SINGAPORE – Roger Federer all but sealed his status as the greatest tennis player of all-time on Sunday (Jan 28) at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where the 36-year-old clinched what was previously thought an unattainable 20th Grand Slam title.
The Straits Times looks back at five of his most memorable triumphs in Majors.
2017 Australian Open
To understand what this victory meant to Federer, all you need is one video clip.
It is a slow-mo video of his reaction to his match-winning shot in the 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 final against old rival Rafael Nadal being upheld.
You feel everything Federer does: relief (that the three-and-a-half hour match was finally over), jubilation, delirium, and then the realisation of what he had accomplished.
At 35, he became the oldest man in 45 years, since Ken Rosewall in 1972, to win a Grand Slam.
And in his first tournament in six months after being laid low with a knee injury.
Federer had to beat top-10 players Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori, and then Mischa Zverev and Stan Wawrinka, to set up the date with Nadal.
The final was the first time he had beaten Nadal in a Grand Slam event since the 2007 Wimbledon final, and was also his first Grand Slam victory over the Spaniard outside of the grass courts of the All England Club.
2003 Wimbledon
They say you never forget your first.
Federer, then 21, finally showed his championship mettle, after he swatted aside big-serving Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in under two hours.
Having won the Wimbledon Juniors in 1998, he was tipped to be the next big thing in men’s tennis but had to wait five years before proving he would.
Following the win, the game’s legends looked into their crystal ball and had great expectations.
John McEnroe said a talent like Federer comes “only once in 10 or 15 years” while Pat Cash compared the Swiss to seven-time champion Pete Sampras.
But even they could not have predicted Federer would follow-up his debut Grand Slam title with another four consecutive triumphs at Wimbledon, before eventually surpassing Sampras.
2009 Wimbledon
