Roger Federer has delighted audiences in arenas around the world for two decades, but his adventures at Wimbledon, the temple of tennis where he won eight times, would be enough to make him a legend of the white sport, writes AFP.

The Swiss has seen it all on English grass: his first Grand Slam success (2003), his biggest wins (five in a row from 2003 to 2007), his toughest (and most famous) loss (to Rafael Nadal in 2008) and his worst final (the one he won against Andy Roddick in 2009 and the one he lost to Novak Djokovic in 2019, missing two match points).

Training on the clay courts of his country, Federer discovered the All England Club in 1998 as a junior. He was immediately successful, winning both singles and doubles. “From the very beginning, I knew I would play well here. I feel the best here. I don’t know why,” he said much later.

In fact, the surface was perfect for his game, especially his incredibly accurate, refined and varied serves that glided more on grass than on other surfaces. In the final with Roddick in 2009 (16-14 in the fifth set), he made no less than 50 aces. The grass also improved his forehand and forehand.

Federer continued to search for the right tactics. After the chip and charge that led to his first career win, a 2001 victory over four-time champion Pete Sampras, he opted for a much better combination of putts and volleys.

Unsurpassed for four years

So he won his first major title in 2003, defeating Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final. The biggest obstacle came in the semifinals when he beat American Andy Roddick, then the no. 1, who became one of his favorite victims (beating him three times in the finals).

The very chic atmosphere of “Church Road” also suited him perfectly. While other champions such as Andre Agassi resigned themselves to having to play in white, he never complained about the famous dress code, which matched his understated elegance.

The British public has repaid his love well, except perhaps when he beat Andy Murray in the 2012 final.

Federer is undoubtedly the best player in the history of Wimbledon. And time is running out for Novak Djokovic, who has won seven titles in London, if he is to threaten his record.

But, paradoxically, his most memorable match will remain a defeat: the famous 2008 final against Nadal, often regarded as the greatest match of all time, alongside Borg-McEnroe in 1980.

For four years, from 2003 to 2006, the Swiss champion was unassailable in London. But in 2007, a young Nadal, still too immature in last year’s final, created his first big problems, pushing the home master to five sets.

Next year, the third Federer-Nadal final in a row will be the best for the public… and the worst day in the career of his main rival (6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7). ).

“Catastrophe” of 2008

The Swiss player, who played some stunning tennis for five sets, sent his final forehand into the net in what he described as a “disaster”. “This is definitely my hardest defeat. There is no comparison. It was nothing in Paris,” he said, despite being crushed by the same opponent in the Roland Garros final a month earlier.

The Basel native has always put Wimbledon above all else. “As long as I’m winning at Wimbledon and I’m the world number one, everything’s fine,” he said as Nadal dealt him defeat after defeat at Roland Garros (between 2005 and 2008).

It only took him a year to get back on top, and higher than ever. In 2009, after a long-awaited victory in Paris, he broke Sampras’ record for most Grand Slam titles by winning his 15th trophy, his sixth in London.

He held it for 11 years, continuing to build his total to 20, until Nadal (in 2020) and then Djokovic (in 2021) joined and then surpassed him.

Two more Wimbledon triumphs followed: in 2012, when he equaled Sampras’ record of seven victories, and in 2017, when he surpassed it, in his “second youth”, at the age of almost 36.

However, the grand champion had a brutal 0-6 exit against Poland’s Gurkach, losing in three sets in the quarter-finals of the 2021 draw.

It was his last match, but no one knew about it at the time.

“It was a chance to see your journey and see how you became a champion in every sense of the word (…). All we can say is thank you for the memories and joy you have given to so many people,” he said. said the Pole.