5 best matches that defined Roger Federer's career ft. Wins over Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal
One of the most elegant and talented players to ever play the sport, Roger Federer transcended the world of tennis in his way. The Swiss Maestro dominated the sport for more than two decades as he amassed a trophy cabinet second only to Jimmy Connors and a won the third-highest prize money in the sport.
The Former World No. 1 hung up his racquet in 2022, ending a two-decade-long career. During the course of his illustrious career, he played some marque matches, such as the 2008 Wimbledon final against Rafael Nadal, which is one of the crown jewels in the game's history books.
Let's look at 5 of Federer's most significant wins, that shaped his illustrious career
#5 Roger Federer vs Pete Sampras, Wimbledon 2001
Entering as the 15th seed at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, Roger Federer was considered as one of the bright prospects of men's tennis. The Swiss player was taking strides in international tennis as he had just won his maiden ATP title in Milan that year.
Federer did not disappoint his supporters at the All-England Club. The 20-year-old had an impressive run, winning against the likes of Christophe RochusXavier Malisse, and Jonas Bjorkman to set up a fourth-round encounter with four-time defending champion and top seed Pete Sampras.
In what was touted to be a generational match, it was the young Swiss player who hit the ground running, winning the first set in a tiebreak. The American Champion hit back, winning the second set. The topsy-turvy nature of the match took it to the fifth set. Federer managed to keep his composure and win the fifth set 7-5.
The Swiss lost the quarterfinal against Tim Henman, but his win over Sampras gave him widespread recognition in the tennis community.
#4 Roger Federer vs Mark Philippoussis, 2003 Wimbledon
By 2003 Wimbledon, Federer was an established name in men's tennis. He had already made his Top-10 debut in 2002, ending the year as the World No. 6.
However, the Grand Slam breakthrough kept the Swiss waiting. He did manage to end it at the Wimbledon Championships in 2003. Federer entered the event as the fourth seed and dispatched the likes of Lee Hyung-Taik, Stefan Koubek, Mardy Fish, Feliciano Lopez, and Sjeng Schalken in the earlier rounds. In the semifinal, he won against his peer and closest competitor Andy Roddick.
The fourth seed squared off against big-hitting Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final. In his maiden Major final, the Swiss showed no signs of nerves, winning the match in straight sets, and announcing himself as one of the best players of the generation.
#3 Roger Federer vs Tommy Hass, 2009 French Open
By 2009, Roger Federer had already become one of the greatest players to play the Sport. At that point, the Swiss had 13 Major titles to his name. However, his dominance had waned in recent times, especially after the 2008 Wimbledon and 2009 Australian Open final losses against Rafael Nadal.
Also, Roland Garros was the one Major Federer was yet to capture. He had lost to Nadal in the finals for the last three years. In 2009, however, the situation changed, as Nadal fell to Robin Soderling in the fourth round, making Federer's path to the title smooth.
After relatively easy wins in the first three rounds, the second seed faced off against Tommy Hass. In what was expected to be a routine win for the Swiss, he lost the first two sets. An early break for Hass in the third set took the match further away from Federer. However, the great Swiss champion turned it around, winning the match in five sets, bageling Hass in the fifth set.
The second seed won another five-set thriller against Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinal. He finally defeated Robin Soderling in the final in straight sets to win his 14th Major and only French Open title.
#2 Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal, 2017 Australian Open
In late 2016, Federer sustained a knee injury which forced him to conclude his season after Wimbledon as he had to go under the knife. He returned to the Tour at the 2017 Australian Open, as the 17th seed, the lowest he had been seeded at a Major in almost 15 years.
However, in what turned out to be a fairytale run, Federer reached the final in Melbourne. He defeated the likes of Jurgen Melzer, Noah Rubin, Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, Mischa Zverev, and Stan Wawrinka to reach the summit clash, where he faced Rafael Nadal.
The duo were playing each other well after a year and were contesting the first Grand Slam Final since the 2011 French Open. In the bright lights of Rod Laver Arena, the match was one for the ages, which swung to and fro between the two greats of the game. In the deciding fifth set, the Spaniard took a 3-1 lead, looking the more probable to win the title. However, Federer turned the match around on its head, winning five games in a row to win his 18th Major of his career.
#1 Roger Federer vs Marin Cilic, Australian Open 2018
After having a resurgent 2017 season which saw him win two Grand Slam titles, Federer entered the 2018 Australian Open as one of the favorites to win the title. The expectations were high, especially after the Swiss legend had won his eighth Wimbledon title in 2017 without conceding a single set.
The second seed maintained his dominance, not losing a single set in his wins over Aljaj Bedene, Jan-Lennard Struff, Richard Gasquet, Marton Fucsovics, and Tomas Berdych. In the semifinal, he got the win via retirement when his opponent Chung Hyeon withdrew from the match. This set up the Swiss player's final with Marin Cilic.
The pair had contested the Wimbledon final the previous year, which was a dominant straight-set win for Federer. Much was expected from this match as well, especially after the Swiss took the first set. However, his Croatian opponent showed a better fight and took the match to the fifth set. Federer was able to keep his focus, winning 6-1 in the final set. With a line-perfect ace, the player from Basel made history as the first male player to reach the mark of 20 Grand Slam titles.