• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
Roger Federer’s iridescent late-career renaissance continued at the Australian Open on Sunday. The Swiss maestro has now won three of the last four Grand Slam events he has entered — a success rate great champions usually achieve during their athletic prime, not in the mid-30s. Indeed, Ken Rosewall, who claimed the 1972 Australian Open at 37, is the only man older than Federer (36 years and 173 days) to have won a Major singles title in the Open Era. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Federer’s record-extending 20th Grand Slam crown was the certainty that accompanied it. Where last year’s triumph in Melbourne was startling — it was his first Major victory in nearly five years — Federer entered the second week this time as the firm favourite. His striking, well-proportioned game looked in good order. Significantly, he seemed in no trouble taking the ball impossibly early; his repurposed single-handed backhand was equal to the task. A large part of his success over the last year owes itself to this more urgent style of play, which both conserves energy and discomfits the opponent. Although rewarding, it is a method fraught with risk. It requires the full range of Federer’s genius to pull it off — in particular, his sense of timing and innate understanding of court-space. Through the fortnight, he balanced this risk-reward equation expertly, making the final without a set dropped.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
The draw might have cleared for Federer — neither Novak Djokovic nor Rafael Nadal kept his appointment with the World No. 2 — but Marin Čilić proved a formidable adversary in the title round. The 6’6” Croat has reserves of easy power and moves well for someone his size. A Major winner himself, Čilić is no stranger to the big stage. Federer tightened up at least once during the match. He later admitted that in the fourth set his “mind was all over the place” — “I was so close and I was telling myself, ‘Don’t mess it up,’ and then that’s exactly what I did.” But the greatest of athletes find a way of silencing the voice of doubt that whispers in their ear. If anything, Federer, at this stage of his career, seems to have become better at it. He appears more adept at relaxing into the moment and seizing it: he did it to spectacular effect against Nadal in Melbourne last year, shedding the mental baggage of defeats past; Čilić has never worried Federer in a similar manner, but victory demanded a masterful calming of the nerves. It is this ability to continually refurbish and nuance all facets of his game — the physical, the mental, the tactical, and the technical — that allows Federer to outcompete and outlive much younger opponents. It is this that sets him apart, even among the pantheon of tennis’s finest.

Roger Federer is a 20-time Grand Slam champion after defeating Marin Cilic, 7-3 6-7(5) 6-3 3-6 6-1 in an epic Australian Open final.

The man who was already considered by most as the greatest male player of all-time is now the first to that milestone, but his list of ridiculous records and insane feats doesn’t come close to ending there.

This is what Federer has achieved over his incredible career.

Roger Federer is the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles.

Only three others, all women, have reached that mark — Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23) and Steffi Graf (22), while his nearest male challenger is Rafael Nadal (16).

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
That means Federer has won 10 per cent of all Open Era slams.

Federer has now won 96 singles titles, with a very realistic chance of reaching an incredible 100 by the end of the year.

It’s incredibly close at the top, but Federer is still the world No.2 — just.Nadal remains the world No.1 on 9760 ATP ranking points, with his quarter-final berth being exactly what he needed to retain the top spot. Federer is on 9605.

That order could change very quickly though with Nadal needing to defend the 300 points he earned by making the final of the Mexico Open in Acapulco last year.

Federer, meanwhile, is set to play in Dubai next month where he only reached the second round last year, earning 45 points.The ATP rankings system sees the last 12 months of events adding up to a player’s total. Therefore if Federer wins that event this year he could earn an extra 455 points, while Nadal can only earn an extra 200 (winning each event is worth 500 points).

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
That could prove the difference for becoming world No.1 — a ranking Federer hasn’t held since November 4, 2012.

Federer would easily surpass Andre Agassi as tennis’ oldest over number one. The American was 33 years and 131 days old when he last held top spot in 2003.

To honor and celebrate Roger’s 20th Grand Slam title, Wilson has created an exclusive Collector’s Edition Platinum Racquet Package, complete with a special Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph racquet painted in a metallic, glittering platinum-colored paint.

The color platinum is widely used to the mark the achievement of 20th milestones.

Along with the limited edition platinum racquet, each package includes a Roger Federer signed Australian Open Wilson tennis ball and a premium box to display this commemorative racquet and ball. The Package also includes a series of mini-posters documenting Roger’s 20 Grand Slams titles, a photo of Roger Federer holding the commemorative racquet and the certificate of authenticity. Proceeds go to the Roger Federer Foundation.

Only 20 of these racquets have been made!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn

Singles
Career record 1139–250 (82%)
Career titles 96 (2nd in the Open Era)
Highest ranking No. 1 (2 February 2004)
Current ranking No. 2 (11 September 2017)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open W (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010,2017, 2018)
French Open W (2009)
Wimbledon W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,2007, 2009, 2012, 2017)
US Open W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,2008)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007,2010, 2011)
Olympic Games F (2012)
Doubles
Career record 129–89 (59.17%)
Career titles 8
Highest ranking No. 24 (9 June 2003)
Current ranking N/A
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 3R (2003)
French Open 1R (2000)
Wimbledon QF (2000)
US Open 3R (2002)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games W (2008)
Team competitions
Davis Cup W (2014)
Hopman Cup W (2001, 2018)

Roger Federer  is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles and has held the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for 302 weeks, including 237 consecutive weeks. After turning professional in 1998, he was continuously ranked in the top ten from October 2002 to November 2016. He re-entered the top ten following his victory at the 2017 Australian Open.

In majors, Federer has won eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles and one French Open title. He is among the eight men to have captured a career Grand Slam, and has reached 30 men’s singles Grand Slam finals, including ten in a row from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open. Federer has also won six ATP World Tour Finals, 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000, and 19 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. Given these achievements, many players and analysts consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.

Post-Australian Open ATP rankings

1. Rafael Nadal (9760 points)

2. Roger Federer (9605)

3. Marin Cilic (5760)

4. Grigor Dimitrov (4630)

5. Alexander Zverev (4610)

6. Dominic Thiem (4060)

7. David Goffin (3460)

8. Jack Sock (2880)

9. Juan Martin del Potro (2815)

10. Pablo Carreno Busta (2705)

11. Kevin Anderson (2620)

12. Sam Querrey (2490)

13. Novak Djokovic (2470)

14. Nick Kyrgios (2395)

15. Stan Wawrinka (2385)

16. Tomas Berdych (2320)