Roger Federer’s amazing 24 year career highlights

First ATP Tour Title
Milan, 2001

His first two ATP Tour finals came in 2000 at Marseille and Basel, but he lost in both finals. The next year he beat two International Tennis Hall of Famers — Goran Ivanisevic and Yevgeny Kafelnikov — en route to the final where he defeats Frenchman Julien Boutter 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-4 to lift his first ATP trophy at age 19.

First ATP Masters 1000 Title
Hamburg, 2002

Competes in his first ATP Masters 1000 event in Hamburg after a first-round loss in Rome against current ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. He defeats three-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten in the quarter-finals and former World No. 1, Marat Safin, in the championship match for his first Masters 1000 title and moves into the top 10.

First Grand Slam Triumph
Wimbledon, 2003

I remember this year very well as I was on the official stringing team at Wimbledon, a truly wonderful experience. He defeated Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) to capture the crown on Centre Court. I had the rare privilege of personally delivering two of Federer’s racquets to the men’s changing room that Roger had left to be done early on the day of the final. An early indication of just what kind of champion Federer would be, he sent his coach, Peter Lundgren, to the stringing room with an autographed Nike baseball cap for Glynn Roberts who was stringing all of his racquets. Glynn would later go on to work for Priority One traveling the world and stringing for some of the most elite players on the tour.

Ascends To World No. 1
2 February 2004

He defeats Marat Safin in the final and moves to number one in the world on February 2, 2004. He remains at the top spot for four-and-a-half years and stays there for 237 consecutive weeks.

First Match Against Rafael Nadal
Miami, 2004

Nadal upsets Federer 6-3, 6-3 in just 70 minutes to claim their first ATP Head2Head meeting. Nadal would go on to win 24 of their 40 clashes.

First Match Against Novak Djokovic
Monte Carlo, 2006

Djokovic, an 18-year-old from Serbia, was competing in his first clay-court Masters 1000 event. He saved eight of the 11 break points he faced but fell to Federer 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. They have met 49 times since then, the most times Federer has played any rival.

Breaking Pete Sampras’ Slam Record
Wimbledon, 2009

Fresh off of his one and only title at Roland Garros, Federer races to the Wimbledon final,  losing of just one set along the way. Across the net is former World No. 1 Andy Roddick, against whom he had won 18 of his 20 ATPHead2Head clashes, including two previous Wimbledon finals. Roddick held all of his service games until the last game of the match and he triumphs 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14 to claim his 15th Grand Slam title, breaking Sampras’ record.

Wins Record Sixth Nitto ATP Finals Trophy
London, 2011

The Nitto ATP Finals is the toughest tournament in the world, with the winner each year needing to navigate a field made of the very best players on the ATP Tour. That is why Federer’s victory at The O2 in 2011 was so impressive. It was his record sixth title at the season finale, breaking a tie with Sampras and Ivan Lendl, whom Djokovic has since tied. Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 for the trophy.

Leads Switzerland To Davis Cup Glory
2014

Federer and Stan Wawrinka led their country to the Davis Cup title for the first time. Despite losing the second singles rubber to Gael Monfils in straight sets, Federer partnered Wawrinka to a doubles victory and then sealed his country’s triumph with a singles win against Richard Gasquet.

Earns 1,000th Tour-Level Win
Brisbane, 2015

Federer picks up four wins, doing so in his first tournament of the year at Brisbane. He defeated Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 in the final to lift the trophy and etch his name in the record books with win No. 1,000.

Magical 2017 Comeback
Wins Two Major Titles but signs of knee issues emerge

The end of 2016 was tough for Federer, who did not compete after losing in the Wimbledon semi-finals that year due to a knee injury. Entering the 2017 Australian Open as the 17th seed aged 35, a deep run seemed improbable. But Federer stunned the world and himself by claiming his 18th Grand Slam trophy at Melbourne Park. He won seven trophies that year, his most in a season since 2007 (8). His victories included a 19th major triumph at Wimbledon and three Masters 1000 titles (in Indian Wells, Miami, and Shanghai).

Wins 20th Slam
Australian Open, 2018

At 36 years old he races to the final without losing a set. Despite a tough battle from 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic, Federer finished the job 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to become the third man in the Open Era to claim at least four major titles after turning 30, joining Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.

Oldest World No. 1 In History
19 February 2018

When Federer retained his Australian Open trophy, he moved to within just 155 points of Nadal for World No. 1. The Swiss got an opportunity to claim the top spot less than one month later. Federer had to defeat home favorite Robin Haase in the semi-finals, and win he did. The 36-year-old rallied after a slow start to advance 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and guarantee he would return to the top of men’s tennis mountain and become the oldest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history.