Is Roger Federer the greatest tennis player in history? The issue is divisive, especially since the other two members of the big three have overtaken the legend in terms of Grand Slam titles.
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One thing, however, seems certain: his legacy is incomparable.
Because even if his two most talented contemporaries – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – are sure to supplant him for major victories, Federer has changed tennis forever.
“He put the sport in his hands in a very unique way,” notes Eugène Lapierre, director of the Omnium Banque Nationale de Montréal, who has rubbed shoulders with the Swiss over the past two decades.
“He did everything well on the pitch,” he adds. In his prime, it seemed like he was invincible. He could exchange for a very long time in the back of the field, it was only Nadal who gave him a hard time on clay. »
Mr. Lapierre also praises the quality of Federer’s service and that of his precision shots.
“His counterattack, attack speed, his game on the fly … He mastered all aspects of the game without even giving the impression of forcing”, he also lists.
“The grace of his game”
Coach at Tennis Canada, Sylvain Bruneau believes that the great champion is the model to follow for both players and instructors.
“He is a legend by his sporting record. [Ce qu’on va retenir, ce sont] his 20 Grand Slam victories, his number 1 places, but, more than anything, the grace of his game, added Bruneau. Everyone loved his game.”
The wheel spins
But lo and behold, even legends don’t last forever, and Mr. Lapierre wasn’t particularly surprised when he learned that the Swiss was hanging up his racquet.
Despite his incomparable heritage, the Montreal tournament director remains convinced that the younger generation is ready.
Archival photo
Engaged in humanitarian aid through his foundation, Roger Federer travels to Namibia in February 2020. We see him here meeting a young girl.
” The story continues. There will continue to be big stars, assures Mr. Lapierre. It happened when Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras or Martina Navratilova retired. Sport takes care of introducing us to new athletes of very great talent. »
“However, I must say that with Roger, we had quite the experience! he adds, laughing.
And now, Mr. Lapierre, THE question: is Federer the greatest?
“It’s not Eugène Lapierre who will determine that,” he says. There was Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, Nadal, Djokovic…”
“But in terms of the impact he’s had on his sport throughout his career, I feel like he’s among the three or four greatest in history. »
– With QMI Agency
Excellence and longevity
1989
Federer started playing tennis with the TC Old Boys tennis club in Basel, Switzerland.
1998
As a junior, he won the singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon. The same year, he played his first professional match in Gstaad. He bows entry in front of Andre Agassi.
2000
He played in two ATP finals, in Marseille and Basel. He loses each time, against Marc Rosset then against Thomas Enqvist.
2001
Federer wins his first singles title. In the final in Milan, he beat Julien Bouttier. He also gets his hands on the Hopman cup, alongside Martina Hingis.
2002
At 21, he pocketed his first trophy in the Masters 1000 series in Hamburg. He cracks the top 10, which allows him to participate in the end-of-year championship.
2003
At Wimbledon, Federer won the first of his 20 Grand Slam titles, defeating Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final.
2004
This is the beginning of his domination. The Swiss won 11 titles during the season, including three majors (Australia, Wimbledon and the United States). He becomes world number 1 and will remain so for four years.
2006
Federer is having the best season of his career. He wins 12 tournaments and is one victory away from winning the Grand Slam. This is Rafael Nadal, his great rival, who beat him in the final at Roland-Garros. He only loses five games, four of them against the Spaniard.
2008
After 237 consecutive weeks at the forefront of the world, Roger gives way to Nadal, who defeats him after an anthology final at Wimbledon. He won his first Olympic title (in Beijing, alongside Stan Wawrinka) and won the 13th major of his career at the US Open.
2009
In June, he beat the Swede Robin Soderling at Roland-Garros, which allowed him to pocket the only major missing from his list. A month later, he defeated Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam final history. This 15th major trophy puts him ahead of Pete Sampras in the record books.
2015
After a few more difficult years by his standards, the Swiss is regaining his luster. In Brisbane, he won the 83rd title and the 1000th match of his career, against Canadian Milos Raonic. He reached the final at Wimbledon, New York and at the end of the year Masters, where he was beaten each time by Novak Djokovic.
2016
His season was cut short by a knee injury. For the first time since 2002, Federer is excluded from the world top 10.
2018
After a shortened 2016, the champion made a strong comeback in the following two seasons. In Australia, he won the 20th Grand Slam title of his career. He is the first to cross this mark. That same year, he became the oldest world number 1 in history, at 36 years and 10 months.
2019
Federer won the 100th tournament of his career in Dubai in February, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. The same year, he raised in Basel, ahead of Alex de Minaur, the 103rd and final trophy of his career.
2021
At Wimbledon, he lost in the quarter-finals to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. This is his last professional game to date. He announces soon after that he has to undergo another surgery on his right knee. Roger totals three in a year and a half.
2022
On September 15, he announced that he would play in the Laver Cup, from September 23 to 25 in London, the last matches of his illustrious career.
THE FIGURES THAT MADE ITS LEGEND
- Born August 8, 1981,
in Basel, Switzerland - Professional since July 1998. First tournament
in Gstaad (defeat in the 1st round against Andre Agassi) - Speaks four languages fluently:
German, Swiss German, English and French
$171,762,500
career earnings
(in Canadian dollars)
In the standings
- 310 weeks ranked 1st in the world (2nd behind Novak Djokovic)
- 237 consecutive weeks ranked 1st in the world
(1st in history – from February 2004 to August 2008) - Oldest World No. 1 player in history
(At 36 years and 10 months – June 18, 2018)
In singles
Archival photo
At the Beijing Games in August 2008, Roger Federer and his compatriot Stan Wawrinka won the men’s doubles gold medal at the expense of Sweden’s Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson. Federer will never win Olympic gold in singles, one of the few titles missing from his prestigious record.
- 1526 matches
- 1251 wins (2nd behind Jimmy Connors)
- 82% career wins
- 103 singles tracks |
The first in Milan in 2001 and the last in Basel in 2019
(2nd behind Jimmy Connors) - 71 tracks on hard surface
- 6 end-of-season Masters titles (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011)*
- 28 Masters Series titles (the only two he has never won are Monte Carlo and Rome)
- Seven streaks of at least 20 wins*
- A silver medal at the Olympics
(London 2012 – won doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka in Beijing 2008) - No forfeit in a match throughout his career
In Grand Slam
Archival photo
Roger Federer poses with the Wimbledon champion’s trophy, the first major title he won in 2003, beating Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final. At her side is the American Serena Williams, crowned in the women’s category that year.
- 20 titles (3rd in the modern era behind Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (21))
- 6th player in history to win all four major trophies
- Eight Wimbledon wins*
- 369 victories* (He is the only one to have won 100 matches in two tournaments: 102 in Australia and 105 at Wimbledon)
- 81 tournaments played (shared record with Feliciano Lopez)
- 65 consecutive tournaments (Between Australian Open 2000 and Australian Open 2016)
- 23 consecutive semi-finals*
* A record
His biggest rivals
Rafael Nadal
16 wins
24 losses
Novak Djokovic
23 wins
27 losses
Sources: ATP, Le Figaro