Roger Federer

Childhood and early life

Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland.^[4] His father, Robert Federer, is a Swiss-German from Berneck in the Canton of St. Gallen, and his mother, Lynette Federer (née Durand), is an Afrikaner from Kempton Park, Gauteng, in South Africa. Federer has one sibling, his older sister, Diana,^[5] who is the mother of a set of twins.^[6] Since his mother is South African, he holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.^[7] He grew up in nearby Birsfelden, Riehen, and then Münchenstein, close to the French and German borders, and he speaks Swiss German, Standard German, English and French fluently, as well as functional Italian and Swedish; Swiss German is his native language.^{[4][8][9][10]} Federer served as a ball boy at his hometown Basel tournament, the Swiss Indoors, in 1992 and 1993.^[8][11]

Federer's signature

Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was ruled "unsuitable" and was subsequently not required to fulfill his military obligation.^[12] Instead, he served in the civil protection force and was required to pay 3% of his taxable income as an alternative.^[13] He grew up supporting F.C. Basel and the Swiss national football team.^[14] Federer also credits his hand-eye coordination to the wide range of sports he played as a child, including badminton and basketball.^[15]

Family

Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Miroslava Federer (née Vavrinec), whom he met while they were both competing for Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Usually called Mirka, she retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury.^[16] They were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family.^[17] In 2009, Mirka gave birth to identical twin girls.^[18] The Federers had another pair of identical twins in 2014, this time boys.^[19][20]

Philanthropy and outreach

In 2003, he established the Roger Federer Foundation to help disadvantaged children and to promote their access to education and sports.^[21][22][23] Since May 2004, citing his close ties with South Africa, including that this was where his mother had been raised, he began supporting the South Africa-Swiss charity IMBEWU, which helps children better connect to sports as well as social and health awareness. Later, in 2005, Federer visited South Africa to meet the children that had benefited from his support.^[24][25][26] Also in 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.^[27] At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP and WTA tour called Rally for Relief. The proceeds went to the victims of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. In December 2006, he visited Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami.^[28] He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in April 2006 and has appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS.^[29][30]

In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer arranged a collaboration with fellow top tennis players for a special charity event during the 2010 Australian Open called 'Hit for Haiti', in which proceeds went to Haiti earthquake victims.^[31][32] He participated in a follow-up charity exhibition during the 2010 Indian Wells Masters, which raised $1 million.^[33] The Nadal vs. Federer "Match for Africa" in 2010 in Zurich and Madrid raised more than $4 million for the Roger Federer Foundation and Fundación Rafa Nadal. In January 2011, Federer took part in an exhibition, Rally for Relief, to raise money for the victims of the Queensland floods.^[34][35] In 2014, the "Match for Africa 2" between Federer and Stan Wawrinka, again in Zurich, raised £850,000 for education projects in Southern Africa. On 24 November 2017, Federer received an honorary doctorate awarded to him by his home university, the University of Basel. He received the title in recognition for his role in increasing the international reputation of Basel and Switzerland, and also his engagement for children in Africa through his charitable foundation.^[36]

Pre–1998: Junior years

Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon in 1998, where he won both the boys' singles final over Irakli Labadze,^[37] and in doubles teamed with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.^[38] In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior final in 1998 to David Nalbandian. He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated Guillermo Coria in the final.^[39] He ended 1998 with the No. 1 junior world ranking, was awarded ITF junior World Champion, and entered his first tournament as a professional during 1998 in Gstaad, where he lost to Lucas Arnold Ker in the first round.

1998–2002: Early professional career

Federer entered the top 100 ranking for the first time on 20 September 1999 and started at the 1999 Marseille Open defeating the reigning champion of the 1998 French Open, Spaniard Carlos Moyá. His first final came at the Marseille Open in 2000, where he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset.^[40] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, along with Martina Hingis.^[41][42][43] The duo defeated the American pair of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the finals. Federer later said that his experience with Hingis "definitely helped me to become the player I am today."^[44] Federer's first singles win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter in the final.^[40] Although he won his first title already in 1999 on the Challenger tour, winning the doubles event in Segovia, Spain with Dutchman Sander Groen, the final was played on Federer's 18th birthday. In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, losing to former world No. 2 and eventual finalist Alex Corretja. His run to the French quarterfinals launched him into the top 15 for the first time in his career.^[45]

His international breakthrough came at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, where the 19-year-old Federer faced the four-time defending champion and all-time Grand Slam leader Pete Sampras. Federer beat the No. 1 seed in a five-set match to reach the quarterfinals.^[46] In the quarters he faced Englishman Tim Henman, eventually losing in a fourth-set tiebreaker.

The first final he reached at the Masters level came at the 2002 Miami Masters event, where he lost to former and future No. 1 Andre Agassi on hard court.^[47] Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay, over Marat Safin; the victory put him in top 10 for the first time.^[47] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.^{[40][47][48][49][45]} He also made six finals in doubles. He finished 2001 with an ATP ranking of No. 13, and 2002 was the first year he was ranked within the top 10, finishing at No. 6.

2003: Grand slam breakthrough at Wimbledon

In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Andy Roddick in the semifinals and Mark Philippoussis in the final.^[50] In August he had a chance to take over the No. 1 ranking for the first time from Andre Agassi if he made it to the Montreal final. However, he fell in the semifinals to Roddick, in a final-set tiebreaker, leaving him 120 points behind Agassi.^[51] This, coupled with early losses to David Nalbandian at Cincinnati and the US Open, denied Federer the chance to become No. 1 for the duration of the season.

Federer won his first and to date only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with Max Mirnyi^[52] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.^[50] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.^[50] Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships over Andre Agassi, finishing the year as world No. 2, narrowly behind Andy Roddick by only 160 points.^[50]

2004: Imposing dominance

Federer at the 2004 US Open, where he became the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a season

During 2004, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles for the first time in his career and became the first person to do so since Mats Wilander in 1988. His first major hard-court title came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin, thereby becoming the world No. 1 for the first time. He then won his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick.^[53] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.^[53]

Federer won three ATP Masters Series 1000 events, one was on clay in Hamburg, and the other two were on hard surfaces at Indian Wells and in Canada.^[53] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.^[53] He also won his first tournament on home soil by capturing the Swiss Open in Gstaad. His 11 singles titles were the most of any player in two decades, and his record of 74–6 was the best since Ivan Lendl in 1986. He reached the year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time.

2005: Consolidating dominance

In 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the first two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Safin after holding match points, and the French Open semifinal to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.^[54] However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick. At the US Open, Federer defeated Andre Agassi in the latter's last major final.^[54]

Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.^[54] The win in Miami was particularly noteworthy as it was the first final contested between Federer and Nadal. Federer recovered from two sets and a break down to take the final in five sets. Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai.^[54] Federer lost the year-end championships to David Nalbandian in five sets while playing through a foot injury that sidelined him for almost the rest of the season after September.^[55] He maintained his position as No. 1 for the entire season.^[54]

Federer won 11 singles titles, which ties his 2004 season. Federer's 81 match victories were the most since Pete Sampras in 1993, and his record of 81–4 (95.2%) remains the third-best winning percentage in the Open Era behind John McEnroe's 1984 and Jimmy Connors's 1974.

2006: Outstanding season

The 2006 season was statistically the best season of Federer's career. In November 2011, Stephen Tignor, chief editorial writer for Tennis.com, ranked Federer's 2006 season as statistically the second-best season of all time during the Open Era, behind Rod Laver's Grand Slam year of 1969.^[56]

Federer hits a forehand at the 2006 US Open, where he became the first man in history to achieve the Wimbledon-US Open double for three consecutive seasons

Federer won 12 singles titles (the most of any player since John McEnroe in 1984) and had a match record of 92–5 (the most wins since Ivan Lendl in 1982). Federer reached the finals in an astounding 16 of the 17 tournaments he entered during the season.

In 2006, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other, with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open. This was Federer and Nadal's first meeting in a Grand Slam final.^[57] He was the first man to reach all four finals in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969. Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis,^[57] and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion).^[57] In addition, Federer made it to six ATP Masters Series 1000 finals, winning four on hard surfaces and losing two on clay to Nadal. Federer, however, consistently pushed Nadal to the limit on clay throughout the season taking him to fourth-set tiebreakers in Monte-Carlo and Paris, and a thrilling match in Rome that went to a deciding fifth-set tiebreaker.

Federer won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo and captured the year-end championships for the third time in his career, again finishing the year as world No. 1.^[57] Federer only lost to two players during 2006, to Nadal four times in finals, and to 19-year-old Andy Murray in the second round of the 2006 Cincinnati Masters, in what was Federer's only defeat before reaching the final of a tournament that year. Federer finished the season on a 29-match winning streak, as well as winning 48 of his last 49 matches after the French Open.

Near the end of the season he won his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland for the first time, having finished runner up in 2000 and 2001, and missing the tournament in 2004 and 2005 due to injuries.

2007: Holding off young rivals

In 2007, Federer reached all four Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of them again. He won the Australian Open without dropping a set, beating Fernando González in the final. This made him the first man in the 21st century to accomplish the feat, as Björn Borg at the 1980 French Open was the last to win a Grand Slam tournament without the loss of a set.^[58] Federer had entered the year on a huge winning streak and after capturing his fourth Dubai crown Federer's winning streak stood at 41 matches, the longest of his career and only five shy of the record. Federer entered Indian Wells as the three-time defending champion, but his streak ended in controversy. He was defeated by an Argentine, Guillermo Cañas, who had failed a drug test for illegal doping.^[59]

Federer was coined "Darth Federer" by fans and commentators at the 2007 US Open

This surprising first-round defeat marked the first time since August 2006 he suffered defeat, a period spanning over seven months.

During the clay season, Federer's victory in the Hamburg Masters final was particularly impressive, as it snapped Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay, an Open-era record. Federer turned the match around from a set down to sweep 12 of the final 14 games, including a final set bagel. At the French Open, some anticipated that Federer could become the first man in almost 40 years to hold all four majors simultaneously, having just resoundingly defeated young rival Nadal on clay entering the tournament. However, in a repeat of the previous year Federer played a tough four-set final against Nadal, but was undone by going 1/17 on break-point chances.^[60]

At Wimbledon, Federer entered the tournament not only as the four-time defending champion, but also riding a 48-match winning streak on grass. Once again, he defeated Rafael Nadal for a second consecutive year in the final, this time in a thrilling five-set encounter that many analysts hailed as the greatest Wimbledon final since 1980. Victory at Wimbledon equaled him with Björn Borg for the record of five consecutive championships at the All England Club.

Federer reached the final in Montreal before playing a young and relatively unknown Serbian named Novak Djokovic. Djokovic proved his potential by beating the world No. 1 in a final-set tiebreaker upset. Federer rebounded in Cincinnati to capture his fifth title of the year. Federer entered the US Open as the three-time defending champion and faced Djokovic in the final. This time, Federer prevailed in a close straight-set match. Victory in New York moved him ahead of Laver and Borg for third on the all-time list of major championship victories. Throughout the tournament, the American press labelled him Darth Federer for his all-black attire (which included tuxedo-striped shorts) and the tournament played The Imperial March from Star Wars when he was announced onto the court for each of his matches.^[61] He closed out the year with victories in Basel and the Year End Championships in Shanghai.

He finished the season as the year-end No. 1 for the fourth year in a row, demonstrating his dominance, and during these four years he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. After his phenomenal triple Grand Slam season yet again, Federer became the only player in history to win three Majors in a year for three years (2004, 2006, 2007).^{[62][63][64][65]} It was the third consecutive season that Federer held the No. 1 ranking for all 52 weeks of the year.

2008: Illness, fifth US Open and Olympic Gold

Federer's success in 2008 was severely hampered by a lingering bout of mononucleosis, which he suffered from during the first half of the year.^[66] At the end of the year, he suffered a back injury that proved to be recurring throughout his career.

In 2008, Federer captured one Grand Slam, a singles title at the US Open over Andy Murray.^[67] Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, the French Open and Wimbledon, which was regarded as the best match of tennis history by many, when he was going for six straight wins to break Björn Borg's record.^[67] At the Australian Open, Federer lost in the semifinals to eventual winner Djokovic, which ended his record of 10 consecutive finals.^[67] He lost twice in Masters Series 1000 finals on clay to Nadal, at Monte Carlo and Hamburg.^[67] Federer captured three titles in 250-level events at Estoril, Halle, and Basel.

At the Olympic Games, Federer and Stan Wawrinka won the gold medal in doubles, after beating the Bryan brothers American team in the semifinals and the Swedish duo of Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in the final.^[68] However, Federer could only reach the quarterfinals in the singles draw, bowing out to then No. 8 James Blake, succumbing his No. 1 ranking to Nadal after being at the top for a record 237 consecutive weeks.^[69] He ended the year ranked No. 2.

2009: Career Grand Slam, and major title record

Federer entered the 2009 season with 13 Grand Slams, only one behind Pete Sampras' all-time record. The season began with a loss to Nadal in the final of the Australian Open in a hotly contested five-set match.^[70] Federer struggled following the defeat in Melbourne and entered the clay season without a title.

Federer winning the French Open, and completing the career Grand Slam.

Federer's season turned around in the final masters event of the clay season when he defeated Nadal on clay for only the second time to capture the Madrid Masters.^[71] Federer entered the French Open with few predicting him to win the elusive Parisian title having lost to Nadal in the final weekend for the past four seasons. After Nadal's unexpected defeat to Robin Söderling, Federer became the overwhelming favorite. In his next match, he was forced to come from two sets and break point down in the third set to defeat Tommy Haas in five sets.^[71] He was also forced to fight back from a two-sets-to-one deficit against a young Juan Martín del Potro to win a five setter in the semifinals.^[71] In the final, he faced Söderling, and with straight sets victory, he finally captured the Coupe des Mousquetaires and career Grand Slam.^[72] This victory also tied him with Pete Sampras for the most Grand Slam singles titles.

Federer immediately turned his sights to the grass courts of Wimbledon, where he breezed his way up to the final. In the championship match he faced long-time rival Andy Roddick in what was their eighth and final meeting at a Grand Slam. Roddick pushed Federer into a record-setting fifth set, which Federer claimed 16–14 to win his 15th Grand Slam singles title, breaking the all-time record of Pete Sampras.

Federer continued his summer run by winning his third title on the lightning-fast courts of the Cincinnati Masters, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.^[71] At the US Open he defeated Söderling in the quarters and Djokovic, for the third consecutive year, in the semifinals. On the penultimate point of the Djokovic match he hit what many consider to be the greatest shot of his career, a tweener winner, to set up match points.^[73] Federer played del Potro in the final and led two sets to one before ultimately losing a fourth-set tiebreaker and subsequently the match.^[71]

The 2009 season was perhaps the most historically relevant of Federer's career as he completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title and won a men's record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, surpassing Pete Sampras's mark of fourteen.^[71] The Wimbledon final was also historic for being the longest Grand Slam final in terms of games played with Federer prevailing 16–14 in the fifth set.

Federer finished the season as the year-end No. 1 for the fifth time in his career.

2010: Fourth Australian Open

Federer won a record 16th Major at the 2010 Australian Open

Federer started the year with a win at the Australian Open,^[74] where he defeated Andy Murray in the final, extending the Grand Slam singles record to sixteen titles and matching Andre Agassi's record of four Australian Open titles.^[67] Since Wimbledon 2005 Federer had made 18 out of 19 finals in Grand Slam tournaments, a period of sustained excellence unparalleled in the Open Era. This tournament, however, marked the end of his dominance at the majors.

At the French Open, Federer won his 700th tour match and 150th tour match on clay.^[74][75] However, he failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2004 French Open, losing to Söderling in the last 8 and relinquishing his No. 1 ranking,^[74] having been just one week away from equalling Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as world No. 1. In a huge upset at Wimbledon, Federer lost in the last 8 again to Tomáš Berdych and fell to No. 3 in the rankings for the first time in 6 years and 8 months.^[74][76][77]

Towards the middle of July, Federer hired Pete Sampras' old coach Paul Annacone on a trial basis to put his tennis game and career back on track.^[78] At the 2010 US Open, Federer reached the semifinals, where he lost a five-set match to Novak Djokovic after holding two match points.^[74] Federer made it to four Masters 1000 finals, prevailing at the Cincinnati Masters against Mardy Fish.^[79]

Federer finished the year in strong form, winning indoor titles at the Stockholm Open, Swiss Indoors, and the ATP World Tour Finals in London, which brought his tally to 66 career titles. Federer won the year-end championships in London by beating rival Rafael Nadal for his fifth title at the event. He beat all contenders except Nadal in straight sets. It remains the only tournament in his career where Federer defeated all fellow members of the Big Four. Since Wimbledon 2010, Federer had a win-loss record of 34–4. Federer finished in the top two for the eighth consecutive season.

2011: Tour Finals title record

The year 2011 was a lean year for Federer, although great by most player's standards. He was defeated in straight sets in the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open by eventual champion Novak Djokovic,^[80] marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not hold any of the four major titles. In the French Open semifinals, Federer ended Djokovic's undefeated streak of 43 consecutive wins with a four-set victory. Federer then lost in the final to Rafael Nadal. At Wimbledon, Federer advanced to his 29th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It marked the first time in his career that he had lost a Grand Slam tournament match after winning the first two sets.

At the US Open, Federer lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic in five sets. In a repeat of previous year's semifinal event, Federer again squandered two match points on his own serve before losing after winning first two sets for second consecutive time in the year. Also, this loss meant that it was the first time since 2002 that Federer didn't win any of the four grand slam titles.^[81]

In September 2011, in a South African poll, Federer was voted the second most trusted and respected person in the world, next to Nelson Mandela.^[82][83]

Federer finished the season successfully in the indoor season, winning his last three tournaments of the year at the Swiss Indoors, Paris Masters, and ATP World Tour Finals, forming a 16 match winning streak. Federer finished the year ranked No. 3.^[84]

2012: Wimbledon title, Olympic Silver, return to world No. 1

The 2012 season for Federer had his most match wins since 2006 and his highest winning percentage and number of titles won since 2007.

Federer reached the semifinal of the 2012 Australian Open, setting up a 27th career meeting with Nadal, a match he lost in four sets. He then won the Rotterdam Open for the first time since 2005, defeating Juan Martín del Potro. Federer played in the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships, where he defeated Andy Murray in the final and won the championship title for the fifth time in his career. Federer then moved on to the Indian Wells Masters, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, and John Isner in the final. Federer won the title for a record fourth time, and, in doing so, equalled Nadal's record of 19 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

Federer won a record 17th Major, a record-equaling 7th Wimbledon, and returned to No. 1.

Federer went on to compete at the Madrid Masters on the new blue clay surface, where he beat Tomáš Berdych in the final, thus regaining the No. 2 ranking from Rafael Nadal. In the French Open, Federer made the semifinals before losing to Djokovic in straight sets, in a rematch of previous year's semifinal.^[85]

At Wimbledon, Federer had a five-set match in the third round against Julien Benneteau on his way to the winning the tournament. Federer defeated Andy Murray in four sets in the 2012 Wimbledon final,^[86] regaining the No. 1 ranking in the process.^[87] "It's amazing. It equals me with Pete Sampras, who's my hero. It just feels amazing", Federer said of winning his seventh Wimbledon championship, tying Sampras' Open Era record.^[88] By defeating top-ranked Djokovic in the semifinals and winning in the finals, Federer returned to the top spot in the world rankings and, in doing so, broke Sampras' record of 286 weeks atop the list.^[89]

In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Federer played a 4-hour 26-minute semifinal against del Potro where Federer won 19–17 in the third and final set.^[90] In a lopsided match, he lost to Murray in straight sets in the final, winning a silver medal for his country.^[91]

Federer won the Cincinnati open in August, beating Novak Djokovic in the final.^[92] In the US Open, five-time champ Federer was defeated by Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals.^[93]

At the Shanghai Masters, after defeating Wawrinka in the third round, Federer confirmed his 300th week at No. 1. Federer made it to the finals of the ATP Finals, where he lost to Djokovic in two sets.^[94][95]

2013: Injury struggles

Federer developed back injuries in March and July and his ranking dropped from No. 2 to No. 6. The 2013 season was the first since 1999 in which Federer failed to reach a final in the first four months of the year.

Federer's first and only title of 2013 came at the Gerry Weber Open (defeating Mikhail Youzhny), where he also played doubles with good friend Tommy Haas. With the victory in Halle, he tied John McEnroe for the third-most number of ATP titles won by a male player in the Open Era.^[96] Federer, however, was unable to maintain his form into Wimbledon, suffering his worst Grand Slam tournament defeat since 2003 in the second round against Sergiy Stakhovsky. Not only did the loss end Federer's record streak of 36 consecutive quarterfinals at Grand Slam tournaments,^[97] it meant he would drop out of the top 4 for the first time since July 2003.^[98]

During the summer, he experimented with various different racquets and played the German Open with a blacked-out 98-inch Wilson racquet, instead of his regular Pro Staff 6.1 90 BLX racquet with the smaller 90-inch hitting area. He returned to his regular racquet for the second half of the season.^[99][100] After Wimbledon, Federer continued to be upset early in tournaments in Hamburg and Gstaad because of a serious back injury through October, when he announced that he was parting ways with Paul Annacone, his coach for the last three years.^[101] Federer made the final in Basel, succumbing to Juan Martín del Potro in three sets, and indicated it was a mistake to have played certain tournaments while suffering from a back injury.^[102]

On 27 December 2013, Federer announced that Stefan Edberg was joining his team as co-coach with Severin Lüthi.^[103]

2014: Davis Cup win

Federer began the season by changing rackets for the first time in his career, from his longtime frame of 90 square inches to one measured at 97 square inches. He had long been at a comparative disadvantage in equipment as almost the entire tour, including his top rivals Nadal and Djokovic, used more powerful frames of between 95 and 100 square inches.^[99][104] At the Australian Open, Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray to reach his 11th consecutive semifinal in Melbourne, before losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

At the Dubai Tennis Championships, he defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, and then defeated Tomáš Berdych in the final to win his sixth Dubai crown and his first title since Halle in 2013.^[105] Federer made the final at the Indian Wells Masters, but lost to Novak Djokovic in a final-set tiebreaker. At the Davis Cup quarterfinals, Federer won both of his singles rubbers against Kazakhstan, the second of which was the first live deciding rubber of his Davis Cup career. Federer then took a wild card into the Monte-Carlo Masters defeating Novak Djokovic on his way to the finals, but lost to compatriot Stan Wawrinka in a tight final.

In June, Federer announced that after the end of his third term, he would resign as President of the ATP Players Council, a position he had held since 2008.^{[106][107][108]} At the Halle Open, Federer reached both the singles and the doubles finals and won his seventh Halle singles title, beating Alejandro Falla in the final. At Wimbledon, Federer reached a record ninth final, but he was defeated by Djokovic in an epic five-set match.

Federer receiving serve against Richard Gasquet in the title clinching match for Switzerland at the 2014 Davis Cup

Federer made the final of the Canadian Open but was defeated by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Federer defeated Spain's David Ferrer in three sets to capture his sixth Cincinnati crown and 22nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, his first in Cincinnati since 2012. He then reached the semifinals at the US Open but lost in straight sets to eventual champion Marin Čilić. At the Davis Cup semifinals, Federer won both his singles matches against Italy in straight sets and led Switzerland to the final for the first time since 1992.^[109]

Federer then played in the Shanghai Masters. He beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, ending the Serb's 28-match unbeaten run on Chinese soil. He battled Frenchman Gilles Simon in his second Shanghai final, defeating him in two tiebreak sets and collected the 23rd Masters 1000 title of his career. The victory saw Federer return to the No. 2 ranking for the first time since May 2013. Federer then played the Swiss Indoors in October, where he won a record sixth title and his 82nd ATP men's singles title overall. Federer also reached the finals of the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals to face Djokovic again, but withdrew from the final because of another back injury from his semifinal match against Stan Wawrinka.

Despite his injury, Federer finished the season on a high by defeating Richard Gasquet to clinch the Davis Cup for Switzerland for the first time in its history.^[110] The final was held at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, France attracting over 27,000 spectators per match; this broke attendance record for the highest ever officially sanctioned competition tennis match.^[111]

2015: 1,000th victory, Wimbledon & US Open runner-ups

Federer started his season at the Brisbane International. He defeated Milos Raonic in the final, thereby becoming only the third man in the Open Era to have 1,000 or more wins, joining Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, as well as the first man in the Open Era to win at least one title in each of 15 consecutive years.^[112] In Dubai, Federer successfully defended his title with a straight-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the final, marking his seventh title at the tournament and, after Wimbledon and Halle, was the third time he had won seven or more titles in a tournament.^[113] Additionally, Federer became the fourth person since 1991 to surpass 9,000 career aces.^[114] In March, he reached the final of the Indian Wells, but lost in three sets to defending champion Djokovic.^[115]

Federer won his third title of the season at the inaugural Istanbul Open clay-court tournament, ending a title drought on red clay since the 2009 French Open. Federer made it to the final of the Italian Open in May, but was unable to win his first title there, losing to Djokovic in the final.^[116] In the French Open he made it through the first rounds losing just one set, to Gaël Monfils in the 4th. In the quarterfinals, he was eventually beaten in straight sets by the later champion Stan Wawrinka.^[117] This (as of 2018) was Federer's last appearance in this Grand Slam tournament.

As the new expanded grass season began, Federer won his record eighth Gerry Weber Open and become only the third man in the Open Era to win a title eight times.^[118] Federer entered Wimbledon as the second seed. He played a flawless match to defeat Andy Murray in straight sets in the semifinals and advance to his 10th Wimbledon final in a repeat against Novak Djokovic. Federer lost the match in four sets.^[119]

He defeated Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win the Cincinnati Masters for the seventh time. This marked the first time that Federer had beaten the top two players in the world at the same tournament.^[120] At the US Open, he advanced to his first final there since 2009 without dropping a set, including a win over Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals.^[121] In the final, he was once again defeated by top seed Djokovic in four sets.^[122] At the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel, Federer won his sixth singles title of the year, and his 88th ATP title, defeating his old rival Rafael Nadal in the final.^[123] It was the seventh time he had captured his hometown tournament.^[124]

In December, Federer announced that he would enter the 2016 ATP World Tour season with a new-look coaching team, having additionally announced that Stefan Edberg would not be travelling with him next year. While countryman Severin Lüthi remained Federer's head coach, joining the team in 2016 was Croatian former world No. 3 player Ivan Ljubicic. Federer revealed that Edberg originally signed on to the coaching team for one season only in 2014, but agreed to stay on in 2015.^[125]

2016: Knee surgery and recovery

Federer started his season in the Brisbane International as the defending champion, despite having a virus when the tournament started. However, in a rematch of the previous year's final, he lost in the final to Milos Raonic in straight sets.^[126] Federer then participated at the 2016 Australian Open and rebounded from his third round defeat by Andreas Seppi in 2015 by reaching the semifinals but lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.^[127] The day after his loss to Djokovic, Federer sustained a knee injury and in early February, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee and missed the tournaments in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells in February and March. He was scheduled to return to action in Miami.^[128] Due to a stomach virus he had to withdraw from Miami thus prolonging his time on the sidelines.^[129]

Federer made his comeback at the Monte-Carlo Masters, losing in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets. In Madrid, he suffered a back injury during practice and withdrew shortly after arriving. He then participated in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia where he lost in the third round to Dominic Thiem. His withdrawal from the French Open broke a record run of 65 consecutive participations in the main draw of Grand Slam tournaments, stretching back to the 2000 Australian Open.^[130]

Still suffering from recurring knee pain during the grass season he lost in the semifinals of Stuttgart and Halle. On 6 July, he came back from two sets down to defeat Marin Čilić in five sets in the 2016 Wimbledon quarterfinals, equalling Jimmy Connors' all-time records of eleven Wimbledon semifinals and 84 match wins.^[131] He suffered his first defeat in a Wimbledon semifinal two days later in a five-set loss to Raonic, re-injuring his knee in the fifth set.^[132]

On 26 July, Federer announced that he would miss the 2016 Summer Olympics and the remainder of the 2016 season to fully recover from his knee injury.^[133] The sudden withdrawal not only implied that 2016 was his first season since 2000 that Federer failed to win a title, but it also meant that he would have to drop out of top ten for the first time in fourteen years. This, combined with a grand slam drought spanning over four years, led to many analysts believing that his outstanding career was finally coming to an end and he would never win any major titles again.^[134][135]

2017: Renaissance, Australian Open and record eighth Wimbledon

Federer's 2017 season marked a return to Grand Slam wins since 2012, the most titles since 2007, and the highest win percentage since 2006. Statistically, this season was his best since 2007. Federer played in the Hopman Cup and Australian Open in January 2017.^[136] His withdrawal from most of the injury affected 2016 season lead his ranking slip to No. 17 at the start of Australian Open, his lowest in over fifteen years. At the Australian Open, he beat top-10 players Tomáš Berdych and Kei Nishikori on his way to semifinals, making Federer the oldest man to compete in a grand slam semi-final since Jimmy Connors in 1991.^[137] In the semi-finals, he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets, making him the oldest player to compete in a Grand Slam final since Ken Rosewall in 1974.^[138][139] Coming back from a break down in the fifth set, Federer defeated Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open, which also marked Federer's 100th match at the Australian Open; it was the first time Federer had won a match against Nadal in a Grand Slam event since the 2007 Wimbledon final, and also marked Federer's first ever Grand Slam victory over Nadal outside the grass courts of Wimbledon. With this victory, he re-entered the top ten.^{[140][141][142]}

In March, Federer won his 25th Masters title at Indian Wells, defeating Wawrinka in the final and gaining another victory over Nadal in the 4th round. This was also Federer's 90th career title and he climbed to No. 6 in the ATP rankings.^[143] Federer collected his 26th Masters title by defeating Nadal in the final of the Miami Masters in straight sets and climbed to No. 4 in the ATP rankings. This marked the third time Federer had won in Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back, colloquially referred to as the Sunshine Double (2005, 2006 and 2017).^[144]

Due to concerns about his longevity, Federer decided that he would skip the entire clay-court season.^[145] He returned to the tour at the beginning of the grass-court season in Stuttgart, where he suffered a shock defeat to Tommy Haas in the second round despite holding match points, the lowest-ranked player (No. 302) to beat him since No. 407 Bjoern Phau in 1999.^[146] He rebounded the following week by winning a record-extending ninth title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, doing so without the loss of a set.^[147] In the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, Federer made it to the final without dropping a set, defeating Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals and Tomáš Berdych in the semifinals. In the final, Federer defeated a physically and mentally out of sorts Marin Cilic in straight sets to win a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon gentlemen's singles title and his record-extending 19th major title overall, becoming the oldest male player to win Wimbledon in the Open era.^[148] Federer became the second man in the Open era to win Wimbledon without dropping a set after Björn Borg in 1976.^[149] It marked the second time in his career that he had won a grand slam tournament without losing a set, matching his performance at the 2007 Australian Open.^[150] Federer moved up to become No. 3 in the ATP Rankings after the event and qualified for the ATP Finals for a record 15th time.^[151]

At the opening of the summer hard court swing Federer was defeated in the final of the Montreal Masters by Alexander Zverev after injuring his back during the match. Due to the injury, he opted to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters to be fit for the US Open. However, Federer lost to del Potro in the quarterfinals at the US Open, in a tournament characterized by inconsistent play from Federer, unlike the major portion of the season.

Federer's next participation was in September in the inaugural Laver Cup, representing team Europe. Federer won both his singles matches against Sam Querrey and Nick Kyrgios, with the latter win sealing the cup for Europe.^[152] The tournament was also notable for Federer playing doubles teaming with longtime rival Nadal for the first time. The two legends emerged victorious against world duo of Sam Querrey and Jack Sock.

At the Shanghai Masters, Federer captured his third Masters title of the season, defeating No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the final. This was Federer's fifth straight victory over Nadal in their rivalry and his 94th career title, drawing him level with 2nd-placed Ivan Lendl.^[153] During the indoor season, Federer defeated Juan Martin Del Potro in the final of his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors in Basel, earning a record eighth championship there and winning his 95th career title, surpassing Ivan Lendl in number of career titles. Federer qualified for the 2017 ATP Finals, but was beaten by David Goffin in the semifinals in three sets.

2018: 20th Grand Slam title and return to world No. 1

Federer started his season winning the Hopman Cup partnering with Belinda Bencic. This was his second Hopman Cup title, having won previously in 2001 with Martina Hingis.^[154] At the 2018 Australian Open, Federer reached the final without dropping a set, and successfully defended his title beating Marin Čilić in a five-set final. This was Federer's sixth title at the Australian Open, equaling the record held by Roy Emerson and Novak Djokovic, as well as becoming the first man to win twenty Grand Slam titles. It was also the first time since the 2008 US Open that Federer successfully defended a major title.^[155]

In mid-February, Federer won his third Rotterdam Open title to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, officially clinching the spot with a quarterfinal victory over Robin Haase.^[156] He beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the final. At 36 years and 195 days of age, he became the oldest ATP world No. 1 by more than three years. He also broke the ATP record for the longest span between a player's first and last weeks to attain the No. 1 ranking at 14 years and 17 days apart, as well as the most time between two successive reigns at No. 1 at 5 years and 106 days.^[157]

In March, Federer entered the Indian Wells Masters as the defending champion. He defeated Chung Hyeon in the quarterfinals, ensuring that he retained the world No. 1 ranking, and Borna Ćorić in the semifinals, solidifying a career-best start to a season at 17–0. His previous best season start had been 16–0 during the 2006 season.^[158] Despite holding three championship points, Federer was defeated by Juan Martin Del Potro in a close three-set final. At the Miami Open, Federer received a first-round bye, but lost in the second round to Thanasi Kokkinakis. With this early exit from the tournament, Federer lost his No. 1 ranking to Nadal on 2 April. He announced that he would miss the clay court season, including the French Open, for the second consecutive season.^[159] Nevertheless, he regained the No. 1 ranking in May after Nadal failed to defend one of his Masters titles at the Madrid Open.^[160] He then lost the top spot the following week after Nadal won the title at the Italian Open.

In June, Federer regained the No. 1 ranking after defeating Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals at the Stuttgart Open.^[161] He then won the tournament, defeating Milos Raonic in the final in straight sets.^[162] However, he lost his No.1 ranking the following week when he failed to defend his Halle Open title, losing in the final to Borna Coric in three sets.^[163] At Wimbledon, Federer was looking to defend his 2017 title and was seeded first at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2012 US Open but lost in the quarter finals against South African Kevin Anderson in five sets, despite winning the first two sets and having a match point in the third set.^[164] This was only his second Wimbledon defeat after winning the first two sets since his defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.^[165]

Federer next played in Cincinnati where he lost in the final to Novak Djokovic, who won a record Career Golden Masters, in straight sets.^[166] The loss ended Federer's run of 100 consecutive service holds and 14 match winning streak in Cincinnati. Federer entered the US Open as the second seed but was upset by John Millman in the 4th round, citing extreme conditions of heat and humidity that took a toll on his body.^[167] Federer then played at the Laver Cup where he successfully helped Team Europe defend their title, winning both his singles matches against Nick Kyrgios and John Isner.^[168] He also paired up with Djokovic for the first time in doubles, losing their match against Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson in three sets.^[169] Federer then played at the 2018 Shanghai Masters as the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Borna Coric in straight sets.^[170]

Davis Cup

Federer made his Davis Cup for Switzerland debut in the World Group 1st Round against Italy in 1999 at 17 years of age. In his first match he defeated Davide Sanguinetti in four sets and recorded a second singles victory in a dead rubber two days later as Switzerland advanced to the World Group Quarterfinals. In the Quarterfinals Federer, who was still 17 years old, suffered his first Davis Cup loss when he was defeated by Belgian Christophe Van Garsse in five sets. The Swiss team went on to lose the rubber 3–2. A year later, Federer competed in his first Davis Cup doubles rubber where he teamed with countryman Lorenzo Manta to defeat Australians Wayne Arthurs and Sandon Stolle in four sets. Despite the doubles victory, Federer lost both singles rubbers to Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt which saw Switzerland sent to the World Group Playoffs for the first time in Federer's career. He returned for the playoffs in July 2000 and led Switzerland to a 5–0 win over Belarus by recording wins in singles and doubles.

His first Davis Cup highlight came in 2003 as the newly crowned Wimbledon champion led his country to an historic semifinal run. After recording five wins in ties against the Netherlands and France, the Swiss team traveled to Melbourne to play the highly rated Australians. Federer once again defeated Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis in the second rubber but allowed the Australians to lead the tie 2–1 going into Day 3 after dropping the doubles rubber in five sets. Federer then played Lleyton Hewitt in a sudden death situation for Switzerland and despite leading two sets to love, succumbed to a fast finishing Hewitt in five sets. Australia went on to claim the Davis Cup title months later as Federer's interest in Davis Cup began to wane and his focus shifted to his personal career. He skipped many ties over the years but often competed in the World Group Playoffs in order for Switzerland to maintain their place in the top division.

The emergence of countryman Stanislas Wawrinka as a Grand Slam singles champion in 2014 renewed hope for Federer in his Davis Cup quest, and the pair both committed to playing each tie that year. Their commitment paid off as wins over Serbia, Kazakhstan and Italy allowed the Swiss team to advance to the 2014 Davis Cup Final. Leading into the final, Federer was suffering from a back injury^[171] that threw serious doubt over Switzerland's chance to claim the title, and a second rubber straight sets loss to Gaël Monfils seemingly spelled the worst for Switzerland. However, a rejuvenated Federer returned the next day to help claim the doubles rubber, which set up a fourth rubber singles tie between Federer and Richard Gasquet. Federer defeated Gasquet in straight sets and in doing so handed Switzerland its first (and only to date) Davis Cup title.

Federer holds many Davis Cup records for Switzerland that includes most total wins, most singles wins and most years played.^[172]

Olympic Games

An 18-year-old Federer made his Olympic debut at Sydney in 2000, where he entered the singles competition. He surprised many by reaching the semifinals but lost to Tommy Haas in the semifinals and then to Arnaud Di Pasquale in the bronze medal match, causing Federer to leave Sydney empty handed. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Federer was the clear favorite after claiming the world No. 1 ranking earlier in the year and capturing the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. However, he lost in the second round to 18-year-old Tomáš Berdych. In doubles, he and compatriot Yves Allegro lost in the second round. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Federer was again the top seed and favorite, but lost in the quarterfinals to James Blake. However, he found more success on the doubles court, capturing the gold medal in men's doubles with compatriot Stan Wawrinka, defeating Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden. At both the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games, Federer was the flagbearer for Switzerland in the opening ceremony. At London 2012, Federer won his first singles medal, losing to Andy Murray in the final to claim the silver. He and Wawrinka were unable to defend their gold medal in doubles, losing in the second round to Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram of Israel. Federer did not compete in the Rio Olympics after taking the rest of the season off after Wimbledon to recover from a knee injury.

Hopman Cup

Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, along with Martina Hingis. The duo defeated the American pair of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the finals. He also played the next year, along with his current wife Mirka Vavrinec, but they lost in the round robin stage. Federer played again at the Hopman Cup in 2017, along with Belinda Bencic. They won all of their ties except the last one, and as a result they couldn't make the final. In 2018 Federer won his second Hopman Cup title and third overall for Switzerland. His partner was Belinda Bencic again. The Swiss team won all the ties and Federer won all his singles and mixed doubles matches. They defeated the German pair, Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber, in the final 2–1.

Laver Cup

Federer founded the Laver Cup, which pits Europe against the rest of the world. The tournament is named in honor of Rod Laver and the inaugural edition was played in 2017.

Europe won the inaugural Laver Cup in 2017. Federer played his first singles match on day two, when he dispatched Sam Querrey in straight sets. Later on day two, he partnered with his rival Nadal in doubles, where they defeated the Team World duo of Sam Querrey and Jack Sock in the match tie breaker, which took place at one set all. This was the first time Federer and Nadal competed on the same side of a doubles match. On day three, Federer competed in the final match of the tournament, where he sealed victory for Team Europe by defeating Nick Kyrgios in the champion's tiebreak (saving a match point). With three wins and seven points, Federer was the most accomplished player of the tournament.

Federer vs. Nadal

Federer and Nadal ahead of the 2008 Wimbledon final

Federer and Rafael Nadal have played 38 times, with Federer trailing 15–23. Federer has a winning record on grass 2–1 and hard courts 11–9, while Nadal leads on clay 13–2.^[173] Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 24 of their matches have been in tournament finals which have included an all-time record nine Grand Slam finals.^[174] Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.^{[175][176][177][178][179]} The latest encounter was at the 2017 Shanghai Masters, where they met for the first time, and Federer beat Nadal in straight sets in the final.

They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 17 August 2009, when Nadal fell to No. 3 (Andy Murray became the new No. 2),^[180] and again since 11 September 2017. They are the only pair of men to have ever finished six consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is five years younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for 160 consecutive weeks, before surpassing Federer in August 2008.^[181]

From 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final. They then met in the 2009 Australian Open final, the 2011 French Open final, and the 2017 Australian Open final. Nadal won six of the nine, losing the first two Wimbledon finals and the second Australian Open final. Four of these finals were five set-matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 and 2017 Australian Open), with the 2008 Wimbledon final being lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.^{[182][183][184][185]} Of their 38 meetings, 13 have reached a deciding set. They have also played in 12 Masters Series finals, including their lone five-hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break, having saved two match points.

Federer vs. Djokovic

Federer and Novak Djokovic have played 46 times, with Federer trailing 22–24 wins.^[186][187] They are tied 4–4 on clay while Federer trails 17–18 on hard-courts and 1–2 on grass . The Federer–Djokovic rivalry is the largest rivalry in men's Grand Slam tournament history with a record 15 matches played against each other. Djokovic is the only player besides Nadal to defeat Federer in consecutive Grand Slam tournaments (2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open, also 2015 Wimbledon, US Open and 2016 Australian Open), and the only player besides Nadal and Murray who has double-figure career wins over Federer. Djokovic is one of two players (the other again being Nadal) on tour to have defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam event multiple times (2008 Australian Open, 2011 Australian Open, 2012 French Open) and the only player to do so three times. Of their 46 meetings, 15 have reached a deciding set.

Federer and Djokovic first played in a Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open where the three-time reigning champion and No. 1 Federer emerged victorious in straight sets. Federer ended Djokovic's perfect 41–0 start to the 2011 season in the semifinals of the French Open, but Djokovic was able to avenge this loss at the 2011 US Open in five sets after saving two match points against Federer for the second straight year.^[188] In the semifinals of Wimbledon 2012, Federer beat defending champion and No. 1 Djokovic in four sets.^[189] The two met again during the finals of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships with Djokovic emerging victorious after five sets.^[190] Federer also ended Djokovic's 28 straight wins in China at 2014 Shanghai Open. Federer and Djokovic rematched in the 2015 Wimbledon Championships with Djokovic once again claiming victory in four sets.^[191] The pair met once more for the final major of the season, the 2015 US Open and once more Djokovic prevailed in four sets.^[192] Many experts have included the rivalry between Federer and Djokovic as one of the best rivalries in the Open Era.^[193]

Federer vs. Murray

Federer and Andy Murray have played 25 times, with Federer leading 14–11. Federer leads 12–10 on hard courts, and 2–1 on grass. They have never met on clay.^[194] The two have met six times at the Grand Slam tournament level, the first three times in the finals, Federer winning all three of these matches; at the 2008 US Open^[195] and the 2010 Australian Open,^[196] both of which he won in straight sets, and at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships in which Murray took the opening set, but went on to lose in four sets. However, Murray won their encounter in the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open, defeating Federer for the first time at a Grand slam tournament in five sets. At the 2014 Australian Open, Federer reversed that result, defeating Murray in four sets in the quarterfinals. The most recent meeting between the two in a Major was in the semifinals of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, where a dominant Federer triumphed in straight sets.

They met in the final of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, in which Murray defeated Federer in straight sets, denying Federer a career Golden Slam. Murray also leads 6–3 in ATP 1000 tournaments, 2–0 in finals. They have also met five times at the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray winning in Shanghai in 2008,^[197] and Federer in London in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014.^[198] Murray is one of only three players to have recorded 10 or more victories over Federer (the other two being Nadal and Novak Djokovic).

Federer vs. Roddick

Federer and Andy Roddick played 24 times, and Federer leads their head-to-head 21–3. Roddick lost his No. 1 ranking to Federer after Federer won his first Australian Open in 2004. Their rivalry includes four Grand Slam event finals, three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open, all won by Federer.^[199] Roddick himself said it was not much of a rivalry, being so one-sided.^[200]

In the 2009 Wimbledon final, Roddick lost to Federer in five sets. The match included a 30-game fifth set (a Grand Slam final record) and lasted over four hours. In the final game of the deciding set, Roddick's serve was broken for the first time in the match. With that victory, Federer broke Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, and Roddick apologised to Sampras (who was there) for not being able to stop Federer.

Federer vs. Hewitt

Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have played 27 times, which Federer leads 18–9.^[201] Early in their careers, Hewitt dominated Federer, winning seven of their first nine meetings, including a victory from two sets down in the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal which allowed Australia to defeat Switzerland. This marked a turning point in the rivalry, as Federer won 16 of the next 18 meetings from 2004 onwards. This is Hewitt's longest rivalry as these two first played each other as juniors in 1996. They met in one Grand Slam tournament final, the 2004 US Open final, where Federer won his first US Open title in a lopsided encounter in which Federer scored a bagel on both sides of a second-set tiebreak. Federer met Hewitt at six of the Grand Slam tournaments in which he lifted the trophy, including all five of his triumphs between 2004 and 2005. Their last meeting was at the 2014 Brisbane International, where Hewitt triumphed over Federer in three sets for his first title since 2010, when he also beat Federer to the Halle title.

Hewitt and Federer teamed up in the men's doubles at Wimbledon in 1999. They lost in the third round to Jonas Björkman and Pat Rafter.^[202]

Federer vs. Nalbandian

Federer and David Nalbandian have played 19 times, with Federer leading 11–8.^[203] David Nalbandian was Federer's biggest rival in his early career. Nalbandian dominated early on, winning their first five matches from 2002 to 2003. Federer reversed this trend at the 2003 Masters Cup, where he recorded his first victory, and went on to win 11 of their last 14 meetings. Federer leads 6–5 on hard courts, 1–0 on grass, and 3–1 on clay courts, while Nalbandian leads 2–1 on carpet. Notable meetings include Nalbandian's win in a fifth-set tiebreaker to win the 2005 Masters Cup, and Federer's win in the 2006 French Open semifinals. They met each other six times in Grand Slam tournaments, with Federer leading 4–2.

Federer vs. Safin

Marat Safin and Federer played 12 times, with Federer leading 10–2.^[204] Federer and Safin turned pro within one year of each other, with Safin turning pro in 1997 and Federer in 1998. Federer leads 4–1 on hard courts, 3–0 on grass, and 3–0 on clay courts, while Safin leads 1–0 on carpet. Notable meetings include Federer's defeating Safin at the 2002 Hamburg Masters to win the first Masters 1000 title of his career, as well as Federer's emerging victorious in the semifinals of the 2004 Tennis Masters Cup, after winning a tiebreak 20–18 on his eighth match point. Federer also defeated Safin in the finals of the 2004 Australian Open to capture his first Australian Open and second Grand Slam tournament title. However, Safin defeated Federer in the 2005 Australian Open semifinals, having saved one match point in the fourth-set tiebreak, to end a 26-match winning streak by Federer.^[205] They met each other five times in Grand Slam tournaments, with Federer leading 4–1.

Federer vs. Agassi

Federer and Andre Agassi played 11 times, and Federer leads their head-to-head 8–3.^[206] This was Federer's most significant rivalry with a dominant player of the previous generation. They first met in only the third tournament of Federer's career at the 1998 Swiss Indoors in Federer's hometown, with Andre Agassi prevailing over the 17-year-old. Agassi also defeated Federer at the 2001 US Open and the finals of the Miami Masters in 2002. Federer began to turn the tide at the Masters Cup in 2003, when he defeated Agassi in both the round robin and the final. They played a memorable quarterfinal match at the 2004 US Open that spanned over two days, with Federer eventually prevailing in five sets. At the 2005 Dubai Championships, Federer and Agassi attracted worldwide headlines with a publicity stunt that saw the two men play on a helipad almost 220 meters above sea level at the hotel Burj al-Arab. Their final match was at one of the most prestigious platforms in the sport, when they played in the finals of the 2005 US Open. Federer was victorious in four sets, claiming the 6th Grand Slam tournament of his career and denying Agassi his 9th.

Federer vs. Wawrinka

Federer and his fellow Swiss player Stan Wawrinka have played each other 24 times, with Federer leading 21–3. Federer leads 6–1 in Grand Slam tournaments, 16–0 on hard courts, 1–0 on grass courts and 4–3 on clay courts. The pair are 1–1 in finals. Their first meeting in a final came at 2014 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters where Wawrinka defeated Federer in three sets to win his first Masters 1000 title before Federer avenged his loss at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open by beating him in the final.^[207] While the rivalry is one-sided in Federer's favour, the two have contested some close matches. Wawrinka defeated Federer in straight sets during the 2015 French Open quarterfinals en route to winning his first French Open title, although Federer then won a straight-sets victory in the 2015 US Open semifinals. Other close matches include the 2012 Shanghai Masters and the 2013 Indian Wells Masters, both of which Federer won in three sets, the 2014 Wimbledon quarterfinal, which Federer won in four sets, the 2014 ATP World Tour Final semifinal, which Federer won in three sets after saving four match points, and the 2017 Australian Open semifinal, which Federer won in five sets. Despite their on-court rivalry, they are friends off court,^[208] and they have played doubles together on numerous occasions,^[209] most notably when they won the doubles Olympic Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and when winning the 2014 Davis Cup.

Federer vs. del Potro

Juan Martín del Potro and Roger Federer have played 25 times, with Federer leading 18–7.^[210] They have met seven times in Grand Slam tournaments, with Federer leading 5–2. Their two most famous Grand Slam tournament meetings came in 2009. The first was in the French Open semifinals, when Federer survived a five-set clash when he was on his way to the only French title of his career. The second was in the final of the US Open, where del Potro beat five-time defending champion Federer in five sets, ending his 20-match winning streak at Grand Slams. Another high-profile match was in the semifinals of the 2012 London Olympics, where Federer prevailed 19–17 in the final set to secure the Olympic silver medal. They also met in the finals of the Swiss Indoors in 2012, 2013 and 2017, with del Potro prevailing on first two occasions, and Federer on last one of them in tight three-set matches.

In the 2017 U.S. Open quarterfinals, in a rematch of the 2009 US Open final, Del Potro again beat Federer in four sets to end his unbeaten streak in grand slams that year. With this win, Del Potro also denied the first Federer-Nadal match at US Open, as in 2009 where he beat Nadal in straight sets in the semifinals. Federer, however avenged this loss at the Shanghai Masters semifinals, where he beat del Potro in three sets after coming from a set down. In the final at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open del Potro beats Federer in three close sets, after facing match points in the third set. With this win del Potro won his first Masters 1000 title of his career.^[211]

Federer vs. Berdych

Tomáš Berdych and Federer have played 26 times, with Federer leading 20–6.^[212] Federer leads 12–5 on hard courts, 3–1 on grass courts, 4–0 on clay courts, and 1–0 on carpet. Berdych won their first professional match, notably upsetting then-No. 1 Federer at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Federer then went on to win their next eight meetings, before Berdych ended the losing streak in 2010. Between 2010 and 2013, Berdych won 5 of 8 meetings. Federer then switched to a larger racquet in 2014 to prevent being overpowered by players like Berdych and leads 9–0 since. They have met ten times in Grand Slam tournaments, with Federer leading 8–2, and Berdych is one of five players, along with Arnaud Clément, Álex Corretja, David Nalbandian, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, to defeat Federer multiple times in majors before the semifinal stage. Their most notable Grand Slam matches took place in the 2009 Australian Open, when Federer prevailed in five sets after dropping the first two sets, the 2010 Wimbledon Championships and the 2012 US Open, both of which Berdych won in four sets. Berdych went on to reach the only Grand Slam final of his career after the Wimbledon quarterfinal victory, ending Federer's run of seven consecutive finals at Wimbledon dating back to 2003.^[213]

Federer vs. Tsonga

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Federer have played 17 times, with Federer leading 11–6. Federer leads 5–3 on outdoor hard courts and 4–0 on indoor hard, while Tsonga leads 1–0 on grass. They are 2–2 on clay courts.^[214] The pair have met six times in Grand Slam tournaments, including their five-set matches in the quarterfinals of 2011 Wimbledon and 2013 Australian Open. They have also one Grand Slam semifinal meeting in the 2010 Australian Open, with Federer winning in straight sets. Federer and Tsonga have played in the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals final, with Federer winning his record-sixth Year-End Championship in three sets. The pair have also met in two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals. The first was in the 2011 BNP Paribas Masters, with Federer winning his first title in Bercy, and the second was in the 2014 Rogers Cup, with Tsonga winning his second Masters 1000 title.

Federer vs. Čilić

Federer and Marin Čilić have played 10 times, with Federer leading 9–1.^[215] Čilić's only victory came in the 2014 US Open semifinals, after which he went on to win the Grand Slam title. Their first encounter was in the 3rd round in the 2008 Paris Masters, which Federer won in straight sets. They have played five Grand Slam matches, two in Wimbledon, two in the US Open, and at latest in the 2018 Australian Open final, of which Federer leads 4–1. They have played two Grand Slam finals, the 2017 Wimbledon final, which Federer won in straight sets and the 2018 Australian Open final, which Federer won in five sets.

Equipment

Federer plays with his signature Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph racquet. It has a 97 square inch head, 16x19 string pattern, 366 gram strung weight, 340 gram swing weight, 68 RA stiffness, and 9 point head light balance.^[270] Federer strings his racquets using Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings. As of November 2017, Federer's favorite stringing tension is 26.5 kg (58.4 lbs) mains/25 kg (55.1 lbs) crosses.^[271]

As a junior player, Federer played with a Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 square inch head racquet. He switched to a bigger custom-built Wilson 90 square inch head racquet in 2003.^[272][273] His grip size was 4 3/8 inches (L3).^[274] 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."^[275]

Apparel

Federer first signed with Nike footwear and apparel in 1994.^[276] 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.^[277] At Wimbledon 2008, and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan that also had his own logo, an R and an F joined together,^[278][279] which originally was designed by his wife Mirka Vavrinec.^[280]

Federer's contract with Nike expired in March 2018, and he later signed a deal with Uniqlo.^[281]

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Note: Federer received fourth-round walkovers at the US Open (2004 and 2012) and the Wimbledon Championships (2007), and a second-round walkover at the Australian Open (2012); these are not counted as wins

Grand Slam tournament finals: 30 (20 titles, 10 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2003	Wimbledon	Grass	Mark Philippoussis	7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
Win	2004	Australian Open	Hard	Marat Safin	7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2
Win	2004	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	Andy Roddick	4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4
Win	2004	US Open	Hard	Lleyton Hewitt	6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0
Win	2005	Wimbledon (3)	Grass	Andy Roddick	6–2, 7–6(7–2), 6–4
Win	2005	US Open (2)	Hard	Andre Agassi	6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1
Win	2006	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Marcos Baghdatis	5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2
Loss	2006	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	6–1, 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Win	2006	Wimbledon (4)	Grass	Rafael Nadal	6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3
Win	2006	US Open (3)	Hard	Andy Roddick	6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1
Win	2007	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Fernando González	7–6(7–2), 6–4, 6–4
Loss	2007	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Win	2007	Wimbledon (5)	Grass	Rafael Nadal	7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2
Win	2007	US Open (4)	Hard	Novak Djokovic	7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4
Loss	2008	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	1–6, 3–6, 0–6
Loss	2008	Wimbledon	Grass	Rafael Nadal	4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(10–8), 7–9
Win	2008	US Open (5)	Hard	Andy Murray	6–2, 7–5, 6–2
Loss	2009	Australian Open	Hard	Rafael Nadal	5–7, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 2–6
Win	2009	French Open	Clay	Robin Söderling	6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4
Win	2009	Wimbledon (6)	Grass	Andy Roddick	5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14
Loss	2009	US Open	Hard	Juan Martín del Potro	6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 2–6
Win	2010	Australian Open (4)	Hard	Andy Murray	6–3, 6–4, 7–6(13–11)
Loss	2011	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	5–7, 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 1–6
Win	2012	Wimbledon (7)	Grass	Andy Murray	4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	2014	Wimbledon	Grass	Novak Djokovic	7–6(9–7), 4–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–5, 4–6
Loss	2015	Wimbledon	Grass	Novak Djokovic	6–7(1–7), 7–6(12–10), 4–6, 3–6
Loss	2015	US Open	Hard	Novak Djokovic	4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6
Win	2017	Australian Open (5)	Hard	Rafael Nadal	6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3
Win	2017	Wimbledon (8)	Grass	Marin Čilić	6–3, 6–1, 6–4
Win	2018	Australian Open (6)	Hard	Marin Čilić	6–2, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 3–6, 6–1

Records

All-time tournament records

Roger Federer has spent a total of 310 weeks and 237 consecutive weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, the most of any player.

Tournament	Since	Record accomplished	Players matched	Refs
Grand Slam	1877	20 men's singles titles overall	Stands alone	[289]
		3 seasons with 3 men's singles titles (2004, 2006–07)
		2 consecutive seasons with 3 men's singles titles (2006–07)
		6 seasons with 2+ men's singles titles (2004–07, 2009, 2017)
		4 consecutive seasons with 2+ men's singles titles (2004–07)
		5 consecutive titles in 2 different tournaments (2003–2007 Wimbledon, 2004–2008 US Open)		[290]
		10 titles defended overall
		All 4 Grand Slam finals reached in three seasons (2006–2007, 2009)
		30 men's singles finals overall		[291]
		43 men's singles semifinals overall		[292][293]
		53 men's singles quarterfinals overall		[294][295]
		74 men's singles tournament appearances overall
		10 consecutive men's singles finals		[296]
		23 consecutive semifinals		[297][290]
		36 consecutive quarterfinals		[298]
		339 match wins overall		[299][300]
		393 matches played
		11 hard court titles
		8+ titles on two different surfaces (hard & grass)
		179 hard court match wins overall
		6+ titles in 2 different tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon)
		5+ titles in 3 different tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
		11 finals at a single tournament (Wimbledon)	Rafael Nadal
		7+ finals at 3 different tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open)	Stands alone
		5+ finals at all 4 different tournaments
		12+ semifinals at 2 different tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon)
		10+ semifinals at 3 different tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
		7+ semifinals at all 4 different tournaments
		12+ quarterfinals at 3 different tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
		11+ quarterfinals at all 4 different tournaments

Video

• Wimbledon Classic Match: Federer vs Sampras. Standing Room Only, DVD release date: 31 October 2006, run time: 233 minutes, ASIN B000ICLR98.
• Wimbledon 2007 Final: Federer vs. Nadal (2007). Kultur White Star, DVD release date: 30 October 2007, run time: 180 minutes, ASIN B000V02CU0.
• Wimbledon–The 2008 Finals: Nadal vs. Federer. Standing Room Only, DVD release date: 19 August 2008, run time: 300 minutes, ASIN B001CWYUBU.

Profiles

• Roger Federer at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Roger Federer at the International Tennis Federation
• Roger Federer at the International Tennis Federation – Junior profile
• Roger Federer at the Davis Cup
• Roger Federer on IMDb