Roger Federer enjoyed a legendary career in tennis, taking home 20 Major titles, including six at the Australian Open.
Few players enjoyed more success on the Melbourne courts than Federer, as he picked up six titles between 2004 and 2018.
From his Australian Open debut in 1999 to his final match in 2020, the Swiss star wowed fans with his talents throughout.
He played several legendary matches down under, but one of his most shocking was Federer’s defeat to Novak Djokovic back in 2008.
A match that sent Djokovic on his way to winning his first of ten Australian Open titles, and saw him become a recurring thorn in Federer’s side down under.
Roger Federer thought he could still win more Grand Slam titles after defeat at the 2020 Australian Open
When Federer reached the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open he wasn’t given too much of a chance against Djokovic, who had at the time won seven titles in Melbourne.
Federer had already battled past John Millman and Tennys Sandgren in five-set classics to reach the last four, whereas Djokovic had just dropped the one set all tournament.
Form proved accurate in their semi-final meeting, as the Serb breezed into the final with a straight sets victory over Federer.
After a tough defeat, Federer was asked if he believed that he could regroup and win another Grand Slam title before retirement.
“Yes, I do believe that,” he said.
“I think by having the year that I had last year, also with what I have in my game, how I’m playing, I do feel that, yeah.
“I’m confident. I’m happy how I’m feeling, no plans to retire.”
Federer was also asked to sum up his performance at the tournament, having reached a 15th career semi-final in Australia.
“Look, overall, at the end of the day I guess I’m very happy,” he said.
“I’ve got to be happy with what I achieved, it was the maximum I could get at this tournament, especially after the [John] Millman and the [Tennys] Sandgren match.
“At the end of the day, I’m very happy, I think I overall played all right.
“I know I can play better, at the same time I also know I can play much worse.
“With no tournaments beforehand, I think it’s a very, very good result.”
Did Roger Federer come close to winning another Grand Slam title after the 2020 Australian Open?
Federer may well have thought that he still had a few more Major titles left in him when he left the Australian Open five years ago, but as things turned out, the Swiss star had already lifted his final Grand Slam trophy.
In fact, Federer only played a further two Grand Slam tournaments, both in 2021, before he retired from the sport upon the conclusion of the 2022 Laver Cup.
But did the 20-time Major champion come close to another title during his final two Slam appearances, at the French Open and Wimbledon?
2021 French Open – Roger Federer withdraws before his fourth round match
Federer had missed four Major tournaments after his defeat to Djokovic in Melbourne, and fans were eagerly anticipating his return to tennis at Roland Garros.
His return from injury started well, as he battled through his opening matches, to book his place in the fourth round against Matteo Berrettini.
- 1R – Beat Denis Istomin, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
- 2R – Beat Marin Cilic, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2
- 3R – Beat Dominik Koepfer, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5
However, knee problems that resurfaced during his third-round win over Koepfer forced the Swiss star to withdraw from the tournament.
It was his last appearance in Paris, as Federer ended his career with just one Roland Garros title when he won in 2009.
2021 Wimbledon – Roger Federer loses to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals
On the courts where Federer made a name for himself, he was looking for one final push towards Grand Slam success at SW19 in 2021.
Against all odds, it looked as if the 39-year-old could pull off a miracle on the grass when he advanced to the last eight with several impressive performances.
- 1R – Beat Adrian Mannarino, 6-4, 6-7, 3-6, 6-2, 0-0 (RET)
- 2R – Beat Richard Gasquet, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4
- 3R – Beat Cameron Norrie, 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
- 4R – Beat Lorenzo Sonego, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2
It was there that Federer faced off against the big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz, in a clash that ended up being his last at Wimbledon.
Hurkacz beat Federer in straight sets, as he knocked the Wimbledon legend out of the tournament for the final time.
He wasn’t able to make his prediction come true, as he couldn’t add to his 20 Major titles, but no-one would blame him as he continued to give it his all up until the very last point.
Federer retired from the sport in 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever picked up a racket.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
