Challenges Faced by Roger Federer: Obstacles and Turning Points
A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Roger Federer's life and career.
Roger Federer, a Swiss former professional tennis player, is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 310 weeks, including 237 consecutive weeks, and finished the year as No. 1 five times. Federer amassed 103 ATP singles titles, the second-most in the Open Era, highlighted by 20 major men's singles titles and six year-end championships. His achievements and elegant playing style have made him a global icon.
1999: Defeat to Tommy Haas
In 1999, Federer suffered a shock defeat to Tommy Haas in the second round despite holding match points, the lowest-ranked player (No. 302) to beat him since No. 407 Bjoern Phau in 1999.
1999: Discharge from military service
In 1999, Roger Federer, at 18 years old, was discharged from compulsory military service due to a chronic back problem.
1999: Drafted and discharged from military service
In 1999, at the age of 18, Roger Federer was drafted into the Swiss Armed Forces but was soon discharged due to a chronic back problem.
2000: First title drought season
In 2016, Federer announced that he would miss the Summer Olympics and the remainder of the 2016 season to recover fully from his knee injury. This also implied that 2016 would be Federer's first season since 2000 in which he failed to win a title.
2002: First Season Without a Grand Slam Title Since 2002
2002 marked the last time that Federer had not won any of the four Grand Slam titles until 2011.
2002: First Masters Title and Peter Carter's Death
In 2002, Federer won his first Masters title in Hamburg but also suffered the loss of his coach, Peter Carter.
July 2003: Worst Grand Slam Defeat Since July 2003
In July 2003, Federer had a Grand Slam tournament defeat, and in 2013, he suffered his worst Grand Slam tournament defeat since then.
2004: Missed Swiss Indoors Due to Injury
In 2004, Federer missed the Swiss Indoors tournament due to injuries.
2005: Missed Swiss Indoors Due to Injury
In 2005, Federer missed the Swiss Indoors tournament due to injuries.
August 2006: Winning Streak Ended
In August 2006, Federer's long winning streak ended after being defeated by Guillermo Cañas.
December 2007: Potential onset of mononucleosis
In December 2007, Roger Federer may have started suffering from mononucleosis, though it was not diagnosed until March 2008.
March 2008: Mononucleosis diagnosis revealed
In March 2008, Roger Federer revealed his recent diagnosis of mononucleosis, which he believed he might have suffered from as early as December 2007.
2008: Mononucleosis and Olympic Games
In 2008, Federer suffered from mononucleosis, impacting his season. He was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, the French Open and Wimbledon.
2008: Murray won in Shanghai ATP final
In 2008, Murray won against Federer in Shanghai ATP final.
2008: Straight sets loss in the 2008 French Open final
In August 2021, Federer announced that he underwent another knee surgery after a further injury during the grass-court season. This was the first time in 19 years at Wimbledon he had lost in straight sets, and only the second time he had lost a set 6–0 in the 21st century (the previous occasion was against Nadal in the 2008 French Open final).
2009: Title drought on red clay ends
In May 2009, Federer won the Istanbul Open clay-court tournament, which ended his title drought on red clay since the 2009 French Open. He reached the Italian Open final but lost to Djokovic. At the French Open, he lost in the quarterfinals to Stan Wawrinka.
2011: US Open Semifinal Loss
In 2011, Federer lost in the semifinals of the US Open to Novak Djokovic after winning the first two sets. It was the first time since 2002 that Federer had not won any of the four Grand Slam titles.
2011: Lean Year Despite Semifinal Appearances
The year 2011 was a lean year for Federer, despite reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open. He lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
2012: Lost to Murray in Olympics Final
In 2012, Federer lost to Murray in the final of the Summer Olympics, missing out on a career Golden Slam.
2014: Shanghai Masters Victory and Swiss Indoors Title
In 2014, Federer won the Shanghai Masters and the Swiss Indoors for a record sixth title. He also reached the finals of the ATP Finals but withdrew due to a back injury.
2015: Lost US Open final to Djokovic
In 2015, Federer lost the US Open final to Djokovic in four sets.
October 2016: End of top eight ranking streak
In October 2016, injuries forced Federer to skip much of the season, ending his 14-year streak of being ranked among the top eight players.
2016: Hiatus for Knee Surgery
In 2016, Federer took a half-year hiatus to recover from knee surgery.
2016: Ranking Slips to No. 17
In 2016, Federer's withdrawal from most of the 2016 season led his ranking to slip to No. 17 at the start of the season, his lowest in over fifteen years. At the Australian Open, Federer defeated top-10 players Tomáš Berdych and Kei Nishikori on his way to the semifinals, making Federer the oldest man to compete in a grand slam semifinal since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
2016: Withdrawal from Olympics and Season
On 26 July 2016, Federer announced that he would miss the Summer Olympics and the remainder of the 2016 season to recover fully from his knee injury. This also implied that 2016 would be Federer's first season since 2000 in which he failed to win a title.
2019: Lost Wimbledon final to Djokovic
In 2019, Federer lost the Wimbledon final to Djokovic after saving two match points.
2020: Arthroscopic surgery for a right knee injury
In 2020, Federer began his season at the Australian Open. In February, Federer underwent arthroscopic surgery for a right knee injury.
2020: Second knee surgery
In 2020, Roger Federer underwent his second knee procedure on his left knee.
January 2021: Withdrawal from Australian Open
In January 2021, Federer withdrew from the Australian Open due to still recovering from knee surgery and strict COVID-19 quarantine measures in Australia.
2021: Only the second year in Federer's career since he won his first title that he finished without a title
In 2020, this was only the second year in Federer's career since he won his first title that he finished without a title.
2021: Last singles tournament
In 2021, Federer did not play in a singles tournament after Wimbledon.
June 2022: Dropped out of top 50
In June 2022, Federer dropped out of the top 50 in the world rankings.
July 2022: Unranked for the first time since debut
In July 2022, Federer became unranked for the first time since his professional debut.
2022: Third knee surgery
In 2022, Roger Federer underwent a third procedure, this time on his right knee.
2022: Withdrawal from US Open
In August 2021, Federer announced that he underwent another knee surgery after a further injury during the grass-court season. He withdrew from the US Open, but he hoped to make a return to the tour in 2022.
