Roger Federer could be considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, depending on who you ask. His career spans over two decades, setting many records and claiming most major titles along the way.
Early years
Born 8 August 1981 to a Swiss-German father and South African mother in Basel, Switzerland. At the age of 14, in 1996, Federer played his first match at a tournament in Switzerland. However, his first accomplishment came in 1998 at Wimbledon when he beat Irakli Labadze in the boy’s final. Federer ended the 1998 season ranked as the No.1 Junior ITF Champion after winning four junior singles tournaments.
In the 1998 Swiss Open Gstaad, Federer played for the first time in the ATP and, although he lost, went on to win his first ATP later that year. On 20 September 1999, Federer entered the top 100 for the first time, however, his big break did not come until Wimbledon2001 when he beat Pete Sampras, the no.1 seed.
Career Highlights
During Wimbledon 2003, Roger Federer won the Grand Slam singles by beating both Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis. The 2004 season had Federer go on to become the first person to win three Grand Slam titles in one year since Mats Wilander did in 1988, placing him at No.1 for the first time. Federer ended the 2004 season with 11 singles titles under his belt, the most that anybody had claimed in over two decades.
In 2005, Roger Federer failed to play in the first two finals of the Grand Slam series. However, he went to finish the year with 11 singles tournament titles and victories in 81 matches.
2006 and 2007 saw Federer finish world no.1, with him being the world champion 4 years in a row at the end of 2007. Unfortunately, during the 2008 season, he suffered a bout of mononucleosis, which hampered his performance later in the season and finished the season with a back injury. Although his match against Nadal at Wimbledon is considered one of the greatest matches ever played, Federer finished the year as no.2 ranked behind Badal.
The 2009 season saw Federer bounce back and claim his 15th Grand Slam title, surpassing the record that Pete Sampras had held up until this point with 14 victories. Federer went on to once again finish the season as the no.1 world champion.
The 2010 and 2011 seasons saw Federer end as no.2 and no.3 in the world until he made his return to no.1 in 2012 for the 300th week by defeating Wawrinka in the Shanghai Masters in the third round. 2013 Saw Roger Federer drop to the no.6 position due to back injuries and finished the year claiming he made a mistake by playing certain matches while he was injured and also dropping his coach of the last three years.
The next 3 years saw Federer plagued with injuries, with his back becoming a recurring problem. This all come to a head in 2016 when he had to undergo knee surgery, missing most of the 2016 season as well as the Summer Olympics, making it the first time since 2000 that he did not win a title. Many believed that this was the end of an amazing career, with injuries that he could not recover from.
In 2017, Feder made a return to the Grand Slam circuit, winning the most titles since 2007 and a higher percentage of wins since 2006, making him the favourite at the Top Betting sites to finish no.1 for the year. Roger Federer went on to win his third Master’s title at the Shanghai Masters that year, and although he qualified for the ATP finals, he lost to David Goffin in the semi-finals.
2018, saw Federer win his 20th major title and his 310th week at no.1 and 2019 had him win his 100th title, 1200th title and 12th Wimbledon final. During the 2020 season, injuries again hampered Federer, having him undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and withdrawing from tennis for the rest of the year to return in 2021. However, despite having some early victories in the 2021 season, Federer has to withdraw again in 2021 again despite his knee injuries.
Conclusion
Federer is ranked as one of the best tennis players to have graced the courts and although in his earlier career he has claimed an incredible number of trophies and championships, injuries has plagued his later years. It remains to be seen if he will recover from these injuries and reclaim his no.1 spot again.
