ATP News Weekly

Roger Federer: Making of a Legend

July 28 2015 Beeyong Sison: Players regard Roger Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time. Since turning professional in 1998, the Basel-native has been ranked inside the Top 10 for past fourteen years since October 2002.

Federer’s swift and flawless playing style has yielded numerous records since the Open Era, when both amateurs and professional competed for the first time in 1968. One of which is the most Grand Slam wins ever with 17 titles. His feat of reaching each Grand Slam final at least five times sets an all-time record.

Last month at Wimbledon, Federer appeared in his tenth singles final, a tournament where he shares an Open Era record for most titles with Pete Sampras (7); and at the US Open with Jimmy Connors and Sampras (5). He is among the seven men, and among the four in Open Era, to capture a career Grand Slam.

Another mind-boggling achievement is his record of 26 men's singles Grand Slam finals that includes 10 straight, from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open - both statistics being records. He also reached 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon through to the 2010 Australian Open.

The former ball-boy of the Swiss Indoors Championships reached 23 consecutive final four (semifinals) in major tournaments, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. Federer held the World No. 1 position for 302 weeks including 237 consecutive weeks.

At the recent 2015 Wimbledon Championships, the Swiss Maestro played in a record 63rd consecutive Grand Slam tournament, reached a record 45th Grand Slam quarterfinal, a record 37th Grand Slam semifinal and a record 26th Grand Slam final.

Federer’s career is highlighted during the 2006 season, which many considers as one of the greatest season of any player in the history of the game. Federer won 12 singles titles, the most of any player since John McEnroe did it in 1984, and claimed a 92–5 match win-loss record, the most wins since Ivan Lendl in 1982. Federer reached the finals in 16 out of the 17 tournaments he played during the season.

After bowing out to Federer in the semifinals of 2015 Wimbledon, Andy Murray, the 2013 Wimbledon Champion, thinks Federer still has another four years competing at an elite level. More to come then…