(Reuters) – Roger Federer said he will retire from competitive tennis following next week’s Laver Cup in London. Following are 10 landmark matches from the 20-times Grand Slam champion’s career:
2001 – WIMBLEDON VICTORY OVER SAMPRAS
A 19-year-old Federer announced himself to the world by ending Pete Sampras’s 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the fourth round.
Before that defeat, Sampras had lost just once in eight years at the All England club, amassing a record-equalling seven men’s crowns between 1993 and 2000.
2003 – WIMBLEDON FINAL AGAINST PHILIPPOUSSIS
Federer defeated towering Australian Mark Philippoussis to win his first Grand Slam title, becoming the first Swiss men’s singles champion at the tournament.
2004 – U.S. OPEN FINAL AGAINST HEWITT
Federer thrashed Australian Lleyton Hewitt 6-0 7-6(3) 6-0 in the final for his first U.S. Open title. His victory at Flushing Meadows came after triumphs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, making him the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three majors in a season.
2008 – WIMBLEDON FINAL AGAINST NADAL
Rafa Nadal ended Federer’s bid for a sixth straight Wimbledon title with a 6-4 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(8) 9-7 victory in a final that lasted nearly five hours.
There were two rain interruptions and the contest finished in fading light, bringing to an end Federer’s streak of 65 straight wins at Wimbledon and his hopes of surpassing Bjorn Borg’s five consecutive titles.
2009 – AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL AGAINST NADAL
Nadal denied Federer a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam singles crown at the Australian Open with a 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2 victory in a pulsating final on the blue hardcourt in Melbourne.
2009 – FRENCH OPEN FINAL WIN AGAINST SODERLING
Federer lifted the trophy at Roland Garros for the first time after defeating Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6(1) 6-4. The Swiss had lost three consecutive finals to Nadal at the claycourt Grand Slam before facing Soderling, who had helpfully ousted the Spaniard in the fourth round.
With the win, Federer completed the career Grand Slam and equalled Sampras’s record of 14 major crowns.
2014 – WIMBLEDON FINAL AGAINST DJOKOVIC
Federer was denied a record eighth Wimbledon title when Djokovic defeated him 6-7(7) 6-4 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4 in a gripping final at the All England Club. In a stirring fightback, the Swiss forced a fifth set after trailing 5-2 in the fourth, but could not make it count in the end.
2017 – AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL AGAINST NADAL
Returning from a six-month injury layoff, Federer clinched his first Grand Slam title in four and a half years with a thrilling 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 win over Nadal.
At 35, Federer became the oldest player to claim a major title since Australia’s Ken Rosewall won at Melbourne Park in 1972 at the age of 37.
2018 – AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL AGAINST CILIC
Six months after defeating Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final, Federer beat the Croat again to claim a sixth Australian Open title.
He became only the fourth player after Margaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf to win 20 or more Grand Slam singles titles, while also equalling Rod Laver’s record of four majors after the age of 30.
2019 – WIMBLEDON FINAL AGAINST DJOKOVIC
Federer had two championship points on his serve but still lost 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(4) 4-6 13-12(3) in a tiebreaker after the longest singles final in Wimbledon history. It was to be his last Grand Slam final.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Peter Rutherford)
