Roger Federer is widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
The word ‘legend’ is sometimes handed out carelessly, but in the case of Federer, it’s more than warranted.
Breaking countless records throughout his 23-year professional career, the Swiss star earned his place on the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of tennis greats.
Alongside his greatest rivals, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Federer dominated the ATP Tour for almost 20 years.
Fans use 100’s and 1000’s of words to compliment Federer, but many often describe the now 43-year-old as a symbol of ‘class’ and ‘elegance.’
From the way he played to the way he carried himself on and off the court, those who encountered the ATP Tour legend were often left impressed by him in more ways than one.
However, those traits were not given to Federer as a birthright, as he was once looked at far differently by his peers.
They called Roger Federer ‘lazy’ and said he ‘didn’t care at all’ before he won 20 Grand Slam titles
Switzerland wasn’t the biggest tennis nation prior to Federer’s arrival, although that’s not to say they didn’t have their fair share of elite talent.
Martina Hingis won five Grand Slam titles between 1997 and 1999, reaching world number one in the process.
On the men’s side, Marc Rosset won Olympic Gold in 1992 and picked up 15 titles on the ATP Tour.
Rosset trained with Federer in Geneva during his younger years, and the now-20-time Major champion didn’t leave the greatest first impression.
“I remember the first time I practiced with him, it was in Geneva, and he was the new talented guy in Switzerland,” he said.
“He was so lazy, and usually when you practice with a guy who’s on the tour, young guys, they’re a little bit stressed, a bit nervous, the guy came on the court like he didn’t care at all.
“I was like, woah.”
The former Swiss number one then recalled his first career meeting with Federer.
“The first time I played him it was the final of the tour event in Marseille,” said Rosset.
“I won 7-6 in the third and I remember it was his first final ever and he was crying, he was crying at the ceremony, and I was like come on don’t cry.
“He was like it’s my first final, maybe I won’t play another final again in my life, I lost it.
“I said relax, for sure you’re going to play other finals, for sure you’re going to win tournaments.”
Rosset wasn’t wrong as Federer picked up his first tour-level title in Milan, just 356 days later.
His first of 103 titles, as the Swiss star embarked on a career that very few can dream of replicating.
Roger Federer inspired a generation by winning 20 Grand Slam titles
As Federer began to take control of his emotions and put in the effort, he soon saw results, winning his fourth ATP title by the end of 2002.
Grand Slam success was right around the corner for the youngster, as he made the trip to London in 2003 with dreams of lifting the trophy.
Entering the tournament as the fourth seed, Federer quickly became a favorite as several top seeds were knocked out early on.
- [1] Lleyton Hewitt – Lost in first round
- [2] Andre Agassi – Lost in fourth round
- [3] Juan Carlos Ferrero – Lost in fourth round
- [4] Roger Federer
- [5] Andy Roddick – Lost in semi-finals
- [6] David Nalbandian – Lost in fourth round
- [7] Guillermo Coria – Lost in first round
- [8] Sjeng Schalken – Lost in quarter-finals
At 21 years of age, Federer proved to be a class above at Wimbledon, dropping just one set all tournament on his way to the title.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| F | Mark Philippoussis | 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 |
| SF | Andy Roddick [5] | 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| QF | Sjeng Schalken [8] | 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 4R | Feliciano Lopez | 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 3R | Mardy Fish | 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 |
| 2R | Stefan Koubek | 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 |
| 1R | Lee Hyung-taik | 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 |
Rosset may have thought Federer was ‘lazy’ just a few years earlier, but he had put in the work and stood atop the tennis world on Centre Court in July 2003.
He wasn’t done there, however, as over the next seven years, Federer added plenty more Major titles to his collection.
It was at SW19 in 2009 that the Swiss star broke the record for Grand Slam title wins, surpassing Pete Sampras’ 14 with his sixth Wimbledon title.
In a brutal final, Federer beat Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14, to take home his 15th Grand Slam title.
As Djokovic and Nadal grew in confidence, Federer’s period of dominance came to an end, winning just one Slam between 2011 and 2016.
He fought back, however, to win three more titles to finish on a then-record 20 Slams, with his final victory coming in Melbourne, against Marin Cilic.
Having beaten Nadal one year earlier at the Australian Open, Federer looked to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup once more.
The Croat gave it his all but fell in five sets to his legendary opponent, as Federer won his sixth title on Rod Laver Arena in 2018.
Leaking tears of joy, rather than despair as he had 18 years earlier, Federer stood above the rest one final time.
Rosset had assured his fellow countrymen that he was ‘for sure’ going to win other tournaments all those years ago and will no doubt have been happy to see the man he once considered to be ‘lazy’ cement his legacy as one of the best to have ever picked up a racket.
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