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Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. As of October 2009, he is ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), having previously held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Federer has won 15 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other male player. He is one of six male players to have captured the career Grand Slam. Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 21 career Grand Slam finals, and as of September 2009, has reached the semi-finals or better of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments, a streak that spans over five years. Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has appeared in 17 of the last 18. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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's first ATP tournament victory came in February 2001 where he defeated French player Julien Boutter in the final of the Milan Indoor. During the same month, he won three matches for his country in its 3–2 Davis Cup victory over the United States. He later reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, as the No. 15th seed, defeating four-time defending champion and seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras 7–6(7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–7(2), 7–5 in the fourth round in an epic five-set match. This defeat ended Sampras' 31-match winning streak in the tournament. He also managed to reach the quarter-finals at the French Open. He finished the year ranked 13th.
Federer at the 2002 US Open
Federer's first ATP tournament victory came in February 2001 where he defeated French player Julien Boutter in the final of the Milan Indoor. During the same month, he won three matches for his country in its 3–2 Davis Cup victory over the United States. He later reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, as the No. 15th seed, defeating four-time defending champion and seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras 7–6(7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–7(2), 7–5 in the fourth round in an epic five-set match. This defeat ended Sampras' 31-match winning streak in the tournament. He also managed to reach the quarter-finals at the French Open. He finished the year ranked 13th.
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.
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.
Federer had one of the most dominating and successful years in the open era of modern men's tennis. He won three of the four Grand Slam singles tournaments, did not lose a match to anyone ranked in the top ten, won every final he reached, and was named the ITF Tennis World Champion. His win–loss record for the year was 74–6 with 11 titles, which included three of the year's four Grand Slams and three ATP Masters Series titles. He won his first Australian Open singles title by defeating Marat Safin in the final in straight sets. He won three of the four Grand Slam singles tournaments, did not lose a match to anyone ranked in the top ten, won every final he reached, and was named the ITF Tennis World Champion. His win–loss record for the year was 74–6 with 11 titles, which included three of the year's four Grand Slams and three ATP Masters Series titles. He won his first Australian Open singles title by defeating Marat Safin in the final in straight sets. This win saw him supplant Roddick as the World No. 1, a ranking he would hold for four years until 18 August 2008. In March, he won the Dubai Tennis Open, defeating Spanish player Feliciano López in the final. A week later, he would go on to claim the 2004 Pacific Life Open, defeating Tim Henman in straight sets to win the title. 2004 also marked the year where he first met rival Rafael Nadal, who defeated Federer in their first ever encounter at the tournament in Miami. Federer also won two titles in Germany, first at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and the Hamburg Masters, defeating World No. 4 ranked Guillermo Coria in the final to claim his second title at Hamburg. He entered the French Open as the number 1 seed but was defeated in the third round by former three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten. He then successfully defended his Wimbledon singles title, defeating Roddick in the final, and won his first US Open singles title, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0 in the final. Federer was the top-seeded player at the Athens Olympics but was upset in the second round by Czech Tomáš Berdych. He finished the year by taking the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston for the second consecutive year, defeating Hewitt in the final. Federer's only loss at a Grand Slam tournament during the year was during the third round of the French Open, where he lost to former World No. 1 and 3-time French Open champion Kuerten in straight sets.
Federer at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Federer had one of the most dominating and successful years in the open era of modern men's tennis. He won three of the four Grand Slam singles tournaments, did not lose a match to anyone ranked in the top ten, won every final he reached, and was named the ITF Tennis World Champion. His win–loss record for the year was 74–6 with 11 titles, which included three of the year's four Grand Slams and three ATP Masters Series titles. He won his first Australian Open singles title by defeating Marat Safin in the final in straight sets. He won three of the four Grand Slam singles tournaments, did not lose a match to anyone ranked in the top ten, won every final he reached, and was named the ITF Tennis World Champion. His win–loss record for the year was 74–6 with 11 titles, which included three of the year's four Grand Slams and three ATP Masters Series titles. He won his first Australian Open singles title by defeating Marat Safin in the final in straight sets. This win saw him supplant Roddick as the World No. 1, a ranking he would hold for four years until 18 August 2008. In March, he won the Dubai Tennis Open, defeating Spanish player Feliciano López in the final. A week later, he would go on to claim the 2004 Pacific Life Open, defeating Tim Henman in straight sets to win the title. 2004 also marked the year where he first met rival Rafael Nadal, who defeated Federer in their first ever encounter at the tournament in Miami. Federer also won two titles in Germany, first at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and the Hamburg Masters, defeating World No. 4 ranked Guillermo Coria in the final to claim his second title at Hamburg. He entered the French Open as the number 1 seed but was defeated in the third round by former three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten. He then successfully defended his Wimbledon singles title, defeating Roddick in the final, and won his first US Open singles title, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0 in the final. Federer was the top-seeded player at the Athens Olympics but was upset in the second round by Czech Tomáš Berdych. He finished the year by taking the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston for the second consecutive year, defeating Hewitt in the final. Federer's only loss at a Grand Slam tournament during the year was during the third round of the French Open, where he lost to former World No. 1 and 3-time French Open champion Kuerten in straight sets.
2005
Federer during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his third consecutive title.
At the start of the year, Federer hired former Australian player Tony Roche to coach him on a limited basis. He reached the Australian Open semi-finals before falling to eventual winner Safin 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(6), 9–7. He rebounded to win the year's first two ATP Masters Series titles: Indian Wells defeating Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in straight sets and Key Biscayne, defeating Nadal in five sets, 2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1 after being down two sets to love, and two points from defeat. He won his third Hamburg clay court title in May by defeating Richard Gasquet, to whom he had earlier lost in the quarter-finals of Monte Carlo. He then entered the French Open as one of the favorites, but lost a four set semi-final to then number 4 seed and eventual winner Nadal.
Federer during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his third consecutive title.
At the start of the year, Federer hired former Australian player Tony Roche to coach him on a limited basis. He reached the Australian Open semi-finals before falling to eventual winner Safin 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(6), 9–7. He rebounded to win the year's first two ATP Masters Series titles: Indian Wells defeating Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in straight sets and Key Biscayne, defeating Nadal in five sets, 2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1 after being down two sets to love, and two points from defeat. He won his third Hamburg clay court title in May by defeating Richard Gasquet, to whom he had earlier lost in the quarter-finals of Monte Carlo. He then entered the French Open as one of the favorites, but lost a four set semi-final to then number 4 seed and eventual winner Nadal.
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.
Nadal serves to Federer at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships final, where Federer won his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
Federer won three of the four Grand Slam singles tournaments for the second time and ended the year ranked World No. 1, with his points being several thousand points greater than World No. 2 Nadal's total. Federer won the year's first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, by defeating Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in four sets. This was Federer's seventh consecutive victory in a Grand Slam final (2003 Wimbledon - 2006 Australian Open), a record to start a career, and second overall only to Pete Sampras's eight consecutive wins (1995 Wimbledon - 2000 Wimbledon).
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.
Federer entered Wimbledon as the top seed and reached the final without dropping a set. There, Federer beat rival Nadal in four sets to win the championship, and his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. He then started his North American tour and won his second Rogers Cup title in Toronto, defeating Richard Gasquet of France in the final. During the US Open, the year's last Grand Slam tournament, he defeated American Roddick in four sets for his third consecutive title at Flushing Meadows. During the open era, 2006 is the only year in which same man (Federer) and woman (Justine Henin) reached the finals of all four Grand Slams. At the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, Federer defeated defending champion David Nalbandian in one of his three round robin matches and Nadal in the semi-finals. Federer then defeated American James Blake 6–0, 6–3, 6–4 in the finals to win his third Masters Cup title. Federer won 12 titles in 2006, which included 3 Grand Slam titles and 4 ATP Masters titles. During the year he lost to only two players, Nadal in the French Open, Rome, Monte Carlo, and Dubai finals; and Andy Murray in the second round of the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati loss to Murray was Federer's only straight-sets loss of the year and the only tournament out of 17 in which he did not reach the final.
Federer won his third consecutive US Open title in 2006.
Federer entered Wimbledon as the top seed and reached the final without dropping a set. There, Federer beat rival Nadal in four sets to win the championship, and his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. He then started his North American tour and won his second Rogers Cup title in Toronto, defeating Richard Gasquet of France in the final. During the US Open, the year's last Grand Slam tournament, he defeated American Roddick in four sets for his third consecutive title at Flushing Meadows. During the open era, 2006 is the only year in which same man (Federer) and woman (Justine Henin) reached the finals of all four Grand Slams. At the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, Federer defeated defending champion David Nalbandian in one of his three round robin matches and Nadal in the semi-finals. Federer then defeated American James Blake 6–0, 6–3, 6–4 in the finals to win his third Masters Cup title. Federer won 12 titles in 2006, which included 3 Grand Slam titles and 4 ATP Masters titles. During the year he lost to only two players, Nadal in the French Open, Rome, Monte Carlo, and Dubai finals; and Andy Murray in the second round of the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati loss to Murray was Federer's only straight-sets loss of the year and the only tournament out of 17 in which he did not reach the final.
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 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 started his clay-court season by reaching his second consecutive final of the Monte Carlo Masters but lost once again, to second seed Nadal. Federer also lost in the third round of the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome to Filippo Volandri. This defeat meant he had gone four tournaments without a title, his longest stretch since becoming World No. 1. Federer rebounded back however, to defeat Nadal on clay for the first time, winning his fourth Hamburg Masters title, and ending Nadal's clay court streak of 81 consecutive matches. At the French Open, Federer reached the final for the second consecutive year but lost to Nadal for the second time in four sets. One day after the loss, Federer announced that he was withdrawing from his usual warm-up tournament in Halle, which he had won the last four years, citing fatigue and fear of getting an injury. He therefore entered Wimbledon for the first time without having played a warm-up grass-court tournament. Despite this, Federer once again defeated Nadal in a five set final, and tied Björn Borg's open-era men’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles.
Federer at the 2007 US Open, where he won his fourth consecutive title.
During the hard court season in August, Federer won the Cincinnati Masters title for the second time, defeating James Blake in the final. The victory was Federer's 50th career singles title, his 14th ATP Masters Series title, and made him the winner of the 2007 US Open Series points race. At the US Open final, Federer defeated third seed Novak Djokovic to collect his 12th Grand Slam singles title, and 4th consecutive US Open title. As champion of the US Open Series points race, Federer received a bonus of $1 million, in addition to the $1.4 million prize for winning the US Open singles title. He became the only player in history to win three grand slams within a year for three years (2004, 2006, 2007). Federer then finished the season at the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup. Despite losing for the first time in the round robin group to Fernando Gonzalez, Federer moved on to defeat rival Nadal in the semi-finals and David Ferrer in the tournament finals to win his 4th Tennis Masters Cup title. Federer finished the year as the World No. 1 player for the 4th consecutive time.
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, 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 bounced back by winning the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany without dropping a set or a service game. This was the fifth time he had won this event. With this result, he tied Pete Sampras's record for most titles on grass in the open era with ten. At Wimbledon, Federer once again played World No. 2 Nadal in the final. A victory for Federer would have meant his sixth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, breaking Borg's modern era men’s record and equaling the all-time record held since 1886 by William Renshaw. Federer saved two championship points in the fourth set tiebreak but eventually lost the match 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7. The rain-delayed match ended in near darkness after 4 hours, 48 minutes of play, making it the longest (in terms of elapsed time) men's final in Wimbledon recorded history. It concluded 7 hours, 15 minutes after its scheduled start. The defeat also ended Federer's 65 match winning streak on grass. John McEnroe described the match as "The greatest match I've ever seen." After Nadal surpassed him as World No. 1 later in the year, Federer stated that his main goal would be to regain the Wimbledon title rather than the top spot.
Federer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he won Doubles Gold.
Federer at the 2008 US Open, where he won his fifth consecutive US Open title.
Federer made early exits in his next two singles tournaments Masters Series Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada and Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Federer was chosen to carry the national flag at the Beijing Olympics. At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Federer lost in the quarter-finals to James Blake for the first time in their nine matches. Federer however, finally won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's doubles when he and compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka upset the World No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States in the semi-finals and defeated Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in the final, 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4), 6–3. The following day, Federer lost his World No. 1 ranking to Nadal after a record 237 consecutive weeks. At the US Open, Federer reached the fourth round without dropping a set. He defeated third-seeded Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the 2007 US Open Final 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, 6–2 in the semi-finals and then defeated Andy Murray, who was playing in his first Grand Slam final 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 to win his fifth straight US Open title and 13th career grand slam title, leaving 1 him grand slam title from tying Pete Sampras's all time record of 14. This extended his US Open winning streak to 34 matches. Federer became the first player in tennis history to have five consecutive wins at both Wimbledon and the US Open. At the Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid, Federer reached the semi-finals without losing a set. There he lost to Murray, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5. Meanwhile, he became the all-time leader in career prize money in men's tennis, earning over US$ 43.3 million at the end of the tournament and surpassing 14-time Grand Slam singles champion, Pete Sampras.
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.
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, 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 bounced back by winning the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany without dropping a set or a service game. This was the fifth time he had won this event. With this result, he tied Pete Sampras's record for most titles on grass in the open era with ten. At Wimbledon, Federer once again played World No. 2 Nadal in the final. A victory for Federer would have meant his sixth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, breaking Borg's modern era men’s record and equaling the all-time record held since 1886 by William Renshaw. Federer saved two championship points in the fourth set tiebreak but eventually lost the match 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7. The rain-delayed match ended in near darkness after 4 hours, 48 minutes of play, making it the longest (in terms of elapsed time) men's final in Wimbledon recorded history. It concluded 7 hours, 15 minutes after its scheduled start. The defeat also ended Federer's 65 match winning streak on grass. John McEnroe described the match as "The greatest match I've ever seen." After Nadal surpassed him as World No. 1 later in the year, Federer stated that his main goal would be to regain the Wimbledon title rather than the top spot.
Federer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he won Doubles Gold.
Federer at the 2008 US Open, where he won his fifth consecutive US Open title.
Federer made early exits in his next two singles tournaments Masters Series Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada and Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Federer was chosen to carry the national flag at the Beijing Olympics. At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Federer lost in the quarter-finals to James Blake for the first time in their nine matches. Federer however, finally won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's doubles when he and compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka upset the World No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States in the semi-finals and defeated Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in the final, 6–3, 6–4, 6–7(4), 6–3. The following day, Federer lost his World No. 1 ranking to Nadal after a record 237 consecutive weeks. At the US Open, Federer reached the fourth round without dropping a set. He defeated third-seeded Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the 2007 US Open Final 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, 6–2 in the semi-finals and then defeated Andy Murray, who was playing in his first Grand Slam final 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 to win his fifth straight US Open title and 13th career grand slam title, leaving 1 him grand slam title from tying Pete Sampras's all time record of 14. This extended his US Open winning streak to 34 matches. Federer became the first player in tennis history to have five consecutive wins at both Wimbledon and the US Open. At the Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid, Federer reached the semi-finals without losing a set. There he lost to Murray, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5. Meanwhile, he became the all-time leader in career prize money in men's tennis, earning over US$ 43.3 million at the end of the tournament and surpassing 14-time Grand Slam singles champion, Pete Sampras.
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.
In preparation for the Australian Open, Federer played two exhibition tournaments and one official tournament. He lost to Murray in the semi-finals of the Capitala World Tennis exhibition in Abu Dhabi. He then lost in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 series tournament in Doha, Qatar to Murray 6–7(6), 6–2, 6–2. Federer won the AAMI Classic exhibition in Melbourne when he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in the final 6–1, 6–3. Federer defeated each of his first three opponents in straight sets at the Australian Open. In the fourth round, Federer rallied from two sets down to defeat Tomas Berdych 4–6, 6–7(5), 6–4, 6–4, 6–2. Federer reached his record 19th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final by defeating eighth seeded Juan Martín del Potro in the quarter-finals 6–3, 6–0, 6–0 in only 80 minutes. In his 18th Grand Slam final, Federer was defeated by long-time rival Nadal in their first meeting on a hard court in a Grand Slam tournament. The match lasted over four hours with Nadal victorious in five sets. Federer broke down in tears during the trophy presentation and struggled to make his runner-up speech. Federer blamed the defeat on a lack of rhythm in his first serve. Federer withdrew from the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships and from Switzerland's Davis Cup tie against the U.S. because of a back injury he sustained in late 2008. He stated it was "a precautionary measure" to make sure his back is "fully rehabilitated ... for the rest of the 2009 season". On 4 March, Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, announced that the Australian tennis coach Darren Cahill was working with Federer, on a trial basis, at Federer's training base in Dubai. One week later, Cahill opted out of the coaching position, citing the travel commitment needed. Federer played both of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series tournaments in the United States. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Federer lost to Murray in the semi-finals 6–3, 4–6, 6–1. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Federer defeated his first three opponents in straight sets after receiving a first round bye. In the semi-finals against Novak Djokovic, Federer lost 3–6, 6–2, 6–3, a match that included Federer's smashing of his racket in frustration after missing a forehand approach shot by hitting it into the net, the same shot that cost him the 2008 Wimbledon final.
Federer completed a career Grand Slam at the 2009 French Open.
After initially deciding not to participate, Federer accepted a last-minute wildcard entry at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, his first clay court event of the year. He lost to Stanislas Wawrinka for the first time in the third round 6–4, 7–5. In the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event on clay, Federer lost to Djokovic for the first time on clay 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. Federer received a first-round bye in the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, the last ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event on clay for the year. He defeated Nadal 6–4, 6–4 in the final. This ended Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay, and for the second time Federer prevented Nadal from becoming the first man to win all 3 Masters Series on clay in the same year. In the 2009 French Open, in a fourth round encounter, Federer had to come back from 2 sets to love down to defeat Tommy Haas, 6–7(4), 5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–2. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the quarter-finals 7–6(6), 6–2, 6–4, to reach his 20th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. He reached his fourth straight final in Paris by outlasting del Potro 3–6, 7–6(2), 2–6, 6–1, 6–4. He won the French Open for the first time by beating Robin Söderling in the final 6–1, 7–6(1), 6–4. With this win, Federer equaled Pete Sampras's men’s record of 14 Grand Slam titles and Ivan Lendl's record of 19 Grand Slam finals, and also became the sixth man in history to complete a Career Grand Slam. Owing to the overwhelming emotions and fatigue brought by the tournament, Federer withdrew from the Gerry Weber Open, his usual pre-Wimbledon tournament.
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 became the highest seed for Wimbledon following defending champion Nadal's decision to withdraw from the tournament due to tendinitis. Federer defeated Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round 7–5, 6–3, 6–2. He moved safely into the third round with a 6–2, 6–2, 6–4 win over Guillermo García-López. In the third round Federer defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6–3, 6–2, 6–7(5), 6–1. Federer then booked a place in the quarter-finals by defeating Söderling 6–4, 7–6(5), 7–6(5). In the quarter-finals, Federer cruised through Ivo Karlović, 6–3, 7–5, 7–6(3) to extend his all-time record of consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals to 21. In the semi-finals, Federer defeated Tommy Haas 7–6(3), 7–5, 6–3 to reach his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, an all-time record. With this win, he also reached his 20th Grand Slam final, surpassing the previous record of 19 set by Lendl. In a match that took 4 hours and 17 minutes to complete, he beat the American Roddick in the final in the latest chapter of their long, though lopsided rivalry, regaining the World No. 1 spot from Rafael Nadal. The final score was 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14, and the 30 total games in the fifth set was a new Grand Slam record. The match was also the longest men's singles final (in terms of games played) in Grand Slam history with 77 games played, and the fifth set alone lasted 95 minutes. The match has been called an "instant classic" by ESPN, and received the highest TV ratings in the UK for any Wimbledon final since 2001. With the win, he also became the fourth man in the open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year following Nadal in 2008, Borg in 1978–1980, and Laver in 1969. He also joined Nadal as the only players to simultaneously hold Grand Slams on clay, grass and hard court (2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon).
Federer at the 2009 Australian Open, where he lost to Nadal in the final in five sets.
In preparation for the Australian Open, Federer played two exhibition tournaments and one official tournament. He lost to Murray in the semi-finals of the Capitala World Tennis exhibition in Abu Dhabi. He then lost in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 series tournament in Doha, Qatar to Murray 6–7(6), 6–2, 6–2. Federer won the AAMI Classic exhibition in Melbourne when he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in the final 6–1, 6–3. Federer defeated each of his first three opponents in straight sets at the Australian Open. In the fourth round, Federer rallied from two sets down to defeat Tomas Berdych 4–6, 6–7(5), 6–4, 6–4, 6–2. Federer reached his record 19th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final by defeating eighth seeded Juan Martín del Potro in the quarter-finals 6–3, 6–0, 6–0 in only 80 minutes. In his 18th Grand Slam final, Federer was defeated by long-time rival Nadal in their first meeting on a hard court in a Grand Slam tournament. The match lasted over four hours with Nadal victorious in five sets. Federer broke down in tears during the trophy presentation and struggled to make his runner-up speech. Federer blamed the defeat on a lack of rhythm in his first serve. Federer withdrew from the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships and from Switzerland's Davis Cup tie against the U.S. because of a back injury he sustained in late 2008. He stated it was "a precautionary measure" to make sure his back is "fully rehabilitated ... for the rest of the 2009 season". On 4 March, Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, announced that the Australian tennis coach Darren Cahill was working with Federer, on a trial basis, at Federer's training base in Dubai. One week later, Cahill opted out of the coaching position, citing the travel commitment needed. Federer played both of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series tournaments in the United States. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Federer lost to Murray in the semi-finals 6–3, 4–6, 6–1. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Federer defeated his first three opponents in straight sets after receiving a first round bye. In the semi-finals against Novak Djokovic, Federer lost 3–6, 6–2, 6–3, a match that included Federer's smashing of his racket in frustration after missing a forehand approach shot by hitting it into the net, the same shot that cost him the 2008 Wimbledon final.
Federer completed a career Grand Slam at the 2009 French Open.
After initially deciding not to participate, Federer accepted a last-minute wildcard entry at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, his first clay court event of the year. He lost to Stanislas Wawrinka for the first time in the third round 6–4, 7–5. In the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event on clay, Federer lost to Djokovic for the first time on clay 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. Federer received a first-round bye in the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, the last ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event on clay for the year. He defeated Nadal 6–4, 6–4 in the final. This ended Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay, and for the second time Federer prevented Nadal from becoming the first man to win all 3 Masters Series on clay in the same year. In the 2009 French Open, in a fourth round encounter, Federer had to come back from 2 sets to love down to defeat Tommy Haas, 6–7(4), 5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–2. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the quarter-finals 7–6(6), 6–2, 6–4, to reach his 20th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. He reached his fourth straight final in Paris by outlasting del Potro 3–6, 7–6(2), 2–6, 6–1, 6–4. He won the French Open for the first time by beating Robin Söderling in the final 6–1, 7–6(1), 6–4. With this win, Federer equaled Pete Sampras's men’s record of 14 Grand Slam titles and Ivan Lendl's record of 19 Grand Slam finals, and also became the sixth man in history to complete a Career Grand Slam. Owing to the overwhelming emotions and fatigue brought by the tournament, Federer withdrew from the Gerry Weber Open, his usual pre-Wimbledon tournament.
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 became the highest seed for Wimbledon following defending champion Nadal's decision to withdraw from the tournament due to tendinitis. Federer defeated Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round 7–5, 6–3, 6–2. He moved safely into the third round with a 6–2, 6–2, 6–4 win over Guillermo García-López. In the third round Federer defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6–3, 6–2, 6–7(5), 6–1. Federer then booked a place in the quarter-finals by defeating Söderling 6–4, 7–6(5), 7–6(5). In the quarter-finals, Federer cruised through Ivo Karlović, 6–3, 7–5, 7–6(3) to extend his all-time record of consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals to 21. In the semi-finals, Federer defeated Tommy Haas 7–6(3), 7–5, 6–3 to reach his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, an all-time record. With this win, he also reached his 20th Grand Slam final, surpassing the previous record of 19 set by Lendl. In a match that took 4 hours and 17 minutes to complete, he beat the American Roddick in the final in the latest chapter of their long, though lopsided rivalry, regaining the World No. 1 spot from Rafael Nadal. The final score was 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14, and the 30 total games in the fifth set was a new Grand Slam record. The match was also the longest men's singles final (in terms of games played) in Grand Slam history with 77 games played, and the fifth set alone lasted 95 minutes. The match has been called an "instant classic" by ESPN, and received the highest TV ratings in the UK for any Wimbledon final since 2001. With the win, he also became the fourth man in the open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year following Nadal in 2008, Borg in 1978–1980, and Laver in 1969. He also joined Nadal as the only players to simultaneously hold Grand Slams on clay, grass and hard court (2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon).
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 and is next scheduled to play in the Davidoff Swiss Indoors.
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 and is next scheduled to play in the Davidoff Swiss Indoors.
In Basel, as the three-time defending champion, he was stunned in a three-set final to Djokovic. He suffered his second loss in a row in three sets against Benneteau in his first match in the Paris Masters. If he continues this bad show of form, he could potentially lose the No.1 spot at the end of the year to Nadal.
Rivalries
Federer vs. Nadal
Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry
Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004 and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.
Nadal during the 2009 Australian Open final
They have held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 to date, except from August 17 until September 14 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray was No. 2 during that time). 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 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 and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004 and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.
Nadal during the 2009 Australian Open final
They have held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 to date, except from August 17 until September 14 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray was No. 2 during that time). 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 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
He's probably the most talented person to ever carry a racquet around—the shots that he can come up with, the way he's kind of become a totally complete player. But I think off the court, it's huge. There have been a lot of good champions, but he's just classy. He is never high and mighty in the locker room or anything like that.
He's probably the most talented person to ever carry a racquet around—the shots that he can come up with, the way he's kind of become a totally complete player. But I think off the court, it's huge. There have been a lot of good champions, but he's just classy. He is never high and mighty in the locker room or anything like that.
—– Andy Roddick in 2005
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 2008.
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 fluent 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 an excellent single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. He has an excellent 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); however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph). Federer has never retired from any of his matches on the main tour.
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 fluent 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 an excellent single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. He has an excellent 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); however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph). Federer has never retired from any of his matches on the main tour.
Equipment, apparel, endorsements
Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson KFactor KSix-One Tour 90 tennis racquet, which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy weight of 12.7 ounces, and thin beam of 18 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 currently plays with a customised Wilson KFactor KSix-One Tour 90 tennis racquet, which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy weight of 12.7 ounces, and thin beam of 18 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.
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