2004 Roger Federer tennis season

Roger Federer won three Grand Slams in 2004 for the first time in his career. The first came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin, 7–6(3), 6–4, 6–2. He went on to win his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick, 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4. In addition, Federer defeated the 2001 US Open Champion Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open for his first US Open title, 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0. Furthermore, Federer won three ATP Masters 1000 events, one on clay at Hamburg, and two on hard court in Indian Wells and Canada. Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai, and wrapped up the year for the second time over Lleyton Hewitt at the Tennis Masters Cup. Federer was the first player to win three Grand Slams in a single season since Mats Wilander in 1988.

2004 Roger Federer tennis season
Calendar prize money$6,357,547
Singles
Season record74–6 (92.50%)
Calendar titles11
Year-end rankingNo. 1
Ranking change from previous year 1
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian OpenW
French Open3R
WimbledonW
US OpenW
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsW
Olympic Games2R
Davis Cup
Davis CupQF
Main article: Roger Federer

Federer became the first man in the Open Era to win at least three Grand Slams and the Year-End Championships. As of 2016, Federer and Novak Djokovic are the only male tennis players to accomplish this, with Federer repeating the feat in 2006 and 2007 and Djokovic doing so in 2015.

Year summary

In 2004, Federer had one of the most dominating and successful years in the open era of modern men's tennis.[1] He won three of the four Grand Slam singles tournaments, did not lose a match to anyone ranked in the top 10, won every final he reached, and was named the ITF Tennis World Champion.[2] His win–loss record for the year was 74–6 with 11 titles, which included three of the year's four Grand Slams and three ATP Masters Series titles.

Early hard court season

Federer entered the 2004 Australian Open as the second seed behind American Andy Roddick. In the fourth round he rallied to defeat former number one and native son Lleyton Hewitt after dropping the first set. His nemesis David Nalbandian, who had won five of their six previous meetings, awaited him in the quarterfinals. Federer managed to dispatch the Argentine in four tight sets. The semifinals proved easier as Federer crunched world no. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero and reached his first Australian Open final. His opponent in the final was former world no. 1 and 2000 US Open champion Marat Safin. After winning the opening set in a tiebreaker Federer secured a 7–6, 6–4, 6–2 championship win.[3] This victory delivered him his first Australian Open and his second career Grand Slam. This win also saw him supplant Roddick as the world no. 1 on 2 February 2004, a ranking he would hold for an all-time record 237 consecutive weeks until 18 August 2008.

Federer's momentum was temporarily halted when he was defeated at the Rotterdam Open by Tim Henman.

Federer quickly rebounded in March, when he won the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Marat Safin in the first round and Spanish player Feliciano López in the final.[3]

The next stop on the calendar was the masters tournament in Indian Wells, California. Federer entered Indian Wells looking to claim his first masters title since 2002 Hamburg Masters. Federer had not dropped a set going into the semifinals where he played American legend Andre Agassi. Agassi won the first set, but Federer rallied to win a spot in the finals for the first time in Indian Wells. He seized the opportunity at the 2004 Pacific Life Open, defeating Tim Henman in straight sets to win the title.[3]

2004 also marked the year where he first met teenager and future arch-rival Rafael Nadal, who defeated Federer in their first encounter in Miami.

Clay court season

Federer skipped Monte Carlo and decided to begin his clay season at the Rome Masters. He was, however, upset in the second round by 2002 French Open champion Albert Costa.

Federer next played the Hamburg Masters. He defeated former number 1 players Carlos Moyá and Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. He then defeated world number 3 Guillermo Coria in the final to claim his second title in Hamburg[3] and end Coria's longest winning streak of 31 consecutive matches on clay.

He entered the French Open as top seed for the first time ever at a Grand Slam, but was defeated in the third round by former world number 1 and three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten.

Grass court season

Federer entered Halle as the defending champion and quickly solidified his status as the premier grass court player of his generation. He did not drop a set for the entire tournament and convincingly defeated American Mardy Fish in the final by the score of 6–0, 6–3.

After his victory in the grass tuneup at Halle, Federer entered the Wimbledon Championships as the defending champion. Federer was aiming to be the first man to defend his title at Wimbledon since Pete Sampras (1999–2000). The Swiss dropped only one set as he made his way through the tournament and reached the final. He played world number 2 Andy Roddick for the championship in a thrilling four set final. Roddick came out strong with incredible serving and took the first set. The second set began with Federer racing out to a 4–0 lead, but Roddick rallied to level it at 4–4. Federer ultimately broke Roddick in the twelfth game and leveled the match at one set apiece. The pivotal third set was decided by a tiebreaker which was won by the Swiss defending champion. Federer closed out the match in four sets to win his third career Grand Slam.

Federer at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Summer hard court season
Federer captured his first US Open title in 2004.

Federer's first tournament after Wimbledon was the Swiss Open at Gstaad. This was a clay court tournament that Federer played because it was a major tournament in his native Switzerland. He had played Gstaad every year between 1998–2003 but had never managed to emerge victorious. That changed in 2004 when Federer defeated Igor Andreev to win a tournament in Switzerland for the first time in his career.

Federer then won the Canada Masters in Toronto where he defeated Andy Roddick in the finals 7–5, 6–3. This was his fourth Masters championship and his first in Canada.

His 23 match winning streak ended surprisingly in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters where Federer was upset by Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty.

Federer entered the Athens Olympics as the top-seeded player and was considered the overwhelming favorite, but he was upset in the second round by Czech teenager and future world number 4 Tomáš Berdych. This would be the last loss Federer would suffer for the remainder of his 2004 season.

Federer entered the 2004 US Open as the top seed looking to win his first US Open championship. Federer cruised through the first four rounds before facing Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals. His match against the two time US Open champion proved to be a thrilling five set epic. After splitting the first two sets the third set went to 5–5 before Federer broke and took a two set to one advantage. Agassi would take the fourth but Federer claimed the fifth and decisive set. In the semifinals Federer eased past former nemesis Tim Henman in straight sets. Federer won his first US Open singles title, defeating Lleyton Hewitt, 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0, in the final. This was one of the most dominant displays in US Open history as Federer was the first player to win two bagel sets in the final since 1884.

Fall hard court season

Federer began his fall campaign at the Thailand Open. He survived a three set scare against local favorite Paradorn Srichaphan and faced world no. 2 Andy Roddick in the finals. He easily dispatched the American 6–4, 6–0. This was his twelfth consecutive victory in a tournament final which tied the all-time record of Björn Borg and John McEnroe. This victory marked Federer's tenth title of 2004.

Federer skipped the Madrid Masters in order to focus on winning his hometown tournament of the Swiss Indoors in Basel for the first time. However, just before the start of Basel, Federer suffered a muscle fiber rupture in his left thigh and was forced to withdraw. This injury also kept him out of the Paris Masters.

He returned after six weeks out of action at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. Federer was honored as the top seed by having lunch with former President George H.W. Bush. He was the defending champion at the Year-End Championships and was placed during the round robin stage in the Red Group. The Red Group consisted of former no. 1 players Carlos Moyá and Lleyton Hewitt as well as reigning French Open champion Gastón Gaudio. He won all three round robin matches, taking six of seven sets, and faced Marat Safin in the semifinals. Federer won the first set, but the second set turned into a historic marathon tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was won by Federer by a score of 20–18 and lasted 27 minutes. The 38 points equalled the longest tie-break in tennis history along with Borg-Lall at 1973 Wimbledon and Ivanisevic-Nestor at 1993 US Open. Federer next faced Lleyton Hewitt in the finals for the sixth time that season and won the championship match 6–3, 6–2. This victory was his thirteenth consecutive victory in a tournament final which broke the record he had shared with Borg and McEnroe.

Season accomplishments

Federer won 11 titles in 2004, which included three Grand Slam titles, three ATP Masters titles, and the Tennis Masters Cup. He was the first player to win three Grand Slam titles in a single year since Mats Wilander in 1988. Federer's win-loss record for the 2004 season was 74–6, which was the best winning percentage of any player since Ivan Lendl was 74–6 in 1986.

In 2016, the ATP named this season as the best in Federer's career. During that year, Federer won 91.6% of his service games, also won 34.8% of his first-serve return points and saved 72.6% of break points against.[4]

Matches

Grand Slam performance

All matches
Singles
Match Tournament Country Start
Date		 Entry Type I/O Surface Round Opponent Result Score
347 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard R128 Alex Bogomolov Jr. W 6–3, 6–4, 6–0
348 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard R64 Jeff Morrison W 6–2, 6–3, 6–4
349 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard R32 Todd Reid W 6–3, 6–0, 6–1
350 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard R16 Lleyton Hewitt W 4–6, 6–3, 6–0, 6–4
351 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard Q David Nalbandian W 7–5, 6–4, 5–7, 6–3
352 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard S Juan Carlos Ferrero W 6–4, 6–1, 6–4
353 Australian Open Australia 1/19 DA GS Outdoor Hard Win (1) Marat Safin W 7–6(3), 6–4, 6–2
354 ROM v. SUI WG Rd 1 Romania 2/6 DA DC Indoor Clay RR Victor Hănescu W 7–6(4), 6–3, 6–1
355 ROM v. SUI WG Rd 1 Romania 2/6 DA DC Indoor Clay RR Andrei Pavel W 6–3, 6–2, 7–5
356 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/16 DA 500 Indoor Hard R32 Arnaud Clément W 6–4, 6–3
357 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/16 DA 500 Indoor Hard R16 Andrei Pavel (2) W 7–6(2), 7–5
358 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/16 DA 500 Indoor Hard Q Tim Henman L 3–6, 6–7(9)
359 Dubai U.A.E. 3/1 DA 500 Outdoor Hard R32 Marat Safin (2) W 7–6(2), 7–6(4)
360 Dubai U.A.E. 3/1 DA 500 Outdoor Hard R16 Tommy Robredo W 6–3, 6–4
361 Dubai U.A.E. 3/1 DA 500 Outdoor Hard Q Andrei Pavel (3) W 6–3, 6–3
362 Dubai U.A.E. 3/1 DA 500 Outdoor Hard S Jarkko Nieminen W 7–6(7), 6–2
363 Dubai U.A.E. 3/1 DA 500 Outdoor Hard Win (2) Feliciano López W 4–6, 6–1, 6–2
- Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R128 Bye -  
364 Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Andrei Pavel (4) W 6–1, 6–1
365 Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 Fernando González W 6–3, 6–2
366 Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R16 Mardy Fish W 6–4, 6–1
367 Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard Q Juan Ignacio Chela W 6–2, 6–1
368 Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard S Andre Agassi W 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
369 Indian Wells Masters USA 3/8 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard Win (3) Tim Henman W 6–3, 6–3
- Miami Masters USA 3/22 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R128 Bye -  
370 Miami Masters USA 3/22 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Nikolay Davydenko W 6–2, 3–6, 7–5
371 Miami Masters USA 3/22 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 Rafael Nadal L 3–6, 3–6
372 SUI v. FRA WG Qtrs Switzerland 4/9 DA DC Indoor Hard RR Nicolas Escudé W 6–2, 6–4, 6–4
373 SUI v. FRA WG Qtrs Switzerland 4/9 DA DC Indoor Hard RR Arnaud Clément (2) W 6–2, 7–5, 6–4
374 Rome Masters Italy 5/3 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R64 Jonas Björkman W 7–6(4), 6–3
375 Rome Masters Italy 5/3 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R32 Albert Costa L 6–3, 3–6, 2–6
376 Hamburg Masters Germany 5/10 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R64 Gastón Gaudio W 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
377 Hamburg Masters Germany 5/10 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R32 Nicolás Lapentti W 6–3, 6–3
378 Hamburg Masters Germany 5/10 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R16 Fernando González (2) W 7–5, 6–1
379 Hamburg Masters Germany 5/10 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay Q Carlos Moyá W 6–4, 6–3
380 Hamburg Masters Germany 5/10 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay S Lleyton Hewitt (2) W 6–0, 6–4
381 Hamburg Masters Germany 5/10 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay Win (4) Guillermo Coria W 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3
382 Roland Garros France 5/24 DA GS Outdoor Clay R128 Kristof Vliegen W 6–1, 6–2, 6–1
383 Roland Garros France 5/24 DA GS Outdoor Clay R64 Nicolas Kiefer W 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(6)
384 Roland Garros France 5/24 DA GS Outdoor Clay R32 Gustavo Kuerten L 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
385 Halle Germany 6/7 DA 250 Outdoor Grass R32 Thomas Johansson W 6–3, 6–2
386 Halle Germany 6/7 DA 250 Outdoor Grass R16 Mikhail Youzhny W 6–2, 6–1
387 Halle Germany 6/7 DA 250 Outdoor Grass Q Arnaud Clément (3) W 6–3, 7–5
388 Halle Germany 6/7 DA 250 Outdoor Grass S Jiří Novák W 6–3, 6–4
389 Halle Germany 6/7 DA 250 Outdoor Grass Win (5) Mardy Fish (2) W 6–0, 6–3
390 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass R128 Alex Bogdanovic W 6–3, 6–3, 6–0
391 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass R64 Alejandro Falla W 6–1, 6–2, 6–0
392 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass R32 Thomas Johansson (2) W 6–3, 6–4, 6–3
393 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass R16 Ivo Karlović W 6–3, 7–6(3), 7–6(5)
394 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass Q Lleyton Hewitt (3) W 6–1, 6–7(1), 6–0, 6–4
395 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass S Sébastien Grosjean W 6–2, 6–3, 7–6(6)
396 Wimbledon England 6/21 DA GS Outdoor Grass Win (6) Andy Roddick W 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4
397 Gstaad Switzerland 7/5 DA 250 Outdoor Clay R32 Tomas Behrend W 6–1, 6–1
398 Gstaad Switzerland 7/5 DA 250 Outdoor Clay R16 Ivo Karlović (2) W 6–7(5), 6–3, 7–6(4)
399 Gstaad Switzerland 7/5 DA 250 Outdoor Clay Q Radek Štěpánek W 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
400 Gstaad Switzerland 7/5 DA 250 Outdoor Clay S Potito Starace W 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
401 Gstaad Switzerland 7/5 DA 250 Outdoor Clay Win (7) Igor Andreev W 6–2, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
402 Canada Masters Canada 7/26 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Hicham Arazi W 6–3, 7–5
403 Canada Masters Canada 7/26 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 Robin Söderling W 7–5, 6–1
404 Canada Masters Canada 7/26 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R16 Max Mirnyi W 7–6(3), 7–6(4)
405 Canada Masters Canada 7/26 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard Q Fabrice Santoro W 7–5, 6–4
406 Canada Masters Canada 7/26 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard S Thomas Johansson (3) W 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
407 Canada Masters Canada 7/26 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard Win (8) Andy Roddick (2) W 7–5, 6–3
408 Cincinnati Masters USA 8/2 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Dominik Hrbatý L 6–1, 6–7(7), 4–6
409 Athens Olympics Greece 8/16 DA OL Outdoor Hard R64 Nikolay Davydenko (2) W 6–3, 5–7, 6–1
410 Athens Olympics Greece 8/16 DA OL Outdoor Hard R32 Tomáš Berdych L 6–4, 5–7, 5–7
411 US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard R128 Albert Costa W 7–5, 6–2, 6–4
412 US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard R64 Marcos Baghdatis W 6–2, 6–7(4), 6–3, 6–1
413 US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard R32 Fabrice Santoro (2) W 6–0, 6–4, 7–6(7)
- US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard R16 Andrei Pavel (5) W/O N/A
414 US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard Q Andre Agassi (2) W 6–3, 2–6, 7–5, 3–6, 6–3
415 US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard S Tim Henman (2) W 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
416 US Open USA 8/30 DA GS Outdoor Hard Win (9) Lleyton Hewitt (4) W 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0
417 Bangkok Thailand 9/27 DA 250 Indoor Hard R32 Nicolas Thomann W 6–4, 7–6(4)
418 Bangkok Thailand 9/27 DA 250 Indoor Hard R16 Ivo Heuberger W 6–1, 6–3
419 Bangkok Thailand 9/27 DA 250 Indoor Hard Q Robin Söderling (2) W 7–6(3), 6–4
420 Bangkok Thailand 9/27 DA 250 Indoor Hard S Paradorn Srichaphan W 7–5, 2–6, 6–3
421 Bangkok Thailand 9/27 DA 250 Indoor Hard Win (10) Andy Roddick (3) W 6–4, 6–0
422 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/15 DA WC Outdoor Hard RR Gastón Gaudio (2) W 6–1, 7–6(4)
423 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/15 DA WC Outdoor Hard RR Lleyton Hewitt (5) W 6–3, 6–4
424 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/15 DA WC Outdoor Hard RR Carlos Moyá (2) W 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
425 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/15 DA WC Outdoor Hard S Marat Safin (3) W 6–3, 7–6(18)
426 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/15 DA WC Outdoor Hard Win (11) Lleyton Hewitt (6) W 6–3, 6–2

Yearly records

Finals

Singles: 11 (11–0)
Legend
Grand Slam (3–0)
ATP World Tour Finals (1–0)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (3–0)
ATP World Tour 500 Series (1–0)
ATP World Tour 250 Series (3–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (7–0)
Clay (2–0)
Grass (2–0)
Titles by surface
Outdoors (10–0)
Indoors (1–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 12. 1 February 2004 Australian Open, Australia Hard Marat Safin 7–6(7–3), 6–4, 6–2
Winner 13. 7 March 2004 Dubai Tennis Championships, United Arab Emirates (2) Hard Feliciano López 4–6, 6–1, 6–2
Winner 14. 21 March 2004 Indian Wells Masters, United States Hard Tim Henman 6–3, 6–3
Winner 15. 16 May 2004 Hamburg Masters, Germany (2) Clay Guillermo Coria 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3
Winner 16. 13 June 2004 Halle Open, Germany (2) Grass Mardy Fish 6–0, 6–3
Winner 17. 4 July 2004 Wimbledon, England, UK (2) Grass Andy Roddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 6–4
Winner 18. 11 July 2004 Swiss Open, Switzerland Clay Igor Andreev 6–2, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
Winner 19. 1 August 2004 Canada Open, Canada Hard Andy Roddick 7–5, 6–3
Winner 20. 12 September 2004 US Open, United States Hard Lleyton Hewitt 6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0
Winner 21. 3 October 2004 Thailand Open, Thailand Hard (i) Andy Roddick 6–4, 6–0
Winner 22. 21 November 2004 Year-End Championships, USA (2) Hard Lleyton Hewitt 6–3, 6–2

Prize money earnings
EventPrize MoneyYear-to-date
Australian Open$915,960$915,960
Australian Open (doubles)$3,587$919,547
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament$23,740$943,287
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships$187,500$1,130,787
Pacific Life Open$421,600$1,552,387
Pacific Life Open (doubles)$3,675$1,556,062
NASDAQ-100 Open$19,730$1,575,792
Internazionali BNL d'Italia$15,000$1,590,792
Internazionali BNL d'Italia (doubles)$3,800$1,594,592
Hamburg Masters$400,000$1,994,592
French Open$42,313$2,036,905
Gerry Weber Open$113,000$2,149,905
Gerry Weber Open (doubles)$1,000$2,150,905
The Championships, Wimbledon $1,107,817$3,258,722
Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad$76,500$3,335,222
Rogers AT&T Cup$410,500$3,745,722
Western & Southern Financial Group Masters$7,500$3,753,222
US Open$1,000,000$4,753,222
Thailand Open$76,500$4,829,722
Thailand Open (doubles)$7,825$4,837,547
Tennis Masters Cup$1,520,000$6,357,547
$6,357,547

See also

References
  1. Keith Niebuhr (14 November 2004). "America's love affair with Federer lies ahead". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  2. "Federer, Myskina crowned 2004 ITF world champions". China Daily. 21 December 2004. Archived from the original on 14 June 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  3. "Roger Federer – Results – 2004". Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  4. O'Shannessy, Craig (29 September 2016). "2004: Roger Federer's Best Season Ever?". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 2 April 2017.

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