Roger Federer is so many things to so many tennis fans. A free-flowing magician with a racquet in his hands, the Swiss maestro dazzled his legions of fans over the course of his 24-year career in countless ways. The sublime touch, the menacing forehand, the elegant backhand that aged like fine wine. He had them all, and then some.
To know Federer was to know this: words aren’t adequate to sum up the feelings he inspired in us. The regal, ethereal strokes, so pure they left us speechless. The artful authenticity—a game sculpted from fire and ice that was built both to satisfy the senses and, most important, to win.
And gosh, could he win.
As we learn of Federer’s imminent retirement next weekend at Laver Cup in London, it is with both sadness and joy that we reflect on his accomplishments. The man who spearheaded the greatest era that men’s tennis has ever known will soon hang up racquets and confine his name to the annals of the sport. The Wimbledon legend that also learned to thrive under the bright lights of the big city of New York, where he became the only man in history to win five consecutive US Open titles and reel off 40 consecutive wins, will not grace us with his presence any longer.
But the memories will live on forever, even if at times we struggle to find the right words to describe the feelings he inspired in us.
As for the numbers, there can be no doubt. Scroll down the page as we honor the milestones that marked a truly legendary career.
0: Number of times that Roger Federer retired from a tour-level match.
1: Federer held the No.1 ranking for 237 weeks in succession, the longest streak in tennis history, from February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008.
2: Federer won at least two titles in four consecutive seasons, from 2004 to 2007. He is the only ATP player to have achieved the feat.
3: Number of surfaces that Federer won Masters 1000 titles on without dropping a set (clay, hard, grass).
4: Number of Top 10 wins that Federer achieved at the 2017 Australian Open. Only four other men have matched that feat at the Grand Slams.
5: Federer won five consecutive US Open finals, from 2004 to 2008 and retired tied for the all-time Open Era lead in men’s singles titles won in Queens.
6: Australian Open titles won by Federer.
7: Consecutive Wimbledon finals reached from 2003 to 2009.
8: Number of Wimbledon men’s singles titles won by the Swiss, an all-time record.
9: Federer holds the all-time record for most finals played at Indian Wells with nine. He won five titles in the California desert.
10: Number of Basel and Halle titles won by Federer.
11: Number of consecutive Australian Open semifinals reached from 2004 to 2014, an all-time record.
12: Federer played in 12 Wimbledon finals.
13: Federer was selected by fellow players as winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award 13 times (2004–2009, 2011–2017)
14: Federer’s 14-year gap between his first and last Australian Open title and his first and last Wimbledon title are the largest of all-time at those respective Slams.
15: Number of years Federer finished inside the ATP’s Top 3 – most all-time.
16: Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 16 times in one of the greatest rivalries that the sport has ever seen. Nadal won 24 vs. Federer.
17: Appearances made at the ATP Finals. Federer won the event a record six times, and reached a record 10 finals.
18: Seasons finished with a Top 10 ranking.
19: Number of grass-court titles won. Federer’s lifetime record on grass was 192-29.
20: Number of Grand Slam titles won, with the first coming at 2003 Wimbledon and the last at the 2018 Australian Open.
23: From Wimbledon 2004 to the Australian Open in 2010, Federer reached a record 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. He racked up an astonishing 14 major titles in that period.
28: Number of Masters 1000 titles won.
31: Number of Grand Slam finals played.
33-23: Federer’s five-set record.
36: From Wimbledon in 2004 to Roland Garros in 2013, Federer reached a record 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals.
40: Length of Federer’s record 40-match winning streak compiled at the US Open from 2004 to 2008.
41: Length of Federer’s longest winning streak.
65: Federer compiled a record winning streak on grass of 65 matches, from 2003 to 2008.
103: The Swiss is second on the ATP’s all-time title list, behind only Jimmy Connors, with 103.
105: Federer’s record Wimbledon men’s singles win total.
224: Top 10 wins notched by Federer.
310: Number of weeks spent at No.1 by Federer.
369: Grand Slam match wins notched by Federer. No player has more.
466-247: Federer’s record in tiebreaks.
1,111-81: Federer’s record when winning the first set.
1,251: Career wins by Federer.
1,526: Total matches contested by the Swiss.
130,594,339: Total prize money, in U.S. dollars, earned by Federer in his career.
