Roger Federer Website
To Watch Roger Federer Play Tennis is a truly a Joy
Even if you have never seen that Federer forehand or the crafty Federer serve before, you will not soon forget it.
I was watching the Sampras Federer match in the "Net Jets Showdown" on TV, and as a tennis fan I had to wonder how many people watching Roger for the first time were in awe. In a classic match up of the two all time greatest players, Federer won the first set easily, then lost a close second set. He fell behind 2-5 in the third set before rallying with that Roger Federer racquet and winning a thrilling tie-break 7-6 in the third set. It was satisfying entertainment for all of the 19,000 plus fans crammed into Madison Square Garden.
Federer moves with cat-like speed. He never looks nervous, and always plays his best during the biggest moments. I can not forget the many Roger Federer forehands that he has hit for winners from all over the court. Just when you think he is about to lose the point...boom. If it isn't the Federer backhand, it is the Federer forehand. He renders his opponent defenseless. Game, set, match.
June 22, 2009: Roger Wins Opening Match at Wimbledon
Roger opened his quest for a sixth Wimbledon title against Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu (ATP 64) with a routine 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 victory. The two players had not met before. The champ will meet Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round and possibly Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third before he is due to face Robin Söderling, if the seeds hold. Soderling is the opponent Roger beat in the final at the French Open. Fernando Verdasco is a possible opponent in the quarters and fourth seeded Novak Djokovic could be waiting in the semi-finals. Wimbledon is Roger's chance for a record 15th Grand Slam title, a record 7th consecutive final and a sixth Wimbledon victory (just one shy of Pete Sampras' record).
June 7, 2009: Roger captures the French... Finally!
Roger Federer has become the greatest tennis player in history in many people's minds. After several difficult matches in earlier rounds, Roger had an easier time of it today, as he beat Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open. What a fantastic accomplishment for the man who personifies the word elegance as a professional athlete. He now has 14 Grand Slam tournament titles, tying the great Pete Sampras for the most all time. In winning today, Roger also became only the sixth man ever to win a Grand Slam tournament on all four surfaces. Roger was brilliant from the outset steamrolling Soderling in the first set 6 to 1. The second set was a little tougher, but Roger won in a tiebreaker. He sealed the vicory in the third set 6-4. Tennis fans both in attendance in Paris and around the world are surely thrilled for our great star. It was evident from the moment Roger walked onto the court that he had the overwhelming support of the fans in attendance. When the last point was over, a thunderous roar erupted and Roger fell to his knees in celebration. What a great moment for Roger and the entire sports world.
June 2009: Can Roger Finally Win the French Open?
There’s a lot of pressure on the great Federer in this second week at Roland Garros. If he wins this major tournament, many will consider him the greatest player of all time. Now that is pressure. Roger has never won the French Open and it is the only Grand Slam title that has escaped him. If he comes away as the champion in Paris this week, he becomes only the sixth man to have won all four Grand Slam majors, and it would be a historic triumph as well, since he would tie Pete Sampras’ record for most majors won in a career (14). With Roger's nemesis Rafael Nadal stunningly upset on Sunday, history awaits our Swiss star, and his experience dwarfs that of the other remaining players. The other players will likely be inspired by Nadal’s exit, but Federer knows this is the chance of a lifetime for him. Let's hope Roger can finally take home the French Open trophy.
March 2009: Roger Wins Fans and Peers Awards
Roger continues to be the most popular player on the ATP World Tour as well as the best sportsman. The 2008 ATP World Tour Awards were announced in today. Fellow players voted for Roger as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for a record fifth consecutive year. Only Edberg himself can claim that he won the award five times. And in a poll of fans, Roger for the sixth consecutive year was voted ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite. Of his dual honours, Roger said: “It is great to receive two more awards. It is always important for me to be a good sportsman on the court and give the right example for others to follow and hopefully inspire the next generation. It also means the world to me to be the fans’ favorite player for the sixth year in a row. The support I receive from the fans around the world is so motivating and it is humbling to receive this award once again." As always, Roger is a humble champion.
February 2009: Federer Loses to Nadal in Australian Open Final
Roger's bid to tie Pete Sampras record of 14 Grand Slam titles ended in bitter defeat at the Austrailian Open. Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in a tough five set final on Sunday. As a fan of this great star, it was a very difficult loss. It was apparent it was also a devastating defeat for Roger. The final score was 5-7, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3, 2-6. Although these two warriors played another epic match to the delight of tennis fans all over the world, the result was the same as last year's Wimbledon and French Open finals. Nadal prevailed again. There can be no dispute at this point that Nadal is the number one player in the world. Nadal has now won 13 of the 19 matches between the world's two best players. For Roger, the emotions came out at the post match ceremony. Tears overcame our favorite player. Gathering himself at one point, he said, "God, this is killing me." Fans can't help but appreciate what Roger means to the game. He is an ambassador to the sport, a class act on and off the court, and one of the best tennis players of all time. One thing is for sure, Roger will rebound from this and be back for more great tennis soon.
December 2008: Roger's 2008 Year In Review
Roger's year started off with the Australian Open semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic, the eventual champion and 3rd ranked player in the world. It was later revealed that Federer had mononucleosis, which may have explained his sluggishness for the first few months of the year.
The clay court season showed some promise as Roger prepared well for the year's second Slam. After breezing to the final match at Roland Garros, Roger once again fell to the nearly unbeatable clay court king, Rafael Nadal. Although this was the third consecutive final loss at the French Open to Nadal, the final score was more lopsided than ever. This prompted many to speculate that Roger was finally losing his grip on the number one ranking that he had held for over four years.
Wimbledon once again saw Roger dominate the first six matches and easily advance to the final. And once again Nadal was waiting for him at the end. It was an epic match that saw Roger lose a heartbreaking five setter that ended in partial darkness. Losing his five year reign as Wimbledon champ, Roger also lost his number one ranking to the same foe, Rafael Nadal.
Although Roger didn't win the Olympic Gold medal in singles (Nadal won that too), he did win in the doubles. The medal ceremony showed Roger's emotional side. It was clear to all that winning the gold for his country, Switzerland, was very special for Federer.
The final grand slam tourney was in New York. The U.S. Open is known for the world's toughest tennis and Roger didn't disappoint. After getting some revenge against Djokovic in a four set semi-final win, Roger beat Andy Murray in the final to capture his 13th major title. Roger saved his best tennis for the final two matches and looked like his old self again. With the 2008 season winding down, I think it's fair to say it was a good year for the Swiss Master. Let's see how it finishes up. I think it is safe to say, Roger is not done yet.
May 14, 2008: Easy Win for Federer To Start Hamburg
Roger Federer's skills were on full display Tuesday, as the star moved on to the round of the last 16 in the Hamburg Masters with an effortless 6-1 6-3 victory over Jarkko Nieminen today. It took Roger only 58 minutes to rack up his ninth straight-sets victory from nine meetings with the Finn. Roger used a full range of shots to dominate the first set, taking a 4-1 lead with a powerful forehand winner past the stranded Nieminen. The level of play dropped a bit in the second set, with four straight breaks of serve at the start. Roger then made the decisive move with another break for a 4-3 lead and wrapped up the match. He had 22 winners, twice as many as Nieminen.
April 20, 2008: Only took 4 1/2 months: Federer wins 1st title of 2008
OEIRAS, Portugal - Roger Federer ended a long drought with his first title of the year, and it took a leg injury to his opponent to ensure victory for the world’s top-ranked player. Federer captured his 54th career title Sunday, winning the Estoril Open when second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko retired with a left leg injury while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2. “I think it’s the first time in my life I play a final and someone gave up,” Federer said. “I guess if you put yourself in the position so many times it’s going to happen eventually, but you don’t hope for it.”
Federer returned to his winning ways in his fifth tournament of the season. It had been eight years since Federer had needed so many events to reach a final. He won despite windy conditions and the fact that he was playing on his most challenging surface. “It’s great to win a title again, and to straightaway win my first clay-court tournament of the season gives me great confidence going into Monte Carlo,” the 26-year-old Swiss star said. “I guess now, if you get better conditions, (I’ll) play so much better. “Two months ago when I didn’t have enough matches and because of my sickness everything looked a little more up in the air,” said Federer, who has battled mononucleosis.
Davydenko, who is ranked fourth in the world, broke Federer’s serve to start the second set before pulling out of the match. “I was running to the left and I felt some stretched muscles and (it was) painful,” said Davydenko, who had received 3 minutes of medical attention at the close of the first set. “Maybe I can finish match but I don’t want to lose 6-2. I have the Masters tournament coming up, so what can you do? It’s really tough.”
Davydenko, who fell to 0-12 against Federer, said his opponent was as tough as ever. “He had good control, he kept the same (play) as before,” the Russian said. “I don’t see anything different between (the) last matches and now.” Federer added Estoril to his schedule in a bid to boost his chances of winning the French Open. The 12-time Grand Slam winner also recruited clay-court specialist Jose Higueras as coach to help win the only major championship missing from his collection.
Federer leveled his record in clay-court finals at 7-7 on a day on which cold and intermittent rain left both players reacting rather than dictating the play. “Today was just the toughest conditions. You can’t chase the line any more at all, you just try to keep the ball in play,” Federer said. “It’s just not easy to play aggressive tennis, it’s more of a waiting game.”
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