Roger Federer

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My favourite male player is Roger Federer who I first saw when he used to come to play in the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia as a run up event before the Australian Open. He is from Switzerland. Federer is expected by many (including Rod Laver, John McEnroe and Boris Becker) to go on and become one of the game's greatest male players ever. He has only lost 3 matches this year (September 2005). He has won 9 titles in all and has just won a back to back US Open title. He also won the Australian Open 2006. (See below for further years).

He has a brilliant and graceful game, able to send offhand backhands and running forehands down the line, almost at will. He can also create angles extremely well. His serve is deceptive. His ball toss doesn't allow the receiver to see where he is going to hit the ball and his second serve is very deep. He plays one-handed on both sides and is coached by one the best Australian players of the past : Tony Roche. What Tony Roche has taught him is to concentrate better, come forward to the net more and volley better. There is not much that Federer cannot do.

Federer was born in 1981 and grew up near Basel, Switzerland. He speaks three languages (German, French and English) fluently and conducts press conferences in all of them.

He currently lives in Oberwil, Switzerland. His wife is the former Swiss WTA player Miroslava Vavrinec (Mirka). She retired from the game in 2002 after a foot injury. They met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Tony Roche was not Federer's first professional coach. That honour goes to another Australian : Peter Carter. Roger says Peter was the person who made a lasting impression on him and had a huge impact on his tennis and life. Peter died in a car crash in 2002 after which Federer played badly at the US Open. Roger also says of Peter, "I think he's had the most influence on my game as a coach........We had great times together. And he actually, I think, taught me the beautiful technique I play" (from a 60 Minutes interview)


Peter coached Federer from an early age to aged 18 or 19 in Switzerland. Federer used to throw racquets and get in bad moods on court. Peter helped him with his temperament. When Peter met Roger at the age of 12 Peter said, " I've got someone here that's special but he's a pretty wild boy". Roger was already hitting the ball hard and with great technique at this age.


Roger Federer's career
Roger joined the ATP tour early in July 1998

In 1999, he played for the Swiss Davis Cup team. He finished the year inside the ATP's top 100 ranked players, the youngest ever to do so.

Federer won his first ATP tournament in Milan in February, 2001.

In 2002, in February, he won both his Davis Cup singles against former world number ones, Russians Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. In May, he won the Masters Series tournament in Hamburg, defeating Marat Safin.

In July, 2003, he became the first Swiss man to win the Wimbledon championship, defeating Australia's Mark Philippoussis in the final. He also won four Davis Cup matches during the year to lead Switzerland to the semi-finals. He finished 2003 by winning the Tennis Masters Cup at Houston and he then was No 2 in the rankings.

In 2004, Federer had a great year winning three of the four Grand Slam titles. He won the Australian Open for the first time, defeating Marat Safin. In May, he won the Hamburg Masters on clay by beating Guillermo Coria. He then defended his Wimbledon crown, beating Andy Roddick. In September, he defeated Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open final for the year's third Grand Slam. He finished the year by taking the Tennis Masters Cup at Houston for the second time in a row.

In 2005 Federer won the Wimbledon Championship for the third successive year by defeating Andy Roddick of the United States. At that Wimbledon final, Federer struck 49 winners and only 12 unforced errors. He won the US Open 2005, making him the first man in the Open era to win back to back US Open AND Wimbledon grand slams in consecutive years. He has also been the first man to win the US Open back to back since Patrick Rafter in 1998.

Becomes the first man in the professional era to win three consecutive majors twice in his career - Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open. Becomes the first man to retain the Australian Open title since Andre Agassi in 2001 and the first man since Bjorn Borg to win a grand slam without losing a set.

Roger Federer's stats November 2010
Year Turned Pro: 1998
Current 2 year rank for singles: 1
Current ATP Champions Race Position: 1
Current Doubles Rank: 129
High Rank for singles: 1
High Rank date for singles: 2 February 2004
High ATP Champions Race Position: 1
High ATP Champions Race Position: 1 (end 2009)
Grand slam wins : 16
High rank for doubles: 24
High rank date for doubles: 9 June 2003
Career titles for singles: 60 +
Career titles for doubles: 7
Career matches won: 387
Career matches lost: 119
Career prize money: $31,237,103 USD plus prize money for Wimbledon 2007


Federer loses to Nalbandian in the final of the Masters Cup 2005. He thus fails to continue his winning streak which stands at equal to the best by Muster. His consecutive 24 finals wins (in the finals he has been in) also ceases. But he was spent after 4 sets. He came in to the tourrnament with an ankle injury meaning he was not fit enough to match Nalbandian. But Nalbandian also played extremely well, perhaps the match of his career.

Federer wins Australian Open 2006 and Wimbledon 2006. Federer wins the US Open 2006 and the Australian Open 2007. Wins Wimbledon 2007 and the US Open 2007. Wins French Open 2009 and Wimbledon back to back. Becomes no 1 again (never been done before) and breaks record for grand slam wins

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