The Days of Roger Federer

by Randy Walker

Overview

One of the world’s most well-known and respected athletes, Roger Federer has had a career that ranks among the most celebrated and successful in all of tennis history. This entertaining and illuminating chronicle of Federer’s trophy-laden journey is unique for its day-by-day format: every day of the calendar year is presented with a corresponding bit of fact, trivia, or an anniversary, including hallmark victories, statistics, quirky happenings, and quotations. Fans of a player widely considered the greatest of all time as well as sports fans in general will get to know the 17-time major champion better in a uniquely engaging way with this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937559373
Publisher:	New Chapter Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/17/2014
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Randy Walker is a writer, a publicist, and a tennis historian. He served as the press officer at the U.S. Tennis Association for the U.S. Davis Cup team and three U.S. Olympic tennis teams. He also served as the editor of the U.S. Open Media Guide and Record Book. He is the author of On This Day in Tennis History. He lives in New York City.

Read an Excerpt

The Days of Roger Federer

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By Randy Walker

New Chapter Press

Copyright © 2014 Randy Walker
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-937559-54-0

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CHAPTER 1

JANUARY

January 1

2014 – Roger Federer plays his first singles match of his 2014 season, beating fellow 32-year-old Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-2 in his opening match at the Brisbane International in Australia. Federer plays the match with a new 98-square inch oversized racquet, newly-designed with his racquet company Wilson after tinkering with larger racquet frame months earlier after Wimbledon. "I had a much longer time to get ready for this swing than I had last time around, after Wimbledon, before the American summer so I'm not thinking about it when I'm going out there, which is a great thing," Federer says of his new racquet. The 69-minute match increases Federer's career head-to-head against the Fin to 14-0, after first playing him at the 2002 Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

2002 – Roger Federer and his future wife Mirka Vavrinec complete play representing Switzerland at the Hopman Cup, the official mixed team competition of the International Tennis Federation, as the Spanish team of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Tommy Robredo eliminate Switzerland from contention with a 3-0 victory in Perth, Australia. Vavrinec, who marries Federer in 2009, loses the opening women's singles match to Sanchez-Vicario 6-2, 6-0. "I am really gutted," says Vavrinec after the 50-minute match. "On the WTA circuit, my defeats only harm me, but here in Perth, I have now twice put Roger in a difficult position." Robredo then clinches the Spanish victory with a 7-6 (7), 6-2 win over the twenty-year-old Federer. Says Robredo of his singles win, "To start the year like this is unbelievable ... to beat Roger, I mean he is a really great player. I managed to win the tiebreak and then just played great in the second set. In the meaningless mixed doubles match, Robredo and Sanchez-Vicario beat Federer and Vavrinec 6-2, 6-3.

2010 – Roger Federer loses to Robin Soderling, the same man he beat the previous June to win the French Open, by a 6-7 (6), 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the semifinals of the season-opening Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

2011 – Top-ranked Rafael Nadal defends his title at the Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) victory over Roger Federer in a match that does not feature a service break. Federer leads 3-0 in the first-set tie-breaker before Nadal wins the next five points and holds on to win it 7-4. In the second tie breaker, Nadal takes a quick 3-1 lead and holds on to win four of the next six points.

2003 – Roger Federer beats fellow Swiss Michel Kratochvil 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the Doha Open in Qatar. "I am happy with my form here in Doha," Federer says following the match. "Initially I had some problems with the balls which I think become quite heavy because of the weather conditions here in Doha. I couldn't serve well enough in the first match, but I feel my serve is coming back. I wanted to make a good start here and I am glad I have reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. This is a good start for me."

January 2

2011 – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the world's No. 1 and No. 2-ranked players and the top two seeds at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open respectively, kick off the 2011 ATP World Tour season in Doha by hitting tennis balls on a court laid over the water of Doha Bay. "It was a fantastic experience," says Nadal. "For the past three years we have done a few different things, and this one was a very nice experience. It's going to be a very exciting season for me, I think. I would love to play against Roger a few more times this year, because when we play each other it's in the final." Says Federer of the experience, "It was good fun. It was so different. You're always excited and nervous to see how it will turn out. It is always nice promoting an event and an entire tour with Rafa. I am of course very excited about playing another season."

2003 – Jan-Michael Gambill upsets top-seeded Roger Federer 6-4, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open in Doha. Gambill gets "last laughs" on Federer, losing his first four matches against the future world No. 1 before winning in Qatar in their fifth and final meeting. Federer hits only one ace, connects on only 58 percent of his first serves and wins 67 percent of the points when he got those first serves in.

2009 – Andy Murray edges Roger Federer 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship tennis exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

2010 – Roger Federer defeats David Ferrer of Spain 6-1, 7-5 for third place in the Capitala World Tennis Championship tennis exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Rafael Nadal wins the title with a 7-6(3), 7-5 win over Robin Soderling, who defeated Federer in the semifinals.

2001 – Roger Federer and Martina Hingis combine to lose only 11 total games as they lead Switzerland to a 3-0 win over Australia at the Hopman Cup in Perth. World No. 1 Hingis beats No. 56-ranked Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-1 in 48 minutes, while Federer, age 19, gives Switzerland the unassailable 2-0 lead beating Richard Fromberg 6-3, 6-2. Federer and Hingis then pair in mixed doubles, beating Fromberg and Pratt 6-1, 6-3.

2014 – Roger Federer and his French partner Nicolas Mahut win a thrilling quarterfinal doubles match at the Brisbane International, defeating the Bulgarian-French combination of Grigor Dimitrov and Jeremy Chardy 7-6, 6-7, (11-9) in an hour and 40 minutes.

January 3

2005 – Roger Federer needs less than an hour in his opening match of the 2005 season beating David Ferrer 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha. The match is the second career meeting between Federer and the future top five player from Spain, whom Federer beats all 14 times they play through July of 2013.

2006 – Top-ranked Roger Federer opens his 2006 tennis season by defeating Czech Ivo Minar 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the Qatar Open at Doha. Federer needs only 18 minutes to secure the first set, despite wearing a brace around his right ankle from an injury late in the 2005 season. "The last thing you want to do is start with a loss," says Federer. "I was happy with my movement and that's obviously important after the injury. And I'm pleased with the way I was hitting the ball. I felt very composed. I was confident because I was playing well in practice, but it's still a new year and you want to make sure you will do well again."

2012 – In a rematch of the tournament final from a year ago, Roger Federer kicks off his 2012 season with an easy 6-2, 6-2 win over Nikolay Davydenko in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha. "I'm very happy," Federer proclaims in his post-match press conference. "It was a good first match for me into the new season, and I think it was a combination between me playing actually really well in the first match and Nikolay just not finding his range, what we're used to seeing from him in the past." The win improves Federer's record over Davydenko to 16-2, including his 6-3, 6-4 victory on the same court 12 months earlier.

2014 – Hitting nine aces and breaking serve five times, Roger Federer advances into the semifinals of the Brisbane International with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Marinko Matosevic 6-1, 6-1 in just 58 minutes. "Tonight I felt very good against Matosevic who can play very dangerous," says Federer. "He's got a good enough serve and return as well. But I was able to control most of the match except the very beginning. For that, I'm very happy."

January 4

2011 – Roger Federer continues to enhance his reputation of being the master of the "tweener" shot as he hits a dramatic through-the-legs winner en route to beating Dutch qualifier Thomas Schoorel 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha in his first official match of the season. Leading 5-2 and faced with a ball that changed direction after clipping the top of the net, Federer slams the ball through his legs for a clean winner into the corner. "It's one of the best shots again of my career, one I'm going to look back on and smile, of course," Federer says. "It was quite fantastic."

2006 – Roger Federer needs two tiebreakers to beat Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) in one hour, 25 minutes and reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open in Doha.

2012 – Playing in cool and windy conditions in a second-round night match at the Qatar Open in Doha, Roger Federer defeats Slovenia's Grega Zemlja 6-2, 6-3 in his second match of the season. "Obviously it's very cold for all of us, but it's how it goes, especially with the wind," Federer says. "If the wind wasn't there, things would change quite a bit. But like this, you're not only focusing on playing your opponent, playing point-by-point tactics, but also thinking of the conditions and just getting through the match unhurt. So that's all going through your head."

2014 – Roger Federer advances into his 114 ATP singles final with a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy of France in the semifinals of the Brisbane International. The win moves Federer into the final against fellow 32-year-old Lleyton Hewitt, one of his biggest rivals. "We go back 17 years, our coaches back in the day were best friends," Federer says. "I struggled a lot against him in the early stages of my career." Federer, however, is defeated in the doubles semifinals, losing with partner Nicolas Mahut to Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia 7-6 (5), 6-3.

January 5

2014 – Chasing his 78th career ATP title, that would move him third place alone in the all-time title leaders list, Roger Federer falls to fellow 32-year-old Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in the final of the Brisbane International. Federer, tied with John McEnroe with 77 career ATP singles titles, had his serve broken three times and committed 22 unforced errors in the first set alone. "The way you tough it out ... congratulations," Federer says in a court-side interview. "I would have loved to have won the title, but Lleyton was better than me today." The No. 61-ranked Hewitt won for a ninth time in 27 career meetings against the 17-time Grand Slam tournament champion, who is ranked No. 6.

2011 – Twelve years after first practicing and competing against each other as eight-year-old olds Roger Federer beats his longtime childhood friend Marco Chiudinelli 7-6 (5), 7-5 in one hour, 48 minutes to advance into the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open in Doha. The meeting is the second at an ATP event between the two childhood friends, who first played each other in an "official tournament" in 1989 at a 10-and-under tournament called "The Bambino Cup" in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Their previous meeting in ATP Tour play came, appropriately, at their hometown tournament in Basel, Federer winning 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the semifinals.

2010 – Nine years after facing off against each other for the first time as pros in the first round of Wimbledon in 2001, Roger Federer and Christophe Rochus of Belgium, face off in the first round of the Doha Open. As he did when he defeated Rochus in three straight sets for his first-ever Wimbledon match victory in 2001, Federer also dominates Rochus 6-1, 6-2 in Doha, hitting an incredible 47 winners and 12 aces.

2001 – After beating Amanda Coetzer 6-1, 6-0, Martina Hingis pairs with Roger Federer to win the decisive mixed doubles against Coetzer and Wayne Ferreira 6-2, 6-3 to move Switzerland into the final of the Hopman Cup with a 2-1 victory over South Africa. Federer had a chance to clinch victory for Switzerland against Ferreira, but falls by a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 scoreline, setting up the decisive mixed doubles match.

2012 – Roger Federer edges Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to advance in to the semifinals of the Qatar Open in Doha. When asked what the difference was in the match at the end, Federer says, "Just I guess the head-to-head. I guess my variation and my power just was maybe a bit too much at the end. I don't know. Little things."

2005 – Roger Federer defeats Greg Rusedski 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, one minute to advance to the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open at Doha.

2006 – Roger Federer advances into the semifinals of the Qatar Open in Doha with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Marcos Baghdatis. The two players will famously play each other again later in the month when Baghdatis is an expected finalist at the Australian Open, giving Federer a run in a four-set loss.

January 6

2001 – Roger Federer and partner Martina Hingis win the Hopman Cup, the official mixed team competition of the International Tennis Federation, for their native Switzerland with a 2-1 victory over the United States. After Hingis defeats Monica Seles 7-5, 6-4, Federer clinches the victory for his country defeating Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-3. "I handled the pressure well and played well," says Federer after clinching the victory for Switzerland. In the meaningless mixed doubles match following the singles, Seles and Gambill beat Hingis and Federer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to make the final score 2-1.

2006 – Roger Federer defeats Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the final of the Qatar Open in Doha against Gael Monfils. "It was difficult to get winners because of the slow nature of the court, but I am happy to be in the final here again," Federer says of his win over Haas, his third straight over the German to increase his head-to-head lead against him to 4-2. "The crowd really got behind me, they really get emotionally involved when I am playing." Monfils gushes in excitement and awe of meeting Federer in the final, saying, "Roger is such a great player and I can't say how excited I am to be playing the final against him. Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain my focus and not get overawed by the occasion."

2005 – Roger Federer advances to the semifinals of the Qatar Open in Doha with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Feliciano Lopez. Says Federer. "I was able to put pressure on him from the first serve and I am happy that I am playing so well."

2003 – Defending champion Roger Federer loses for the opening round of the Sydney International, falling to Argentinean left-hander Franco Squillari 6-2, 6-3. Coupled with his win over Federer in the first round of Hamburg in 2001, Squillari boasts a career head-to-head advantage of 2-0 against Federer, a distinction he retires with in 2006. In his post-match press conference, Federer cites a leg and groin injury sustained the previous week in Doha that slows him in the match. "I couldn't serve 100 percent," says Federer. "I felt it was hurting already. Because it went away for the days I haven't been practicing so much between my loss in Doha and here. I thought it went away, but it came back now again during the match. So I have to make sure I get treatment now on it, and hopefully it won't bother me at the Australian Open. Like this, it's not so fun to play."

2009 – Roger Federer needs only 49 minutes to beat Potito Starace 6-2, 6-2 in his opening match of the 2009 season at the Qatar Open in Doha. Federer loses only three points on his first serve the entire match and converts on four of his five break points.

2010 – With three service breaks in the first set and one in the second set, top-ranked Roger Federer advances into the quarterfinals at the Qatar Open defeating Evgeny Korolev of Russia 6-2, 6-4."I know how he plays, so I had the match under control," Federer says of the No. 53-ranked Korolev. "He plays a lot of balls on the forehand, so I was able to stay ahead in the match. There were long rallies in the second set, but I am pleased to have reached the quarterfinals."

2011 – In a rare match that does not feature one ace from Roger Federer, the world No. 2 easily beats Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-2, 6-2 in 65 minutes to advance into the semifinals of the Qatar Open in Doha. "I am happy with my form here and in this match," Federer says. "It wasn't a tough match and I was quite comfortable. I was in control of my shots and created many opportunities. This was easy compared to the first two matches."

2012 – Citing a back injury, Roger Federer is forced to withdraw from his semifinal match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Qatar Open in Doha. It marks only the second time in Federer's career where he is not able to compete, the other being in a quarterfinal match against James Blake at the 2008 Paris Indoors "Sorry for holding a press conference before the match has even been played, but I hurt my back in my second-round match against (Grega) Zemlja and just got a little bit better for the match against (Andreas) Seppi," Federer says to reporters. "I don't feel a whole lot of improvement for today, and I just don't think it's the right time to risk anything more right now. I still have pain, and that's why it was the only right decision, a difficult one for me. It's a sad moment for me and for the tournament and for the fans, but health goes first." In 996 career matches, Federer has never been forced to retire from a match because of injury in mid-match.

January 7

2011 – Roger Federer beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) to advance to the final of the Qatar Open in Doha, improving his record to 22-3 in Doha. "I have played good tennis this week," says Federer, the 2005 and 2006 Doha champion. "Obviously, I am excited to have reached another final. This sure has been a great week and I am looking forward to my next match." Federer says that breaking Tsonga's serve in the second game of the match set the tone for the match. "It was a crucial service break for me," he says. "That set me up nicely for the remainder of the match. The second set was more competitive as I was serving really well." Federer wins the final five points of the match at 2-2 in the second-set tiebreaker.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Days of Roger Federer by Randy Walker. Copyright © 2014 Randy Walker. Excerpted by permission of New Chapter Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

JANUARY,
FEBRUARY,
MARCH,
APRIL,
MAY,
JUNE,
JULY,
AUGUST,
SEPTEMBER,
OCTOBER,
NOVEMBER,
DECEMBER,

Editorial Reviews

You can flip to any of the book's 500 pages and come upon interesting tidbits of information” –Doug Perry, the Oregonian

"Whether it’s for reference or out of devotion, if you want to know what Federer has done on virtually every day of the year, this is the place to go." —Steve Tignor, tennis.com

"Equally enjoyable to browse in short bursts or all at once, The Days of Roger Federer is enthusiastically recommended for tennis fans." —Wisconsin Bookwatch

From the Publisher