ROGER FEDERER

For four years, 2004-2007, Roger Federer so dominated men's tennis on every surface but clay, many had already concluded that he was the greatest player tennis had ever seen. When he completed the career Grand Slam by winning Roland Garros (the French Open) in 2009, Federer erased almost all remaining doubt. Shortly thereafter, Roger added further confirmation by winning his sixth Wimbledon and thus breaking one of the biggest records in tennis with a fifteenth Grand Slam singles title. Roger also holds an amazing record of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, more than double the next best.

Without knowing any of Federer's many records, though, one could easily sense his greatness simply by seeing him play one match at his best. Roger's shotmaking is often described as "magical," "unbelievable," "ridiculous," and, as he finds quite amusing, "sick." Easy with a smile or a joke, friendly, generous with his time and money, and almost always showing fine sportsmanship, Roger has a personality as appealing as his game, and the combination has earned him tremendous popularity and respect among both fans and his peers.

Roger started playing at age 8 and, at 17, he finished 1998 as the number one junior in the world. His pro career didn't take off as soon as many expected, with his first ATP title coming in 2001 in Milan. Federer reached his first quarterfinal that year at Roland Garros, and he ended Pete Sampras's 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon before losing in the quarterfinal, but the promise of 2001 didn't carry over into his Grand Slam results for 2002, where he lost in the first rounds of Roland Garros and Wimbledon and only made the fourth rounds at the Australian Open and US Open.

For every player, a first Grand Slam title is a major breakthrough. For Federer, it was Wimbledon in 2003. Although his other Grand Slam results that year were unspectacular, Roger had gained that all-important belief in himself, and in 2004, the power of confidence showed, as Roger won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open, and eight other titles. Roger ended 2004 number one in the world, with the most titles in a single year since Ivan Lendl in 1985.

Federer's dominance of the men's tour lasted through 2007, the fourth year he finished as the world's best male player. By this time, Roger had won each of the Grand Slams multiple times, except Roland Garros, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinal in 2005 and the finals in 2006 and 2007. Roger was clearly the best player on every surface but clay and the second best on clay, behind the absolutely brilliant Nadal.

Late in 2007, Federer contracted mononucleosis, and although he made the semifinals at the Australian Open in January of 2008, he wasn't fully recovered, and he lost to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the title. Roger was feeling better at Roland Garros, but he lost so badly (1-6, 3-6, 0-6) in the final to Nadal, many began to wonder whether Nadal, who was quickly expanding his proficiency beyond clay, might gain the upper hand overall. That seemed to prove true at Wimbledon, where Roger suffered a devastating loss to Nadal in a classic five-set final. By this time, a semifinal and two finals meant a tough Grand Slam year for Roger, but he managed to redeem much of it by winning the US Open in September. He finished 2008 at number two, behind Nadal.

2009 started with another very tough, five-set loss to Nadal at the Australian Open, but Roger more than made up for it at Roland Garros, where, with some help from Robin Soderling, who eliminated Nadal, Roger earned the only title that had seemed possibly beyond his grasp. A few weeks later, Roger recaptured his Wimbledon title and broke the all-time record for Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player.

2009 was also a landmark year in Roger's personal life, as he married his long-time girlfriend, Mirka, and became the father of twin daughters. In the time he's not devoting to family life and tennis, Roger continues his work to provide opportunities and promote sport for underprivileged children in South Africa, and he can be counted on to respond generously to major crises as he did in contributing to relief efforts for the Asian tsunami of 2005 and Hurricane Katrina. 

Basic Facts

Date of Birth: 8/8/1981

Nation: Switzerland

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 177 lbs

Turned Pro: 1998

Best Singles Grand Slams: Won Australian Open in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2010; Wimbledon in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2012; US Open in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008; Roland Garros in 2009.

Plays: Right-handed, with a one-handed backhand.

Basic Style: All-court.

Greatest Strengths: Brilliant shotmaker, with exceptional versatility, touch, and accuracy, especially on the forehand. Capable of great power on groundstrokes and very good power on serves, with excellent placement. Movement extremely quick and smooth. Comfortable on every part of the court.

Room for Improvement: No major weaknesses. Roger finds high backhands difficult, as does almost everyone. His sharpness often wanes for a while during a match, but he usually restores it when he needs to.