Roger Federer - There is always a last time
Who immortalized themselves again in the final stages of Roger Federer 's career? Could the Maestro have missed a few goals?
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Sep 17, 2022, 12:00 am
It is often only after the fact that you realize that an event will not be repeated, for example the last A in a math assignment in high school. Unless, of course, you put an end to a certain phase of life a priori. Then, of course, the inclined tennis fan knows that the US Open 2022 was the last tournament in Serena Williams' career. Unless there is a comeback after all.
With Roger Federer, a retreat seems impossible. The announcement by the Swiss to say goodbye to professional tennis after the Laver Cup next week in London was too clear. And so suddenly a few events in Federer's outstanding career got the note "last". For example …
- The last match: Federer played that in Wimbledon in 2021. And lost against Hubert Hurkacz in four sets, the last one with 0:6.
- The last player Federer could beat: Lorenzo Sonego was so free in the round of 16 of that Wimbledon tournament last year. Federer won 7:5, 6:4 and 6:2.
- The last appearance in Germany: A few days before Wimbledon in HalleWestfalen. Federer lost in the round of 16 to Félix Auger-Aliassime 6: 4, 3: 6 and 2: 6.
- The last tournament victory: It happened in Basel, in autumn 2019. The finalist Alex de Minaur, who was inferior at the time, remembered in Hamburg these days that he was mercilessly inferior in terms of play.
- The last Grand Slam victory: It was in 2018, at the Australian Open, when Federer defeated Marin Cilic in five sets in the final.
- The last match on sand: That was the four-set win against Dominik Koepfer in the third round of Roland Garros 2021. Federer then did not appear in his next match against Matteo Berrettini.
- The last match on hard court: Doha, early March 2021. Nikoloz Basilashvili complimented Federer with 3: 6, 6: 1 and 7: 5 from the tournament.
And so there are 103 titles in the final balance of the 41-year-old Swiss, 20 of them in majors. In addition to 310 weeks at the top of the ATP world rankings. A few white spots remain on the map...
- A meeting with Rafael Nadal at the US Open: The two great rivals and friends in New York City were often on a collision course, and something always came up at the last moment.
- An Olympic gold medal in singles: Not so bad - shared happiness is known to be double happiness. And the bond that Federer and Wawrinka tied in Beijing in 2008 will probably last forever. Incidentally, this double title was also the eighth and last in Federer's career.
- Victories in Monte Carlo and Rome: Federer has legendary finals to offer both in the Monte Carlo Country Club and in the Foro Italico. title not.