 2002 to 2009.Playing style
Federer's versatility was epitomised by Jimmy Connors' statement: "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 player known for his fluid style of play and 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. David Foster Wallace described Federer's exceptional speed, fluidity and brute force of this forehand motion as "a great liquid whip",while John McEnroe has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport".Federer plays with a single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. He employs the use of the slice, can also fire top-spin winning shots and he also possesses a 'flick' backhand where he can generate pace with his wrist; this is usually used to pass the opponent at the net.His serve is difficult to read because he tosses the ball in the same spot no matter where he intends to serve it and he 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)[citation needed]; however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph).[citation needed] Federer also utilizes a well-disguised drop shot off of both wings.
Federer's on-court playing style has given him many different nicknames to go by such as "Federer Express (Fed Express)" for quickly dispatching an opponent in a tennis match, "Swiss Maestro" for all of the great shots he hits.
Equipment, apparel, and endorsements
Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson Six.One Tour BLX tennis racquet,which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 12.5 ounces, and thin beam of 17 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3).Federer strings his racquets at 24 to 28 kilograms (52.9 to 61.7 pounds) tension utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross 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 endorses Wilson tennis racquets and accessories with a lifetime contract along with Nike 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,Jura, a Swiss-based coffee machine company,as well as Mercedes Benz and NetJets. Federer also endorses Rolex watches,although he was previously an ambassador for Maurice Lacroix.
Grand Slam performance timeline
Main article: Roger Federer career statistics
Singles
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. A result of "A" means that the player did not play at the event. A result of "LQ" means that the player lost in the qualifying rounds of the tournament (Lost in Qualifying).| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Career SR | Career W-L | Career Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | LQ | 3R | 3R | 4R | 4R | W | SF | W | W | SF | F | W | 4 / 11 | 54–7 | 88.52 |
| French Open | A | 1R | 4R | QF | 1R | 1R | 3R | SF | F | F | F | W | 1 / 11 | 39–10 | 79.59 | |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | W | W | W | W | W | F | W | 6 / 11 | 51–5 | 91.07 | |
| US Open | A | LQ | 3R | 4R | 4R | 4R | W | W | W | W | W | F | 5 / 10 | 51–5 | 91.07 | |
| 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 | 7–0 | N/A | 195–27 | 87.83 |
Wins (16)
Runner-ups (6)
Olympic finals
Doubles: 1 (1 gold medal)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 2008 | Beijing Olympics | Hard | Stanislas Wawrinka |  Simon Aspelin Thomas Johansson | 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4), 6–3 |
Records
Main article: List of career achievements by Roger Federer
- These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
- Records in bold indicate peer-less all-time achievements.
- Records in italics are currently active streaks.
| OVERALL | GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONSHIPS | RECORDS |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | Record accomplished | Player tied |
| Wimbledon 2003 — Australian Open 2010 | 16 Grand Slam titles | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon 2003 — Australian Open 2010 | 22 Grand Slam finals | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon 2005 — US Open 2007 | 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon 2004 — Australian Open 2010 | 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals | Stands alone |
| 2004 — 2007 | Most consecutive years winning at least 2 Grand Slam titles (4) | Stands alone |
| 2004 — 2007 & 2009 | Most years winning at least 2 Grand Slam titles (5) | Stands alone |
| 2004 & 2006 — 2007 | Most years winning at least 3 Grand Slam titles (3) | Stands alone |
| 2003 — 2010 | Most consecutive years winning at least one Grand Slam title (8) | Björn Borg Pete Sampras |
| US Open 2006 — French Open 2007 | Most consecutive Grand Slam sets won (36) | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon 2003 — Australian Open 2006 | Highest streak of consecutive initial Grand Slam finals won (7) | Stands alone |
| US Open 2008 — Wimbledon 2009 French Open 2009 — Australian Open 2010 | Simultaneously held Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard court two times | Stands alone |
| INDIVIDUALLY | HELD | GRAND SLAM | RECORDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championships | Years | Record accomplished | Player tied |
| Wimbledon Australian Open US Open French Open | 2003 2004 2004 2009 | Career Grand Slam | Rod Laver Andre Agassi |
| Australian Open | 2004–2010 | 4 wins in 7 years | Stands alone |
| Australian Open | 2004–2007 | 3 wins in 4 years | Andre Agassi |
| Australian Open | 2004 — 2010 | 7 consecutive semi-finals | Stands alone |
| Australian Open | 2006–2007 | 2 consecutive wins | Ken Rosewall Guillermo Vilas Johan Kriek Mats Wilander Stefan Edberg Ivan Lendl Jim Courier Andre Agassi |
| Australian Open | 2004-2010 | 5 finals overall | Stefan Edberg |
| Australian Open | 2004–2010 | 4 wins overall | Andre Agassi |
| French Open | 2006 — 2009 | 4 consecutive finals | Björn Borg Ivan Lendl Rafael Nadal |
| French Open | 2005 — 2009 | 5 consecutive semi-finals | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon | 2003–2007 | 5 consecutive wins | Björn Borg |
| Wimbledon | 2003 — 2009 | 7 consecutive finals | Stands alone |
| Wimbledon | 2003 — 2009 | 7 finals overall | Boris Becker Pete Sampras |
| Wimbledon | 2003 — 2009 | 7 consecutive semi-finals | Stands alone |
| U.S. Open | 2004 — 2008 | 5 consecutive wins | Stands alone |
| U.S. Open | 2004–2008 | 5 wins overall | Jimmy Connors Pete Sampras |
OTHER | FEDERER | RECORDS |
|---|---|---|
| Year(s) | Record accomplished | Number |
| 2 February 2004 — 17 August 2008 | Most consecutive weeks at No.1 | 237 |
| October 2003 — January 2005 | Most consecutive wins against top 10 ranked players | 26 |
| 2005–2006 | Most consecutive wins on hard courts | 56 |
| 2003–2008 | Most consecutive wins on grass courts | 65 |
| 2003–2005 | Most consecutive finals won | 24 |
| 2007 | Most prize money |