He is the player who once beat Roger Federer in under an hour but never reached the top 10 in the ATP rankings

Follow us on Google Discover

Roger Federer retired in 2022 as one of the all-time greats, with 103 ATP Tour titles among his long list of stunning achievements.

Federer’s 2004 Wimbledon racket could sell for $100,000, such was his impact on the tournament and indeed on tennis in general.

Swiss legend Federer boasts the most weeks in the ATP top 100, helped by his fantastic 20 Grand Slam titles.

The figure places him third on the all-time list, behind only the 24 of Novak Djokovic and the 22 of Rafael Nadal.

Federer enjoyed thrilling rivalries with that duo over the years, with Djokovic now the last man standing of the Big Three.

Lucky loser Franco Squillari shocks Sydney defending champion Roger Federer

There were, however, a few players that the Swiss icon had problems with, one of which being Franco Squillari.

Also now retired, Squillari won three ATP Tour titles during his career, reaching a career-high of number 11 in the rankings in 2000.

READ MORE: How Roger Federer really felt about playing the 2018 Australian Open final indoors

A phenomenal win over Federer is also among his fine achievements, with the Argentine breezing past his opponent in the opening round at Sydney in 2003.

Lucky loser Squillari had the unenviable task of facing the defending champion, but needed just 54 minutes to secure a memorable 6-2, 6-3 victory.

Roger Federer breaks racket in 2001 Hamburg loss to Franco Squillari

Not only did he produce that stunning win over Federer, but he also boasts a remarkable head-to-head record over the legend.

That victory was one of two ATP Tour meetings between the pair, with Squillari winning their previous meeting, also in straight sets.

READ MORE: Roger Federer made a prediction about Alexander Zverev in 2017 which he hasn’t quite been able to live up to

The success came in the first round of the ATP Masters 1,000 Hamburg in 2001, where the Argentine triumphed 6-3, 6-4 after one hour and five minutes.

It was a negative experience for Federer for more reasons than one, having once said of the clash: “I remember a match against Franco Squillari in Hamburg 2001, where I gave a very bad image of myself.

“I was playing badly and ended up breaking my racket. I saw how my family, my staff and my trainers looked at me and I felt that I could never again have this behaviour on a court.

“I realised that I definitely had to change. It was a long process and I got help from a psychologist. It took me two years to find the perfect balance between passion and calm.”