Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈrɔdʒər ˈfeːdərər]; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who is ranked world No. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).[3] He has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles—the most in history by a male player—and has held the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a record total of 310 weeks (including a record 237 consecutive weeks) and was the year-end No. 1 five times, including four consecutive. Federer, who turned professional in 1998, was continuously ranked in the top ten from October 2002 to November 2016.
Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon men's singles titles, six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles (all consecutive, a record), and one French Open title. He is one of eight men to have achieved a Career Grand Slam. Federer has reached a record 31 men's singles Grand Slam finals, including 10 consecutively from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open. Federer has also won a record six ATP Finals titles, 28 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles, and a record 24 ATP Tour 500 titles. Federer was a member of Switzerland's winning Davis Cup team in 2014. He is also the only player after Jimmy Connors to have won 100 or more career singles titles, as well as to amass 1,200 wins in the Open Era.
Federer's all-court game and versatile style of play involve exceptional footwork and shot-making.[4] Effective both as a baseliner and a volleyer, his apparent effortlessness and efficient movement on the court have made Federer highly popular among tennis fans. He has received the tour Sportsmanship Award 13 times and been named the ATP Player of the Year and ITF World Champion five times. He has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award a record five times, including four consecutive awards from 2005 to 2008. He is also the only person to have won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award four times
Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland.[5] 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,[6] who is the mother of a set of twins.[7] Since his mother is South African, he holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.[8] 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.[5][9][10][11] Federer served as a ball boy at his hometown Basel tournament, the Swiss Indoors, in 1992 and 1993.[9][12]
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.[13] Instead, he served in the civil protection force and was required to pay 3% of his taxable income as an alternative.[14] He grew up supporting FC Basel and the Swiss national football team.[15] Federer also credits his hand-eye coordination to the wide range of sports he played as a child, including badminton and basketball.[16]
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.[17] They were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family.[18] In 2009, Mirka gave birth to identical twin girls.[19] The Federers had another pair of identical twins in 2014, this time boys.[20][21]
Tennis career
1993–1998: 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,[22] and in doubles teamed with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.[23] In addition, Federer reached the US Open Junior final in 1998, losing 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.[24] 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
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.[25] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, along with world No. 1 Martina Hingis.[26][27][28] 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."[29]
Federer's first singles win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter in the final.[25] 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.[30]
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.[31] In the quarters he faced Englishman Tim Henman, eventually losing in a fourth-set tiebreaker.[citation needed]
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.[32] 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.[32] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.[25][32][33][34][30] 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.[citation needed]
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.[35] 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.[2] 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[36] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.[35] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.[35] 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.[35]
2004: Imposing dominance
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.[37] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.[37]
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.[37] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.[37] 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.[citation needed]
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.[38] 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.[38]
Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.[38] 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.[38] 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.[39] He maintained his position as No. 1 for the entire season.[38]
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.[citation needed]
2006: Career-best season
Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon men's singles titles, six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles (all consecutive, a record), and one French Open title. He is one of eight men to have achieved a Career Grand Slam. Federer has reached a record 31 men's singles Grand Slam finals, including 10 consecutively from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open. Federer has also won a record six ATP Finals titles, 28 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles, and a record 24 ATP Tour 500 titles. Federer was a member of Switzerland's winning Davis Cup team in 2014. He is also the only player after Jimmy Connors to have won 100 or more career singles titles, as well as to amass 1,200 wins in the Open Era.
Federer's all-court game and versatile style of play involve exceptional footwork and shot-making.[4] Effective both as a baseliner and a volleyer, his apparent effortlessness and efficient movement on the court have made Federer highly popular among tennis fans. He has received the tour Sportsmanship Award 13 times and been named the ATP Player of the Year and ITF World Champion five times. He has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award a record five times, including four consecutive awards from 2005 to 2008. He is also the only person to have won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award four times
Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland.[5] 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,[6] who is the mother of a set of twins.[7] Since his mother is South African, he holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.[8] 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.[5][9][10][11] Federer served as a ball boy at his hometown Basel tournament, the Swiss Indoors, in 1992 and 1993.[9][12]
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.[13] Instead, he served in the civil protection force and was required to pay 3% of his taxable income as an alternative.[14] He grew up supporting FC Basel and the Swiss national football team.[15] Federer also credits his hand-eye coordination to the wide range of sports he played as a child, including badminton and basketball.[16]
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.[17] They were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family.[18] In 2009, Mirka gave birth to identical twin girls.[19] The Federers had another pair of identical twins in 2014, this time boys.[20][21]
Tennis career
1993–1998: 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,[22] and in doubles teamed with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.[23] In addition, Federer reached the US Open Junior final in 1998, losing 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.[24] 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
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.[25] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland, along with world No. 1 Martina Hingis.[26][27][28] 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."[29]
Federer's first singles win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter in the final.[25] 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.[30]
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.[31] In the quarters he faced Englishman Tim Henman, eventually losing in a fourth-set tiebreaker.[citation needed]
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.[32] 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.[32] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.[25][32][33][34][30] 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.[citation needed]
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.[35] 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.[2] 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[36] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.[35] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.[35] 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.[35]
2004: Imposing dominance
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.[37] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.[37]
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.[37] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.[37] 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.[citation needed]
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.[38] 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.[38]
Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.[38] 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.[38] 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.[39] He maintained his position as No. 1 for the entire season.[38]
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.[citation needed]
2006: Career-best season
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