Hall of Fame tennis writer Steve Flink weighs in on the remarkable career of a champion who now begins his own countdown to enshrinement in the hallowed halls of Newport.
When the world learned that Roger Federer is going to retire after Laver Cup next week and thus conclude a singularly important career as one of the most renowned athletes of all time, the tennis community took the news as if there had been a death in the family.
The Swiss maestro has been so revered over the last couple of decades by such a wide legion of sports observers that his retirement announcement caught a multitude of fans off guard and left some in despair. Federer’s vast array of admirers were enraptured not only by his supreme talent and unimaginable shot-making flair, but also deeply impressed by his outstanding conduct in the public arena and his unswerving sense of fair play. Above all else, he was a sportsman of the highest order who embodied dignity and self-restraint.
No wonder so many fans find it difficult to imagine the ATP Tour and the four major Grand Slam events without Federer out there as a central figure. Across time, he became a fixture among us, standing for enduring excellence, incomparable elegance on the tennis court and an unparalleled artistry in his era. Having covered tennis for 50 years after watching it as a fan for the preceding decade, I have never seen a player—man or woman—as enduringly popular as Federer all across the planet.
Everywhere he went—from the early stages of his career, through his prime and on into his late 30s and early 40s—Federer built a fan base of unflagging loyalty, knowledge and passion.
Many of these aficionados saw Federer as a transcendent figure who was larger than the game he played so joyously for a living. They believed Federer was more than a magnificent tennis champion responsible for changing the face of tennis forever, looking at him first and foremost as an astonishingly gifted entertainer with a soaring imagination who could invent shots instinctively, send shivers through spines and turn the workplace into a magical theater somehow made for his persona. None of this is hyperbolic; Federer profoundly altered the sports landscape with his inspirational inventiveness and sheer creativity.
The Swiss had many followers who would never have ventured anywhere near the tennis universe if he had not been at the center of it.
Let’s examine how prodigiously he achieved over a long span. In his first full professional year, still only 18, he finished the 1999 season already stationed at No. 64 in the world. Federer climbed to No. 29 at the end of 2000 and all the way up to No. 13 when the curtain closed on 2001.
That was the year Federer essentially announced himself to the tennis world at large when he toppled seven-time champion Pete Sampras on the fabled Centre Court of Wimbledon in a five-set, round of 16 classic. Sampras was seeking a fifth title in a row at the All England Club and had swept 31 consecutive matches on the lawns of Wimbledon, but Federer came through 7-5 in the fifth set. Although he lost to Tim Henman in the quarterfinals, that could not diminish what he had done in overcoming the estimable Sampras.
It was in the 2002 season that Federer at 21 achieved his first year-end Top 10 ranking, concluding that campaign at No. 6. His success in winning 58 of 80 matches was a sign of things to come and a confirmation of his growing prominence as a player.
Unsurprisingly, Federer came to the forefront of the sport in 2003. Appearing in only his 17th career Grand Slam tournament, he won Wimbledon stylishly, defeating Andy Roddick in the penultimate round with a dazzling display and then handling the big serving Mark Philippousis in the final. That was a landmark triumph for Federer, who captured seven titles that season including the prestigious year-end ATP Finals. He was ranked No. 2 in the world behind Roddick for the season.
Now Federer burst thoroughly into his own, moving into the most productive period of his career. Across the next four seasons (2004-2007), he was indomitable, winning 11 of the 16 Grand Slam tournaments, taking three of the four majors all but one of those stellar years. His match record in that span was an astonishing 315-24 (.929). Federer went 173-9 combined (.951) in 2005 and 2006. He was amassing majors in clusters, and he did not lose at the US Open in that span. In the 2004 US Open final, he crushed the indefatigable Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 in one of the masterpieces matches of his career. With the exception of facing Rafael Nadal on clay, Federer always wore the robe of invincibility over that sterling stretch, reigning at No. 1 in the world four years in a row.
Nadal made a monumental move in 2008, surging past Federer in an epic Wimbledon final, establishing himself as the best player in the world. Federer—who was taken apart 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 by Nadal in the Roland Garros final—rallied from two sets down before coming within two points of victory in the fifth set. Nonetheless, Federer went on to secure his fifth US Open title in a row, realizing an Open Era men’s record by virtue of ousting Andy Murray in the final.
And yet, Nadal was waiting for Federer once more at the start of 2009. The left-handed Spanish dynamo defeated Federer in a five set Australian Open final. It was the third time in the last four Grand Slam finals on a third different surface that Nadal had overcome Federer.
Times were changing, but Federer remained resolute. He soon claimed his lone French Open title in the spring and then was victorious at Wimbledon with a courageous five-set, final-round win over Roddick. Federer had thus claimed his 15th Grand Slam title, surpassing Sampras at the top of the all-time men’s list. At the end of that season, Federer was beaten by Juan Martin Del Potro in a stirring, five set US Open final. Although he lost agonizingly to the Argentine after being within two points of a four set victory, Federer had pulled off a staggering feat by making the final round in 17 of his last 18 majors. Moreover, he had re-gained the No. 1 world ranking, ending the year at the top for the fifth time in six years. He would never do so again.
As Federer approached his thirties, he declined slightly while remaining a major force. In 2010, he won the Australian Open. Two years later, he was victorious at Wimbledon for the seventh time. And yet, as he entered his thirties, his body was no longer cooperating the way it once did. Often injured in 2013, he fell to No. 6 in the world. But he started playing with a larger framed racquet in 2014, rising to No. 2 in the world behind Novak Djokovic. The Serb stopped Federer in a spectacularly played, five-set Wimbledon final, and repeated the win a year later on the same court in a four-set final.
Later in 2015, Federer made it to his last US Open final and performed in front of a festive crowd who cheered him on unabashedly. But he lost to Djokovic in four sets.
When Federer had to undergo knee surgery after a semifinal loss at Wimbledon in 2016, many skeptics believed his days of contending for majors were over. How wrong they were. Seeded 17th at the Australian Open in 2017 after six months away from tennis, he astoundingly captured three five set matches including a particularly gratifying comeback from 1-3 down in the final set against Nadal, sweeping five games in a row to improbably garner his first Grand Slam title in nearly five years.
Buoyed by that unexpected victory, Federer won Wimbledon five months later, securing his eighth All England crown to break the Wimbledon men’s record for most titles won. Federer split the four majors with Nadal that memorable season and finished the year at No. 2 in the world. That was no mean feat for the 36-year-old.
Federer realized that he was playing on borrowed time over the last several years of his career. He took his last major in Melbourne at the 2018 Australian Open with a hard-fought, five-set victory over Marin Cilic. It was his 20th Grand Slam title.
Did this revered figure have one “last hurrah” left as he headed into his late thirties?
He nearly did. At Wimbledon in 2019, about a month shy of his 38th birthday, Federer performed majestically. He brought down Nadal in a four set semifinal and then had two match points against Djokovic in a riveting final when he served at 8-7, 40-15 in the fifth set. He was on the verge of eliminating his two chief rivals in the same major for the first time in his illustrious career, but that gallant goal was not realized. Djokovic came through 13-12 in the fifth set with grace under pressure. Federer called it “a massive missed opportunity.” The fact remained that this was the third time he had lost to Djokovic after reaching double match point; the Serb had rallied valiantly to stop the Swiss in spellbinding 2010 and 2011 US Open semifinals from the same daunting position.
Federer’s late career resurgence was remarkable as he concluded 2017-2019 among the top three in the world. He even made the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open, but did not play the rest of the season. He played 13 matches in 2021 and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, but then he had his last knee surgeries and has been out of the game ever since. He will try presumably to play doubles at Laver Cup next week in London, and that will be it for this iconic champion.
As Federer said in his statement issued on Thursday, “As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries. I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form, but I also know my body’s capacities and limits and its message to me lately has been clear. I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt and now I must recognize when it’s time to end my competitive career. The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour.”
So how should we evaluate Federer’s place in tennis history? When he eclipsed Sampras 13 years ago at Wimbledon with his 15th major, many learned critics were ready to proclaim that Federer was the greatest tennis player of all time. At that time, just shy of his 28th birthday, he had made a good case for himself with his enviable record. Just as it had once seemed inconceivable that anyone could collect more Grand Slam men’s titles than Sampras had collected between 1990 and 2002, no one believed in 2009 that Nadal or anyone else could catch Federer.
And yet, of course, that has indeed happened. Not only did Nadal manage that lofty feat but so, too, has Djokovic. The Spaniard has secured 22 major titles while Djokovic is only one behind. Federer stands in third place with his 20 “Big Four” titles.
But, in assessing his status among the best ever in his profession, observers must look beyond those numbers.
For example, Federer won 103 career ATP Tour titles, considerably more than Nadal (92) and Djokovic (88). Only Jimmy Connors (109) has won more in the Open Era. At the Grand Slam events, Federer reached at least the semifinals in 23 straight majors from the middle of 2004 at Wimbledon until Roland Garros in 2010. He was at least a quarterfinalist at 36 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments from that same point in 2004 until Wimbledon in 2013.
In turn, Federer spent a record 237 weeks in a row at No. 1 in the ATP rankings from February of 2004 until August of 2008. Altogether, Federer held the No. 1 ranking for 310 weeks, second only to Djokovic at 373. Federer won a record 1,251 matches at the tour level on the ATP Tour, trailing only Jimmy Connors (1,274). Federer spent 14 years in a row (2002-2015) among the top six in the world. From 2002-2020, the Swiss resided among the top ten at the end of the year no fewer than 18 times.
His longevity was absolutely extraordinary, his standards almost impossibly high. At his best on any surface but clay, Federer was unassailable. And he not only took one French Open title, but reached four more finals at Roland Garros, losing them all to the unflinching Nadal. Conversely, Nadal has won 14 of his 22 majors at Roland Garros on clay while Federer’s all surface record is more impressive than the Spaniard’s but not quite as good as Djokovic’s.
Federer had one of the best serves of the modern era, impeccably placed, smoothly delivered, reliably produced year after year. His forehand must be ranked among the greatest ever, and no one was better at the one-two punch of a first serve sent into a corner, setting up a lethal forehand winner off a short ball. His topspin backhand improved markedly once he went to the larger racket in 2014, and helped Federer fare much better at the end against Nadal, winning six of their last seven contests. Federer in certain respects was a better player in his thirties than he was in his dominant days.
But as phenomenally as Federer played the game for the better part of two decades, his record still falls arguably short of Djokovic’s or Nadal’s. Despite Federer’s success in recent years against Nadal, he concludes his career with a 16-24 record against the Spaniard, and a 3-6 deficit in Grand Slam finals versus Nadal. Against Djokovic, Federer came out on the wrong end of a 27-23 career series. He won 13 of their first 19 clashes but lost 21 of their last 31 meetings. Moreover, Djokovic took four of the five major finals he played against Federer. Djokovic upended Federer in three Wimbledon finals and they split two U.S. Open title round duels.
The "GOAT debate" can never be resolved definitively. To be sure, Federer is a candidate for greatest of all time, but most authorities are in accord that the math does not seem to add up for him. Winning fewer majors than his two chief rivals—as well as having a losing head to head record against them overall and in major finals—is hard to ignore. Some would argue that Federer being five years older than Nadal and six years older than Djokovic put him on an imbalanced competitive battlefield, but it must be mentioned that the young Djokovic was disadvantaged for a long time prior to 2010 in his meetings with a prime time Federer, yet he made up the ground eventually.
This much is certain: Federer established himself unequivocally as the sport’s most cherished competitor in every corner of the globe. He was the player everyone wanted to watch more than any other. His matches with Nadal and Djokovic were more enjoyable than the contests between the Spaniard and the Serbian. Federer put more people in seats than any other player has ever done, carried himself regally, and genuinely revered the champions who preceded him.
In many ways, Roger Federer has been more synonymous with tennis than any other champion in the history of tennis, and there can be no greater distinction than that.
