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After the great Roger Federer concluded his stellar career at the Laver Cup in London, there is no better time to look back and appreciate just how much he has done for the sport of tennis and so many people around the world.
When the news broke last week that the 20-time grand slam champion would be hanging up the racquet, it was a moment where a lot of people had so much to say, yet difficult to know where to begin to pay tribute.
Growing up in Switzerland on the outskirts of Basel, Federer was blessed with a natural grace of talent as soon as he picked up a racquet at the age of eight.
From there, his first few coaches immediately realised his incredible potential as well as his parents who were present to make a lot of sacrifices.
Despite having the all-round perfect game, Federer’s career didn’t come without challenges in its early years.
As shocking as it may seem now, angry outbursts speared on by a short temperament held Federer back in his junior years which made his parents disappointed and discouraged to keep making those sacrifices for their son.
The year 2002 would change that. It would shape the course for a long and successful career ahead.
Federer grew into a unique player thanks to his Australian coach and mentor, Peter Carter, who was able to take a young aspiring Swiss player to the next level by teaching him the technique and elegance that everyone stood in awe of.
In an interview with CNN back in 2019, the 41-year-old opened up about just how important of a figure and role model Peter was to him.
“Peter was really a really important person in my life because I think if I can say thank you for my technique today, it’s to Peter,” the Swiss maestro said.
“He wasn’t my first coach, but he was my real coach. He knew me and my game and he always knew what was good for me.”
Carter tragically died in a car accident in South Africa, which was ultimately the turning point for Federer to not let his talent go to waste and start training hard to make Peter proud.
That journey would begin at Wimbledon in 2003 where he made both the tennis and sporting world stand up and take notice that he was the real deal and here to stay for the foreseeable future by winning his first grand slam title against the great Mark Philippoussis.
(Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)
From there, it would act as the stepping stone to reaching incredibly ridiculous heights and breaking records for fun.
Here are some extraordinary numbers just to contextualise how consistently good he has been on tour.
1526 professional matches
1251 match wins
8x Wimbledon champion
6x Australian Open champion
5x US Open champion
1x French Open champion
28 Masters 1000 titles
310 weeks at world No.1 (237 consecutive – record)
Those statistics are incredible, but it’s the moments of brilliance on the court that had jaws dropping in disbelief.
For Australians especially, who can forget that unbelievable rally against Rafael Nadal at the 2017 Australian Open final?
Fifth set, 26-shot rally, break point at 30-40 on the Nadal serve, and Federer digs out a ridiculous forehand that has the crowd going insane.
If you haven’t watched it yet, please do so.
What about the tweener that the Swiss maestro produced against Novak Djokovic in the semis of the US Open?
In that moment of pressure, he reinvented that shot in a way that brought it back to life and inspired so many to follow suit, which is why you see that type of shot more often because of Federer’s influence.
How does one even try to find the right words to describe his style of play and explain how great he was?
Federer’s shot-making seemed so effortless through his technique and movement which made him so unique to the rest. Sheer elegance with the deftest of touches along with the skillset and tennis IQ made him almost unbeatable.
It was his all-round game that was so impressive, though. The ability to play from the baseline, approach the net, slice and dice, while also having a perfect service motion allowed him to have the all-round game which is what all players dream of having at their disposal.
He even adopted the ‘sneak attack’ tactic in his later years to run up to the service box before his opponent served, inspiring many players nowadays with the most notable being Nick Kyrgios.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia reacts against Daniil Medvedev at the US Open. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Roger Federer was more than a sporting icon. He was a global icon.
His face was recognisable on commercials such as Nike and Gillet in the earlier days when he would have the world at his feet.
The way he conducted himself on and off the court as well as his obvious tennis ability drove people who didn’t particularly like tennis or have any interest in it, suddenly become glued to the TV screens or being at the stadium in person, knowing that greatness was there to be witnessed.
He was an idol of mine growing up. He is the No.1 reason why I watch and follow tennis to this day because he was simply just a pleasure to watch.
Almost every time he won a major trophy, Federer would be seen crying and getting so emotional. It demonstrates how much of a champion he is to have the mindset to keep winning and have every trophy and achievement mean something more each time.
Players as well as the fans in the stands shed tears as Federer gave his last on-court interview. He let out his emotions and shed his own tears one last time.
So long, Roger (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
The image of Federer and Nadal sitting on the bench crying next to each other that went viral is one of the most iconic sporting photos of all time.
It shows just how much respect Nadal has for him even though he was Roger’s biggest rival throughout his career. An incredible player but an even more incredible human being.
The classic debate will continue to drag on for an eternity about who is the greatest tennis player of all time.
Yes, Nadal and Djokovic have more grand slam titles, but numbers should not be the be-all and end-all. It should not be the only measure for success.
Federer had to compete in a ridiculous era consisting of the ‘big four’ with the fourth being Andy Murray, and he was still able to reach 20 grand slam titles.
It is how unique his game was with the ability to be humble and gracious both inside and outside the walls of tennis that made everyone fall in love with him.
Carlos Alcaraz has been compared to Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev has been compared to Novak Djokovic, but Federer cannot be compared. That is the difference.
Federer is not only the greatest tennis player that has ever lived but also one of the greatest athletes of all time due to his ability to evolve the game and get more kids picking up a racquet and following in his footsteps.
Thank you for the memories, Roger. Tennis will not be the same, but it sure is in a better place because of you.
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