Roger Federer, widely regarded as the best tennis player of all time, is noted for his quickness, fluid play, and extraordinary shot-making abilities. His tremendous smashes, outstanding footwork, and effective technique let him not only win multiple matches, but also make history. He holds the distinction for being the only player to hold the number one position for a total of 302 weeks, with 237 of those weeks coming from 2004 to 2008. For eight years in a row, he remained in the top two spots. From 2003 until 2012, he held the top three rankings. He is one of only eight tennis players in the world to have completed a ‘Grand Slam’ in his career. In addition, he has won a total of 20 ‘Grand Slam’ titles. He has also won Olympic gold and silver medals in the doubles and singles events, respectively.
Childhood and Adolescence
Roger Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland, on August 8, 1981, to Robert Federer, a Swiss father, and Lynette Federer, a South African mother. His mother was half-Dutch, half-French.
Federer grew up near the French and German borders, and as a result, he speaks German, French, and English fluently. He grew up as a Roman Catholic and began playing tennis and soccer at a young age.
Despite the fact that his entire family enjoyed the game, it was young Federer who showed the most promise of becoming a star. By the age of 11, he had established himself as one of Switzerland’s “Top 3 Junior Tennis Players.”
He focused all of his efforts on tennis alone, abandoning all other sports. He began playing competitions, preparing, and conditioning himself to become a professional at the age of 14. He won the ‘National Junior Championship’ in Switzerland following that.
He was sponsored by the ‘Swiss National Tennis Center’ in Ecublens because of his remarkable potential and playing abilities. He competed in the ‘International Tennis Federation’ junior tennis circuit in 1996.
Before turning professional in 1998, he made a name for himself as a junior by winning the ‘Wimbledon’ title and the ‘Orange Bowl.’ He was named the ‘ITF World Junior Tennis Champion of the Year’ after that.
Career of Roger Federer
His first match after going pro was against Lucas Arnold Ker at Gstaad, Switzerland, which he lost. Though he had previously established himself in amateur tennis, he needed time and expertise to replicate his success professionally.
After a couple of setbacks, he and Martina Hingis won the ‘Hopman Cup’ in 2001, defeating American challengers Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill. In the same year, he won his first singles match in the ‘Milan Indoor Tournament,’ defeating Julien Boutter.
A string of triumphs followed, including strong showings at the ‘French Open’ and ‘Wimbledon,’ where he reached the quarter-finals in both tournaments. Everyone was amused by his performance at ‘Wimbledon’ versus incumbent champion Pete Sampras.
Throughout 2002, he demonstrated excellent abilities, improving with each game. He set a new personal best by finishing the year at number six in the ATP rankings, the first time he ended outside the top ten.
In 2003, he had a breakout year, reaching nine finals on the ‘ATP’ tour and won seven of them. In addition, he won his first ‘Wimbledon’ singles match. He surpassed other players to attain the number two spot on the ‘ATP’ ranking by relying on his talent and skills.
He won the ‘Australian Open,’ ‘Wimbledon,’ and the ‘US Open’ in the ‘Grand Slams’ of 2004. He also won the ATP Masters Series 1000 and the ATP 500 series. It was his mastery of the game that propelled him to the top of the world rankings.
He began 2005 on a sour note, losing two ‘Grand Slam’ titles. He made a strong comeback, winning the ‘Wimbledon’ and ‘US Open,’ respectively. In addition, he continued his winning streak by winning four ‘ATP Masters Series 1000’ and two ‘ATP 500’ series, allowing him to keep his number one ranking.
He won three ‘Grand Slam’ singles titles in 2006, demonstrating his incredible talent. He also reached the finals of four ATP Masters Series 1000 tournaments and one ATP 500 series. He made it to the top spot for the third time in a row, completing a hat-trick.
In terms of his performances in ‘Grand Slams,’ 2007 was a carbon copy of 2006. He reached the finals of all four ‘Grand Slams,’ winning three of them. He won two finals in the ‘ATP Masters Series 1000,’ then went on to win one final in the ‘ATP 500’ series. He regained the top spot for the fourth time, demonstrating his mastery of the game.
In 2008, his extravagant achievements dropped as he only won one ‘Grand Slam’ title (US Open). His ‘ATP’ performance suffered as too, with only three titles in the 250-level competitions. He was relegated to second place in the world rankings.
He improved on his 2009 ‘Grand Slams’ performance, in which he reached the finals of all four ‘Grand Slams,’ winning the ‘French Open’ and ‘Wimbledon.’ He made history by being the first player to win the ‘French Open,’ completing a career ‘Grand Slam.’ He also became the world’s only tennis player to win 15 ‘Grand Slam’ singles titles.
Federer had a disappointing year in 2010. Though it began well with his victory at the ‘Australian Open,’ his performances at the ‘French Open’ and ‘Wimbledon,’ when he failed to reach the semi-finals on both occasions, surprised tennis fans around the world. He made it to the semi-finals of the ‘US Open,’ but was unable to advance any further. His world rating has dropped to number two once more.
His career trajectory continued to deteriorate as he failed to win a single championship at any of the four ‘Grand Slams’ in 2011, his first since 2002. As he slid out of the top three, his world ranking plummeted even further. What appeared to be a title-less year ended on a positive note when he won the ‘Swiss Indoors’ for the fifth time and his first ‘Paris Masters’ championship.
He resurrected his career during the 2011 ‘ATP’ tour by defeating David Ferrer in the year-end championships final for the eighth time. His success on the ‘ATP’ tour was important in his regaining the number three ranking.
He defeated Andy Murray to win the ‘Wimbledon’ in 2012. He also competed in the ‘Davis Cup,’ the ‘ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament,’ the ‘Dubai Tennis Championship,’ and the ‘Indian Wells Masters,’ among other international tournaments. He won a silver medal at the 2012 ‘Summer Olympics,’ losing in the finals to Murray.
The year 2013 was marked by disappointment and surprise. In the first four months, he not only failed to win a ‘Grand Slam’ championship, but he also failed to reach a single final. In addition, he was unable to defend his title in Madrid. The ‘Gerry Weber Open’ was his sole victory of the year.
In 2014, he improved on the previous year by reaching the Wimbledon finals. He was unable to win the ‘Grand Slam,’ however, as he was defeated by Djokovic. He then went on to win two ATP Masters 1000 and ATP 500 series, as well as the Davis Cup for Switzerland, to round off a successful season. As a result, according to the ‘ATP’ rating for the year, he was rated second.
Federer won his first match of the 2015 season in the ‘Brisbane ATP Tour.’ This was his 1000th victory overall. He made it to the finals of two ‘Grand Slams,’ but was unable to win either. He did, however, successfully defend his title against Djokovic at the ‘Dubai Tennis Championship.’
He was primarily out of play in 2016 due to a knee injury that kept him out for the whole season. Because he did not win a single title that year, his ‘ATP’ rating plummeted to an all-time low of 16.
In 2017, Federer rediscovered his form, capturing ‘Grand Slam’ titles in Australia and Wimbledon. He won three ATP Masters 1000 championships and two 500 series wins. His ranking climbed significantly, and he finished the season as one of the world’s top two players.
Federer won the ‘Australian Open’ at the ‘Grand Slam’ and the ‘Hopman Cup’ for Switzerland the next season. After losing in the semi-finals of the ‘ATP Finals,’ he fell to third place.
Federer finished third at the ‘Australian Open’ in the 2019 season. He won his 100th singles match at the ‘Dubai Tennis Championships.’ He reached the ‘Wimbledon’ finals, when he faced Djokovic, after winning one of the two ‘Masters Series 1000’ and two of the ‘500 series.’ Despite the fact that he lost the five-set thriller, the match made history by becoming the longest men’s final at ‘Wimbledon.’
Achievements & Awards
From 2003 to 2018, he was honored by ATPWorldTour.com with the ‘Fans’ Favorite Award.’
Federer has been nominated for the ‘Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award’ 13 times by his peers, rivals, and competitors. From 2004 until 2009, he won the honor, and then again in 2011 and 2017.
He was honored with the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award. From 2005 to 2008, and then again in 2018, he won the prize five times.
He received the ‘Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award’ in 2006 and 2013.
Personal History and Legacy
On April 11, 2009, he married tennis player Mirka Vavrinec, a former member of the ‘Women’s Tennis Association.’ They first met in 2000 during the ‘Sydney Olympics.’
On July 23, 2009, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, identical twins, were born to the couple. They were blessed with another set of twins on May 6, 2014, whom they named Lenny and Leo.
Estimated Net Worth
Roger Federer has a net worth of $550 million.
Trivia
‘Fed Express’ or ‘FedEx’ is the nickname given to this professional tennis player. For his outstanding talents and competence, he is dubbed ‘Swiss Maestro’ or simply ‘Maestro.’ His followers refer to him as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) (Greatest Of All Time).