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Friday, August 8, 2014

Born Today-Roger Federer-wikipedia

Roger Federer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Federer" redirects here. For other uses, see Federer (disambiguation).
Roger Federer
Roger Federer (26 June 2009, Wimbledon) 2 new.jpg
Country Switzerland Switzerland
Residence Bottmingen, Switzerland[1]
Born 8 August 1981 (age 33)
Basel, Switzerland
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[2]
Turned pro 1998
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Coach(es) Adolf Kacovsky (1991)
Peter Carter (1991–2000)
Peter Lundgren (2000–03)
Tony Roche (2006–07)
Severin Lüthi (2007–present)
José Higueras (2008)
Paul Annacone (2010–13)
Stefan Edberg (2014–present)
Prize money $ 83,102,704
Official website rogerfederer.com
Singles
Career record 964–223 (81.21% in Grand Slam and ATP World Tour main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles 79 (3rd in the Open Era)
Highest ranking No. 1 (2 February 2004)
Current ranking No. 3 (28 July 2014)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open W (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010)
French Open W (2009)
Wimbledon W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
US Open W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011)
Olympic Games Silver Medal (2012)
Doubles
Career record 128–86 (59.81% in Grand Slam and ATP World Tour main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles 8
Highest ranking No. 24 (9 June 2003)
Current ranking No. 111 (28 July 2014)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 3R (2003)
French Open 1R (2000)
Wimbledon QF (2000)
US Open 3R (2002)
Other Doubles tournaments
Olympic Games Gold Medal (2008)
Team competitions
Davis Cup SF (2003, 2014)
Hopman Cup W (2001)
Last updated on: 28 July 2014.
Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdərər]; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked inside the top 10 continuously since October 2002 and the top 20 since April 2001. Numerous commentators, pundits, and former and current players of the sport regard Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time.[a]
Federer holds several men's world records of the Open Era: holding the world no. 1 position for 302 weeks overall,[16][17] including a 237-consecutive-week stretch at the top from 2004 to 2008;[18] winning 17 Grand Slam singles titles; reaching each Grand Slam Final at least five times (an all-time record); and reaching the Wimbledon final nine times. He is one of seven men, and one of four in the Open Era, to capture the career Grand Slam. Federer also shares the Open Era record for most titles at the Australian Open with Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic (4), at Wimbledon with Pete Sampras (7) and at the US Open with Jimmy Connors and Sampras (5).
Federer has appeared in 25 men's singles Grand Slam finals, with 10 in a row, both records, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through to the 2010 Australian Open. He is the only man to reach at least the semifinals of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open.[19] At the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, he played in a record 59th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, reached a record 42nd Grand Slam quarter-final (surpassed Connors' record of 41), a record 35th Grand Slam semi-final and a record 25th Grand Slam final. Earlier at the 2013 French Open, Federer reached a record 36th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final. He has also won the most matches, 274, in men's Grand Slam tournaments and is the only player to record 60+ wins each at all the Grand Slam tournaments.
Federer's ATP tournament records include winning six ATP World Tour Finals, playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (a record shared with Djokovic and Nadal), and having won the most prize money of any player in history, with over $80,000,000. He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. He spent eight years (2003–2010) continuously in the top 2 in the year-end men's rankings and ten (2003–2012) in the top 3. Federer was the first tennis player, male or female, to earn more than 50 million US dollars in prize money.
Federer has won the ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favourite Award a record eleven times straight (2003–2013) and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (voted for by the players) a record nine times (2004–2009, 2011–2013),[20] both being awards indicative of respect and popularity. He also won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award twice in 2006 and 2013. He was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four consecutive years (2005–2008).[21] Federer is at times referred to as the Federer Express,[22] shortened to Fed Express or FedEx, and the Swiss Maestro,[22] or just Maestro.[22][23][24][25]

Personal life

Childhood and early life

Federer was born at the Basel Cantonal Hospital in Basel, Switzerland.[26] His father, Robert Federer, is Swiss, from Berneck, near the borders between Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and his mother, Lynette Federer (born Durand), from Kempton Park, Gauteng, is a South African whose ancestors were Dutch and French Huguenots.[27][28][29] Federer has one sibling, his older sister Diana,[30] who is the mother of a set of twins.[31] He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.[32] He grew up in nearby Birsfelden, Riehen and then Münchenstein, close to the French and German borders and speaks (Swiss) German, French and English fluently, German being his native language.[26][29][33][34]
Federer's signature
Federer was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome.[35] Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit because of a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his military obligation.[36] He grew up supporting F.C. Basel and the Swiss National Football Team.[37] Federer also credits the range of sports he played as a child—he also played badminton and basketball—for his hand-eye coordination. Federer has stated in various interviews that he is an "avid cricket fan" having met Sachin Tendulkar twice. "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.[38] In later life, Federer has been friends with the golfer Tiger Woods.[39]

Family

Federer's family watching him in Indian Wells, 2012
Federer's family watching him in Indian Wells, 2012
Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association 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.[40] They were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family.[41] On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to identical twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.[42] The Federers had another set of twins on 6 May 2014, this time boys whom they named Leo and Lennart,[43] called Lenny.[44]

Management

Roger and Mirka at Wimbledon during the London 2012 Olympic tennis events
Federer was signed by IMG as a junior player in 1998. He quit the agency in early 2003, before he had any major championships, and handed his business matters to Roger Federer Management conformed by an attorney, a financial adviser and his mother, Lynette. Also Miroslava Vavrinec, for a period of time was put in charge of media relations and travel.[45]
By 2012 when Tony Godsick left IMG Worldwide Inc. he began to represent Federer exclusively. He travels with him around the tour most of the time.[45][46]

Philanthropy and outreach

Federer supports a number of charities. In 2003, he and his mother Lynette established the Roger Federer Foundation to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports.[47][48] In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.[49] He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006.[50] 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 tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami.[51]
Federer has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer arranged a collaboration 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 went to Haiti earthquake victims.[52] He was named a 2010 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in recognition of his leadership, accomplishments, and contributions to society.[53]
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 no. 8 on Forbes top 100 celebrities as of 2013.[54]

Tennis career

Pre–1998: Junior years

Main article: Roger Federer junior years
Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon in 1998, where he won both the boys' singles final over Irakli Labadze,[55] and in doubles teamed with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.[56] In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior final in 1998 to David Nalbandian. He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated Guillermo Coria in the final.[57] He ended 1998 with the no. 1 junior world ranking, and he entered his first tournament as a professional during 1998 in Gstaad, where he lost to Lucas Arnold Ker in the first round.
Junior Grand Slam Results:
Tournament 1998
Junior Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open SF
French Open 1R
Wimbledon W
US Open F

1998–2002: Early career and breakthrough in the ATP

Main article: Roger Federer's early career
A dark-haired man in all white clothing, and carrying a reddish-black bag on his right shoulder and a black one on the left shoulder
Federer at the 2002 US Open
Federer's first final came at the Marseille Open in 2000, where he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset.[58] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, along with Martina Hingis.[59][60] The duo defeated the American pair of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the finals. Federer's first singles win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter.[58] Although he won his first title already in 1999 on the Challenger tour, winning the doubles event in Segovia, Spain with Dutchman Sander Groen, the final was played on Federer's 18th birthday. In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and at Wimbledon that same year defeated four-time defending champion Pete Sampras to reach the quarterfinals. The most prestigious event final he reached during this period was the 2002 Miami Masters event, where he lost to Andre Agassi on hard court.[61]
Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay, over Marat Safin; the victory put him in top 10 for the first time.[61] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.[58][61][62][63][64] He also made six finals in doubles. Of note are Federer and partner Max Mirnyi's defeat in the final of the Indian Wells Masters in 2002, and their victory in the same year in the final of the Rotterdam 500 series event. Federer had won the latter a year earlier with partner Jonas Björkman.[61][64] He finished 2001 with an ATP ranking of no. 13, and 2002 was the first year he finished within the top 10, finishing at no. 6.

2003–2007: Breakthrough and dominance

Main articles: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Roger Federer tennis seasons
In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Mark Philippoussis in the final.[65] Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with Max Mirnyi[66] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.[65] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.[65] Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships over Andre Agassi, finishing the year as world no. 2, narrowly behind Andy Roddick.[65]
A dark-haired man is waving to the crowd with his tennis racket in his right hand, and he is wearing all white clothing
Federer during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his third consecutive title
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 Wilander in 1988. His first Grand Slam hard-court title came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin, thereby becoming the world no. 1 for the first time. He then won his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick.[67] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.[67] 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.[67] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.[67] He improved his year-end ranking to world no. 1 for the first 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 Nadal.[68] However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick. At the US Open, Federer defeated Andre Agassi in the latter's last Grand Slam final.[68] Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.[68] Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai.[68] Federer lost the year-end championships to David Nalbandian, but maintained his position as world no. 1.[68]
In 2006, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other, with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open. He was the first man to reach all four finals in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969.
Federer at the 2007 Davidoff Swiss Indoors.
This was Federer and Nadal's first meeting in a Grand Slam final.[69] Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis,[69] and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion).[69]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, again finishing the year as world no. 1.[69] Federer only lost to two players during 2006, to Nadal four times in finals, and to 19-year-old Andy Murray in the second round of the 2006 Cincinnati Masters, in what would be Federer's only defeat before the final that year.
In 2007, Federer reached all four Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of them again. He won the Australian Open over Fernando González and did so without dropping a set, Wimbledon over Rafael Nadal for the second time, and the US Open over Novak Djokovic. Federer lost the French Open to Nadal.[70] Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 finals in 2007, winning the Hamburg and Cincinnati titles.[70] Federer won one 500 series event in Dubai and won the year-end championships.[70] He finished as the year-end world no. 1 for the fourth year in a row, demonstrating his dominance, and during these four years he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles.

2008: Fifth US Open title, French Open and Wimbledon runner-up

Main article: 2008 Roger Federer tennis season
A dark-haired man is in a red shirt with white shorts and shoes and bandanna, which he is carrying his tennis racket in his right hand pointing towards the ground
Federer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in doubles
In 2008, Federer won one Grand Slam singles title at the US Open over Briton Andy Murray.[71] Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the French Open, and at Wimbledon, when he was going for six straight wins to break Björn Borg's record.[71] At the Australian Open, Federer lost in the semifinals to eventual winner Djokovic, which ended his record of 10 consecutive finals.[71] Later in the year, it was found Federer had been suffering from mononucleosis at the start of the year, including during the Australian Open. He lost twice in Master Series 1000 finals on clay to Nadal, at Monte Carlo and Hamburg.[71] However, Federer captured two titles in 250-level events at Estoril and Halle and one title in a 500 level event in Basel.
At the Olympic Games, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won the gold medal in doubles, after beating the Bryan brothers American team in semifinals and the Swedish duo of Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in the final[72] However, Federer could only reach the quarterfinals in the singles draw, knocked out by then world no. 8 James Blake.[73] He ended the year as world number 2.

2009: First French Open, sixth Wimbledon, Australian Open and US Open runner-up

Main article: 2009 Roger Federer tennis season
In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles, the French Open over Robin Söderling, and Wimbledon over Andy Roddick.[74] Federer reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open,[75] and to Juan Martín del Potro at the US Open, both in tight five-set matches.[74] Federer won two more events, the first at the Madrid Masters over Nadal on clay.[74] The second was in Cincinnati over Djokovic, although Federer lost to Djokovic in Basel, later in the year.[74] Federer completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title and won a men's record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title by defeating Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in five sets, surpassing Pete Sampras's mark of fourteen.[74]

2010: Fourth Australian Open

Main article: 2010 Roger Federer tennis season
In 2010, Federer slowed down in his milestones and achievements. The year started with a win at the Australian Open,[76] where he defeated Andy Murray in the final and extended his Grand Slam singles record to sixteen titles, matching Andre Agassi's record of four Australian Open titles.[71] At the French Open, Federer won his 700th tour match and 150th tour match on clay.[76][77] However, he failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2004 French Open, losing to Söderling in the quarterfinals and relinquishing his no. 1 ranking,[76] having been just one week away from equaling Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as world no. 1. In a huge upset at Wimbledon, Federer lost in the quarterfinals to Tomáš Berdych and fell to no. 3 in the rankings for the first time in 6 years and 8 months.[76][78][79]
At the 2010 US Open, Federer reached the semifinals, avenging his French Open loss to Söderling in the quarterfinals, but proceeded to lose a five-set match to third seed Novak Djokovic.[76] Federer made it to four Masters 1000 finals, losing three of them (the Madrid Open, the Canadian Masters, and the Shanghai Masters), while winning the Cincinnati Masters against Mardy Fish.[80]
In 2010, Federer equaled Agassi for the number of Masters wins at 17 and tied Björn Borg's mark for number of total titles won, moving to just one behind Sampras. Towards the middle of July, Federer hired Pete Sampras' old coach Paul Annacone on a trial basis to put his tennis game and career back on the right path.[81]
Federer won two lesser titles at the Stockholm Open and the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, which brought his tally to 65 career titles. Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships by beating rival Rafael Nadal, 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 Djokovic in the semifinal of the US Open, and to Gaël Monfils in the semifinal of the Paris Masters. Federer did not play in the 2010 Davis Cup[82] and finished the year as world no. 2.

2011: Runner-up of French Open

Main article: 2011 Roger Federer tennis season
The 2011 season, 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 Open by eventual champion Novak Djokovic,[83] marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not hold any of the four Grand Slam titles. In the French Open semifinals, 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 Nadal. 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 Open, Federer lost a much-anticipated semifinal match with Novak Djokovic, after squandering two match points in the fifth set, which 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 Grand Slams in 2011, the first time this has happened since 2002. Later that month, in September 2011, in a South African poll, Federer was voted the second most trusted and respected person in the world, next to Nelson Mandela.[84][85]
In pulling out of the 2011 Shanghai Masters, Federer dropped out of the top 3 for the first time since June 2003, nearly 8 1/2 previously.[86] However, he finished the season on a high note by winning his last three tournaments of the year. He ended a 10-month title drought (spanning since the Qatar Open in January) and won the Swiss Indoors for the fifth time, defeating youngster Kei Nishikori, who had defeated an ailing Djokovic in the semifinals. Federer followed this up with his first Paris Masters title, where he became the first player to reach all nine Masters 1000 finals.
At the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals, Federer crushed Rafael Nadal in exactly one hour en route to the semifinals,[87] where he defeated David Ferrer to reach the final at the year-end championships for the seventh 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 a record sixth ATP World Tour Finals title, finishing the year as world no. 3.[88]

2012: Seventh Wimbledon and return to No. 1

Main article: 2012 Roger Federer tennis season
The 2012 season was a return to excellence for Federer. He had his most match wins since 2006 and his highest winning percentage and number of titles won since 2007.
Federer's ATP position since 1998
Overview of Federer's ATP rankings since 1998
Federer reached the semifinal of the 2012 Australian Open, setting up a 27th career meeting with Nadal, a match he lost in four tight sets. He participated in the Davis Cup representing Switzerland in the 2012 Davis Cup World Group, but Switzerland was eliminated in a home tie against the United States played on indoor clay in Fribourg. He then played the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament for the first time since winning the title in 2005. He beat Juan Martin del Potro in the final to clinch his second title in Rotterdam.
Federer: Seventh Wimbledon and return to No. 1.
Federer played in the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships, where he defeated Andy Murray in the final and won the championship title for the fifth time in his career. Federer then moved on to the Indian Wells Masters, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, and John Isner in the final. Federer won the title for a record fourth time, and, in doing so, equalled Rafael Nadal's record of 19 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Federer went on to compete at the Madrid Masters on the new blue clay surface, where he beat Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer, Janko Tipsarević, and Tomáš Berdych en route to the title, thus regaining the world no. 2 ranking from Rafael Nadal. In the French Open, Federer made the semifinals before losing to Djokovic.[89]
Federer at 2012 US Open
At Wimbledon, Federer won matches against Albert Ramos, Fabio Fognini, Julien Benneteau, Xavier Malisse, and Mikhail Youzhny on his way to the semifinals. In his semifinal match-up against the world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, Federer earned a record eighth Wimbledon final appearance after dispatching Djokovic in four sets. Federer defeated Andy Murray in four sets in the 2012 Wimbledon final,[90] regaining the world number-one ranking in the process.[91] "It's amazing. It equals me with Pete Sampras, who's my hero. It just feels amazing," Federer said of winning his seventh Wimbledon championship, tying Sampras' Open Era record.[92] By defeating top-ranked Djokovic in the semifinals and winning in the finals, Federer returned to the top spot in the world rankings and, in doing so, broke Sampras' record of 286 weeks atop the list.[93]
Four weeks after the Wimbledon final, Federer again faced Murray on the Wimbledon centre court, this time for the final of the 2012 Summer Olympics. This came after an epic 4-hour 26-minute semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina that Federer won 19–17 in the third and final set.[94] He lost to Murray in straight sets in the final, winning a silver medal for his country.[95]
Federer won in Cincinnati, beating Novak Djokovic soundly in the final.[96] In the US Open, five-time champ Federer was defeated by Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals.[97] In the Shanghai Rolex Masters, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round, Federer confirmed his 300th week at no. 1. He went on to lose to defending champion Murray in the semifinals. He made the finals of the Swiss Indoors for the seventh consecutive year, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro.[98] Federer made it to the finals of the ATP World Tour Finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in two tight sets.[99][100]

2013: Decline and injuries

Main article: 2013 Roger Federer tennis season
Federer was beaten by Andy Murray in the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open. The 2013 season is the first since 1999 in which Federer has failed to reach a final in the first four months of the year.
Federer continued to struggle in the clay season with the exception of making his third final at the Rome Masters where he lost to defending champion Rafael Nadal.
Federer's first title of 2013 came at the Gerry Weber Open (def. Mikhail Youzhny), where he also played doubles with good friend Tommy Haas. With the victory in Halle, he tied John McEnroe for the third-most number of ATP titles won by a male player in the Open Era.[101] Federer, however, was unable to maintain his form into Wimbledon, suffering his worst Grand Slam defeat since 2004 in the second round against Sergiy Stakhovsky. Not only did the loss end Federer's record streak of 36 consecutive quarterfinals at major tournaments,[102] it meant he would drop out of the top 4 for first time since July 2003, exactly 10 years after he won his first Wimbledon title.[103]
After Wimbledon, Federer continued to be upset early in tournaments due to a serious back injury through October when he announced that he was parting ways with Paul Annacone, his coach for the last three years.[104] Federer made the final in Basel, succumbing to Juan Martín del Potro. He then reach the semifinals of the 2013 BNP Paribas Masters losing to Novak Djokovic. He won two of his round-robin matches at the ATP World Tour Finals, but lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.
On 27 December 2013, Federer announced that Stefan Edberg was joining his team as co-coach with Severin Lüthi.[105]

2014: Resurgence, Wimbledon runner-up

Main article: 2014 Roger Federer tennis season
Federer played well at the Australian Open and defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray, before losing in the semifinals to Rafael Nadal.
Federer at the 2014 Australian Open.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships he defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and then defeated Tomáš Berdych in the final to win his sixth Dubai crown and his first title since Halle in 2013.[106] Federer made the final at the Indian Wells Masters with a straight set victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov, but lost to Novak Djokovic in a final set tiebreak.
At the Davis Cup quarterfinal, Federer won both of the singles rubbers against Mikhail Kukushkin and Andrey Golubev, the second of which was the first live deciding rubber of his Davis Cup career. After these two wins Switzerland booked a semifinal spot against Italy. Federer then took a Wildcard into the Monte-Carlo Masters to begin a European Clay Court Swing for the first time since 2011. Federer beat Novak Djokovic on his way to the finals, but lost to fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka in the championship.
Although being scheduled to defend 90 ranking points during the Madrid Open, Federer withdrew for personal reasons. The same day that he announced his withdrawal from the Madrid Masters 1000 tournament, Federer announced the birth of his third and fourth child, Leo and Lenny on 6 May.
Federer participated in the Italian Open, however lost in the first round. Federer then took part in the 2014 French Open, losing to Ernests Gulbis in five sets in the fourth round. This fourth round loss was Federer's first departure before the quarterfinals in ten years at the French Open, ending his European clay court swing early.
Federer next participated in the Halle Open, playing both singles and doubles, doubles with fellow-compatriot Marco Chiudinelli. Federer reached both the singles and doubles final, and won his seventh Halle singles title, beating Alejandro Falla in straight sets. His win at Halle was his 79th career title. In the doubles final Roger Federer and Marco Chiudinelli were defeated by Andre Begemann and Julian Knowl, thus preventing Federer from claiming his 2nd Halle doubles title.[107]
Federer was seeded fourth at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. He had wins over Paolo Lorenzi, Gilles Müller and Santiago Giraldo to make it through to the second week. He defeated Tommy Robredo in the fourth round to reach a record 42nd Grand Slam quarter-final. He defeated compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets to reach the semi-final. In the semi-final he defeated Canadian Milos Raonic in three sets to set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic in his 25th Grand Slam final. In the final, he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in a five set epic match.

Rivalries

See also: Big Four (tennis)

Federer vs. Nadal

Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry
Federer and Nadal during the 2006 Wimbledon Championships final
Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004 and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.[108][109][110][111][112]
They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 17 August 2009, when Nadal fell to world no. 3 (Andy Murray became the new no. 2).[113] They are the only pair of men to have ever finished six consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked no. 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.[114]
Nadal leads their head-to-head 23–10. Of their 33 matches, 15 have been on clay, which is by far Nadal's best surface.[115] Federer has a winning record on grass (2–1) and indoor hard courts (4–1), while Nadal leads the outdoor hard courts (8–2) and clay (13–2).[116] Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 20 of their matches have been in tournament finals which have included an all-time record eight Grand Slam finals.[117] From 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final. They then met in the 2009 Australian Open final and the 2011 French Open final. Nadal won six of the eight, losing the first two Wimbledon finals. Three of these finals were five set-matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open), with the 2008 Wimbledon final being lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.[118][119][120][121] Of their 33 meetings, 11 have reached a deciding set. They have also played in 10 Masters Series finals, including their lone five-hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break, having saved two match points.

Federer vs. Djokovic

Main article: Djokovic–Federer rivalry
Federer and Djokovic have met 35 times with Federer leading 18–17.[122][123] Federer leads 4-3 on clay. They are tied 13–13 on hard-courts and 1–1 on grass. The Federer–Djokovic rivalry is the largest rivalry in Grand Slam history with a record 12 matches played against each other and they are tied 6–6. Djokovic is 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 and Murray who has double-figure career wins over Federer. Djokovic is one of two players (the other again being Nadal) currently on tour to have defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam (2008 Australian Open, 2011 Australian Open, 2012 French Open) and the only player to do so three times. Of their 35 meetings, 14 have reached a deciding set.
Federer ended Djokovic's perfect 41–0 start to the 2011 season in the semifinals of the French Open, but Djokovic was able to avenge this loss at the 2011 US Open in five sets after saving two match points against Federer for the second straight year.[124] In the semifinals of Wimbledon 2012, Federer beat defending champion and world no. 1 Djokovic in four sets.[125] Many experts have included the rivalry between Federer and Djokovic as one of the best rivalries in the Open Era.[126]

Federer vs. Murray

Main article: Federer–Murray rivalry
Federer and Andy Murray have met 21 times with the series led 11–10 by Murray. Murray leads 10–9 on hard courts, and they are tied 1–1 on grass.[127] The two have met five times at the Grand Slam level, the first three times in the finals, Federer winning all three of these matches; at the 2008 US Open[128] and the 2010 Australian Open,[129] both of which he won in straight sets, and at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships in which Murray took the opening set, but went on to lose in four sets. However, Murray won their encounter in the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open, defeating the Swiss for the first time at a Grand slam tournament in five sets. At the 2014 Australian Open, Federer reversed that result, defeating Murray in four sets in the quarterfinals.
They met in the final of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, in which Murray defeated Federer in straight sets, denying the Swiss maestro a career Golden Slam. Murray also leads 6–1 in ATP 1000 tournaments, 2–0 in finals. They have also met four times at the ATP World Tour Finals with Murray winning in Shanghai in 2008,[130] and Federer in London in 2009, 2010, and 2012.[131] Murray is one of three active players to have a positive head-to-head record against Federer (the others being Rafael Nadal and Federico Delbonis), as well as being one of only three players to have recorded 10 or more victories over Federer (the other two being Nadal and Novak Djokovic).

Federer vs. Roddick

Main article: Federer–Roddick rivalry
One of Federer's longstanding rivalries was with American Andy Roddick. Roddick lost his world no. 1 ranking to Federer after Federer won his first Australian Open in 2004. Federer and Roddick met on 24 occasions, including four Grand Slam finals (three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open). Federer's record is 21–3, making Roddick the ATP player with the most tournament losses to Federer.[132] Roddick himself said it was not much of a rivalry, being so one-sided.
In the 2009 Wimbledon final, Roddick lost to Federer in five sets. The match included a fifth set of 30 games (a Grand Slam final record) and was over four hours long. In the final game of the deciding set, Roddick's serve was broken for the first time in the match. With that victory, Federer broke Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and Roddick apologized to Sampras (who was there) for not being able to hold Federer.

Federer vs Hewitt

Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer have played each other on 27 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 18 meetings to emerge with an 18–9 overall head-to-head record. This is Hewitt'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 his first US Open title in a lopsided encounter in which Federer scored a bagel either side of a second set tiebreak. Federer has met Hewitt at six of the Grand Slam tournaments in which he lifted the trophy, including all five of his triumphs between 2004 and 2005. Their most recent meeting was at the 2014 Brisbane International, where Hewitt triumphed over Federer in three sets for his first title since 2010, when he also beat Federer to the Halle title.[citation needed]

Federer vs. Safin

Marat Safin and Federer played each other 12 times, with Federer leading 10–2.[133] Federer and Safin turned pro within one year of each other, with Safin turning pro in 1997 and Federer in 1998. Federer leads 4–1 on hard courts, 3–0 on grass, and 3–0 on clay courts, while Safin leads 1–0 on carpet. Notable meetings include Federer's defeating Safin at the 2002 Hamburg Masters to win the first Masters 1000 title of his career, as well as Federer emerging victorious in the semifinals of the 2004 Tennis Masters Cup, after winning a tiebreak 20–18 on his eighth match point. Federer also defeated Safin in the finals of the 2004 Australian Open to capture his first Australian Open and second Grand Slam title. However, Safin defeated Federer in the 2005 Australian Open semifinals, having saved one match point in the fourth-set tiebreak, to end a 26-match winning streak by Federer.[134] They met each other five times in Grand Slams, with Federer leading 4–1.

Federer vs. Nalbandian

David Nalbandian and Federer played each other 19 times, with Federer leading 11–8.[133] Nalbandian dominated early taking all of their first 5 matches from 2002–03. Federer reversed this trend at the 2003 Masters Cup where he recorded his first victory, and would go on to win 11 of their last 14 meetings. Federer led 6–5 on hard courts, 1–0 on grass, and 3–1 on clay courts, while Nalbandian led 2–1 on carpet. Notable meetings include Nalbandian's win in a fifth-set tiebreaker to win the 2005 Masters Cup, and Federer's win in the 2006 French Open semifinals. They met each other six times in Grand Slams, with Federer leading 4–2.

Legacy

Federer has been regarded by many pundits, coaches, past and present players as the greatest tennis player of all time.[135][136][137] He dominated the game at his peak and has more grand slam titles than any other men's singles player.[138][139] He is also the first ever men's singles player to have reached 10 consecutive grand slam finals and a total of 25 grand slam finals.[140][141]

Playing style

Federer's versatility has been summarised by Jimmy Connors: "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."[142]
Federer's serve
Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his speed, fluid 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.[143] He has a powerful, accurate smash and very effectively performs rare elements in today's tennis, such as backhand smash, half-volley and jump smash (slam dunk). David Foster Wallace compared the brute force of Federer's forehand motion with that of "a great liquid whip",[144] while John McEnroe has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport."[145] 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 slice, occasionally using it to lure his opponent to the net and deliver a passing shot. Federer can also fire topspin winners and possesses a 'flick' backhand with which he can generate pace with his wrist; this is usually used to pass the opponent at the net.[144] His serve 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);[146][147][148] however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph).[146][147] Federer is also accomplished at serve and volleying,[149] and employed this tactic frequently in his early career.[150]
Later in his career, Federer added the drop shot to his arsenal and can perform a well-disguised one off both wings. He sometimes uses a between-the-legs shot, which is colloquially referred to as a "tweener" or "hotdog". His most notable use of the tweener was in the semifinals of the 2009 US Open against Novak Djokovic, bringing him triple match point, on which he capitalised for a straight-set victory over the Serb.[151]

Equipment and apparel

Equipment

Federer currently plays with a prototype Wilson 98 square inch tennis racquet. Previously, Federer played with a Pro Staff 6.1 90 BLX tennis racquet,[152] which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 364 grams, and thin beam of 17.5 millimeters. His grip size was 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3).[153] Federer stringed his racquets at 21.5 kg mains/20 kg crosses pre stretched 20%, using Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings.[153] 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."[154]

Apparel

Federer has a contract with Nike footwear and apparel.[155] 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.[156] In Wimbledon 2008 and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan.[157] He also has his own logo, an R and F joined together.[158]

Endorsements

Federer is one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. He is listed at number two on Forbes World's Highest Paid Athletes list.[159] As of 2013 he remains the top earner in tennis with ten endorsement deals. He makes 40 to 50 million euros a year from prize money and endorsements from Nike and the Swiss companies Nationale Suisse, Credit Suisse, Rolex, Lindt and Jura Elektroapparate. In 2010 his endorsement by Mercedes-Benz China was extended into a global partnership deal.[160] His other sponsors include Gillette, Wilson and Moët & Chandon.[45][159][161] Previously, he was an ambassador for NetJets and Maurice Lacroix.[162]

Career statistics

Main article: Roger Federer career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR LQ (Q#) A P Z# PO SF-B F S G NMS NH
Won tournament; or reached Final; Semifinal; Quarter-final; Round 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a Round Robin stage; lost in Qualification Round; absent from tournament event; played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off; won a bronze, silver (F or S) or gold medal at the Olympics; a downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament (Not a Masters Series); or a tournament that was Not Held in a given year.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.
Tournament 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 SR W–L Win %
Australian Open A LQ 3R 3R 4R 4R W SF W W SF F W SF SF SF SF 4 / 15 73–11 86.90
French Open A 1R 4R QF 1R 1R 3R SF F F F W QF F SF QF 4R 1 / 16 61–15 80.26
Wimbledon A 1R 1R QF 1R W W W W W F W QF QF W 2R F 7 / 16 73–9 89.02
US Open A LQ 3R 4R 4R 4R W W W W W F SF SF QF 4R
5 / 14 67–9 88.16
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 19–3 13–4 14–3 17 / 61 274–44 86.19
Finals: 25 (17–8)
Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner 2003 Wimbledon Grass Australia Mark Philippoussis 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
Winner 2004 Australian Open Hard Russia Marat Safin 7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2
Winner 2004 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States Andy Roddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4
Winner 2004 US Open Hard Australia Lleyton Hewitt 6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0
Winner 2005 Wimbledon (3) Grass United States Andy Roddick 6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4
Winner 2005 US Open (2) Hard United States Andre Agassi 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1
Winner 2006 Australian Open (2) Hard Cyprus Marcos Baghdatis 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2
Runner-up 2006 French Open Clay Spain Rafael Nadal 6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Winner 2006 Wimbledon (4) Grass Spain Rafael Nadal 6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3
Winner 2006 US Open (3) Hard United States Andy Roddick 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1
Winner 2007 Australian Open (3) Hard Chile Fernando González 7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–4
Runner-up 2007 French Open (2) Clay Spain Rafael Nadal 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Winner 2007 Wimbledon (5) Grass Spain Rafael Nadal 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2
Winner 2007 US Open (4) Hard Serbia Novak Djokovic 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4
Runner-up 2008 French Open (3) Clay Spain Rafael Nadal 1–6, 3–6, 0–6
Runner-up 2008 Wimbledon Grass Spain Rafael Nadal 4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8), 7–9
Winner 2008 US Open (5) Hard United Kingdom Andy Murray 6–2, 7–5, 6–2
Runner-up 2009 Australian Open Hard Spain Rafael Nadal 5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 2–6
Winner 2009 French Open Clay Sweden Robin Söderling 6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4
Winner 2009 Wimbledon (6) Grass United States Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14
Runner-up 2009 US Open Hard Argentina Juan Martín del Potro 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 2–6
Winner 2010 Australian Open (4) Hard United Kingdom Andy Murray 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(13–11)
Runner-up 2011 French Open (4) Clay Spain Rafael Nadal 5–7, 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 1–6
Winner 2012 Wimbledon (7) Grass United Kingdom Andy Murray 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 2014 Wimbledon (2) Grass Serbia Novak Djokovic 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–5, 4–6

Year-end championship performance timeline

Tournament 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 SR W–L Win %
YEC NQ NQ NQ NQ SF W W F W W RR SF W W F SF 6 / 12 44–11 80.00
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 3–2 2–2
Finals: 8 (6–2)
Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner 2003 Tennis Masters Cup, Houston Hard United States Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–0, 6–4
Winner 2004 Tennis Masters Cup, Houston Hard Australia Lleyton Hewitt 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 2005 Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai Carpet (i) Argentina David Nalbandian 7–6(7–4), 7–6(13–11), 2–6, 1–6, 6–7(3–7)
Winner 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai Hard (i) United States James Blake 6–0, 6–3, 6–4
Winner 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai Hard (i) Spain David Ferrer 6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Winner 2010 ATP World Tour Finals, London Hard (i) Spain Rafael Nadal 6–3, 3–6, 6–1
Winner 2011 ATP World Tour Finals, London Hard (i) France Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–3
Runner-up 2012 ATP World Tour Finals, London Hard (i) Serbia Novak Djokovic 6–7(6–8), 5–7

Olympic Games

Finals: 2 (1 gold medal, 1 silver medal)

Singles: 1 (0–1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 2012 Summer Olympics, London Grass United Kingdom Andy Murray 2–6, 1–6, 4–6

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing Hard Switzerland Wawrinka Sweden Aspelin
Sweden Johansson		 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 6–3

Records

Main article: List of career achievements by Roger Federer

All-time tournament records

Tournament Since Record accomplished Players matched
Grand Slam 1877 17 men's Major titles overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 3 men's Major titles per-year 3 times 2004, 2006–07 Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 2 men's Major titles per-year 5 times 2004–07, 2009 Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 25 men's Major finals overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 35 men's Major semi-finals overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 42 men's Major quarter-finals overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 10 consecutive men's Major finals Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 23 consecutive men's Major semi-finals Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 36 consecutive men's Major quarter-finals Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 59 consecutive men's Major tournament appearances Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 272 Major match wins overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 140 Major hard court wins overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 60+ wins at each Major tournament Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 87.50% 140/20 Major hard court winning percentage overall Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 Reached all 4 Major finals 3 times (2006–07, 2009) Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 Reached all 4 Major semi-finals 5 times (2005–09) Stands alone
Grand Slam 1877 Reached all 4 Major quarter-finals 8 times (2005–12) Stands alone

Open Era 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.

See also

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