Roger Federer is retiring from professional tennis soon, at the age of 41. I’ve been a tennis player and fan for nearly 55 years, I’ve watched all the big names in the Open Era, and there is no question in my mind that Roger Federer is one of the best athletes of the past fifty years, and the greatest tennis player of all time.
You could argue just based on the stats.
- At eight titles he’s won Wimbledon more often than anyone.
- He has the second most single titles at 103 (behind Jimmy Connors, 109).
- He holds the record for most consecutive weeks at Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world number one, at 237, and has spent the second-most time at the top (310 weeks).
- He was ranked in the top eight players in the world for over 14 straight years, a testament to his health and his avoidance of injury.
- He holds the record for the most weeks in the ATP world top ten at 968 – the equivalent of over 18 1/2 years – which is 82 weeks more than the second-most, Nadal. (Can you imagine the level of fitness, performance, and mental stamina it requires to remain in the top ten players in the world for over 18 years?)
- He is the first to reach ten consecutive Grand Slam finals, playing in 31 total, winning 20 which puts him third on the all-time list right behind Novak Djokovic (21) and Rafael Nadal (22).
“In an era of specialists, you’re either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist,” said Connors, “or you’re Roger Federer.”
But what really sets him apart is how he plays the game. If you were a autodidact cyborg who wanted to know how to play tennis really well, I would just show you Roger Federer and tell you to copy everything he does. His style is smooth, graceful, and seemingly effortless. He glides across the court rather than runs. He doesn’t appear to waste any movement, strain with effort, or try to overpower a shot through muscle.
It’s like he fully internalizes the rules of physics that govern play on the court and uses them to produce the right shot at the right time. Famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri said of Federer, “He moves like a whisper and executes like a wrecking ball. It is simply impossible to explain how he does what he does.”
Federer’s efficiency and economy of play has kept injury away, and he’s missed very little time. Compare this to Nadal, a more muscular and more physical player who uses his strength to overpower opponents, but has paid the price with persistent wrist, back and knee injuries.
Federer is generally considered to have the best forehand ever. He has an elegant and technically perfect one-handed backhand, and the same can be said about his serve which uses remarkable racket head speed to produce deceptive and dangerous spin.
“I don’t think that you can ever get your game to perfection,” said Djokovic. “Only if you’re Federer.”
“I can’t stay No. 1 for fifty years, you know. We’ll see what happens.”
Roger Federer
He’s also a widely respected and liked player, which counts for a lot in my opinion. He’s been voted by his peers to receive the ATP Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award a record 13 times.
He’ll be fine in retirement. He has a family and other interests, and his businesses and endorsement deals have made him immensely wealthy. As he once said, “I don’t need to come back to Wimbledon every year because I can’t live without it. I’d be totally cool without tennis.”