I was the first player to ever lose to Roger Federer at Wimbledon and here's what I noticed about him straight away

I was the first player to ever lose to Roger Federer at Wimbledon and here’s what I noticed about him straight away

Posted by Admin November 22, 2024 Tennis

Despite Roger Federer having scooped up a magnificent eight Wimbledon titles, the Swiss great had to start somewhere.

Tennis currently stands at a truly pivotal moment as an era defined by legends draws to a close.

Rafael Nadal’s emotional retirement this week follows Andy Murray’s teary Olympic farewell in the summer. This September also marked two years since Roger Federer’s departure from the sport.

With Novak Djokovic still competing but past his dominant best, 2024 will become the first season in 22 years without a Grand Slam title for any member of the Big Three.

This seismic shift heralds the rise of a new generation, with players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz stepping into the spotlight.

Yet, the legacy of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic will continue to shape the sport for years to come.

Federer, known for his oozing class and finesse made a splash when he arrived on the ATP Tour with some early defining wins.

Eight Wimbledon titles later and having won his last professional match on Centre Court, where did it all start for Federer?

Christophe Rochus: The first man to lose to Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images

Federer won his first match at his third attempt at Wimbledon, having lost to Jerri Novak in 1999 and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 2000.

The then 20-year-old Federer had won the Junior Wimbledon title three years previously when he notched up his first senior win against Belgium’s Christophe Rochus.

A convincing straight-sets win 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, Rochus, who peaked at a career-high of 38, admitted he knew straight away that Federer was a star of tomorrow.

In an interview with SRF, Rochus said: “Roger was already world no. 15, so I knew it would have been a difficult match. Although my chances to win were less, I felt very happy to play that match. I always liked his game style.”

Fortunately for Rochus, his defeat to the youngster was no embarrassment with Federer going on to win the title two years later – the start of a five-year streak of successive Wimbledon crowns.

After Federer upset Pete Sampras that year to really make his mark on the tennis world, Rochus reflected that this ‘shock’ win didn’t really come as a surprise to him.

“You knew he was a genius. It was missing a little bit of experience, but I was convinced he could beat anyone.”

Roger Federer’s first Wimbledon win

Court 13, against Christophe Rochus…To celebrate Roger Federer’s 300th Grand Slam victory, let’s journey all the way back to his first ever win at #Wimbledon

Posted by Wimbledon on Friday, January 22, 2016

Who did Roger Federer beat in his eight Wimbledon title wins?

Federer has been in a total of 12 Wimbledon finals, winning eight of them – the last trophy coming in 2017 over Marin Cilic.

With dominance on the grass for over 15 years, Federer has toppled five different opponents in the final, with America’s Andy Roddick painfully losing out three times.

Year	Opponent	Score
2003	Mark Philippoussis	7–6(5), 6–2, 7–6(3)
2004	Andy Roddick	4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4
2005	Andy Roddick	6–2, 7–6(2), 6–4
2006	Rafael Nadal	6–0, 7–6(5) 6–7(2), 6–3
2007	Rafael Nadal	7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2
2009	Andy Roddick	5–7, 7–6(6) 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14
2012	Andy Murray	4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4
2017	Marin Cilic	6–3, 6–1, 6–4

All eight of Roger Federer’s Wimbledon Final wins

Federer’s 2009 triumph over Roddick was the longest men’s singles major final (in terms of games played) in history with 77 games, breaking the record of 71 games set at the 1927 Australian Championships.