Federer, Roger (1981-…), a Swiss tennis star, was a dominant player in professional tennis during the early 2000’s. In 2018, Federer won his 20th grand slam tournament. He is one of only six players to win 20 or more grand slam singles titles. The grand slam consists of the Australian Open, French Open, US Open, and Wimbledon in England. Federer won 103 professional singles tournament titles during his career. The American tennis champion Jimmy Connors is the only male player who won more singles tournaments, with 109. In July 2019, Federer became the first professional tennis player to win 350 singles matches in grand slam events. He ended his career with 369 victories in grand slam singles matches.
Federer won three of the four grand slam tournaments in 2004—Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the US Open. Federer also won the Wimbledon championship in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2017; the US Open in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008; and the French Open in 2009, becoming the sixth man to win all four grand slam titles during his career. In 2005, he became the first man since Don Budge in 1937 and 1938 to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years. Federer won the Australian Open championship again in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, and 2018. At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, he won the gold medal in men’s doubles for Switzerland with partner Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer won the silver medal in men’s singles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
In 2007, Federer broke Jimmy Connors’s record of 160 consecutive weeks ranked as the number-one player in the world. Federer’s record ended at 237 weeks in 2008 when he was replaced by the Spanish player Rafael Nadal. Federer later held the number-one ranking several more times.
Federer was noted for his complete game, including a strong serve and powerful forehand and backhand strokes. He was effective on all surfaces—clay, hard-court, and grass, and in both indoor and outdoor matches.
Federer was born on Aug. 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland. He dominated junior tennis in 1997 and 1998, winning the Wimbledon singles and doubles junior titles in 1998. He turned professional that year. Federer retired from competitive tennis in 2022.
