Roger Federer achieved it all in his career, winning 103 titles on the ATP Tour since turning pro in 1998.
Federer won his first Grand Slam title in 2003, emerging victorious in the Wimbledon final, where he defeated Mark Philippoussis to hold the famous trophy aloft on Centre Court.
After that, the Swiss legend went on to win 12 majors in five years, including four more Wimbledon crowns, five US Open titles, and three Australian Open titles.
He was dominant on three of the grandest stages in tennis, but up until 2009, there was one major that eluded Federer. His great rival, Rafael Nadal, was the reason for that.
After winning Roland Garros in his tournament debut in 2005, Nadal won three more consecutive French Open titles; each time overcoming Federer in the final.
It was a frustrating time for the former world number one, whose clay-court success was limited by one man.
But after Robin Soderling delivered one of the greatest shocks in tennis history by knocking out the king of clay in the fourth round of Roland Garros in 2009, Federer’s best chance at clinching a maiden title in Paris finally presented itself.
Roger Federer said his French Open victory in 2009 might have been his ‘greatest’ win
After Soderling’s triumph over Nadal, the Swede advanced to the final, where he met second seed Federer.
In their clash, the 20-time Grand Slam champion took a commanding lead, winning the first set 6-1.
Despite Soderling fighting back to level the second set at 6-6, his opponent ultimately came out on top in the tiebreak.
Federer, in need of just six more games to win the tournament, got the break of serve on Soderling to take the third set 6-4.
It was the Swissman’s first French Open title. He had finally won the career Grand Slam and told the world exactly what it meant after the match.
Following his victory in the final, Federer said: “This might be my greatest victory, or rather the win that lifts the most pressure off my shoulders.”
“For the rest of my career, I can enjoy playing and never have to hear that I’ve never won Roland Garros.”
Roger Federer’s route to the 2009 French Open final
Federer enjoyed a comfortable start to his 2009 French Open campaign, defeating Alberto Martin Magret in a first-round straight-sets victory.
He then earned victories over José Javier Acasuso and Paul-Henri Mathieu to book his place in the fourth round, where he beat Tommy Haas over four sets.
| Round | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Final | Robin Soderling (W) |
| Semi-Final | Juan Marin Del Potro (W) |
| Quarter-Final | Gael Monfils (W) |
| Fourth Round | Tommy Haas (W) |
| Third Round | Paul-Henri Mathieu (W) |
| Second Round | José Javier Acasuso (W) |
| First Round | Alberto Martin Magret (W) |
After another straight-sets win against Gael Monfils in the next round, he made the semi-final against Juan Martin Del Potro.
Del Potro went the distance with Federer, taking two sets off the then-world number two, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line against one of the greatest of all time.
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