Fans of the sport got used to seeing the Swiss star take home trophies at will, as he won a mouth-watering 16 Grand Slam titles in eight years, between 2003 and 2010.

The now 43-year-old rarely tasted defeat, but when Federer was beaten, it often came as a shock to the world of tennis.

For the most part, it was just the stars of the ATP Tour that had to contest with his dominance, but from time to time their female counterparts came to understand just how tough playing Federer can be.

2019 Hopman Cup: When Katie Boulter played Roger Federer

The Hopman Cup was a tournament that pitted mixed-gender teams against one another in international competition.

It ran from 1989 to 2019, with a brief return in 2023, where Croatia won a six-team tournament in Nice, France.

The final edition in 2019 saw Switzerland take home the title for the fourth time, with Federer and Belinda Bencic representing their country.

It was in the group stage, however, when Switzerland took on Great Britain, in a memorable contest for one top WTA star.

Cameron Norrie lost to Federer 6-1, 6-1, before Katie Boulter tasted defeat against Bencic 6-2, 7-6.

The final doubles tie was an opportunity for the now British number one Boulter, to test her luck against the Swiss star, something that she recently told Sky Sports she was excited to do.

“I actually had the chance to face [Roger] Federer in the Hopman Cup,” she said.

“It was daunting. It was really daunting.

“I was so excited for it, then the moment I walked out on the court I realized I would actually have to play tennis against him, and was like he is probably going to judge me here for sure.”

Norrie and Boulter lost the match 3-4, 1-4, but still had the opportunity to play more tennis royalty as they came up against a United States team of Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe.

It was Tiafoe, however, that Boulter set her sights on, and she continues to remind him about what happened during their match to this day.

“I also played against Frances Tiafoe,” she said.

“I remember acing him out wide, and I was really pumped about that so I keep reminding him about that one.”

Team GB came out victorious as they won 3-4, 4-3, 4-1, ending a disappointing Hopman Cup campaign on a high.

What happened to the Hopman Cup, and what replaced it?

The Hopman Cup was replaced on the calendar by the ATP Cup in 2020, which ran for just three years, as Serbia, Russia, and Canada took home the glory.

In August 2022, it was announced that the ATP Cup’s stint on the calendar had come to an end and the United Cup (a mixed gender competition) would take it’s place.

18 countries qualify for the event through the ranking of their top stars on the ATP and WTA Tours and compete in a two-week competition to crown the winner.

The United States won the inaugural edition of the United Cup, as Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula helped guide their team to victory against Italy.

In 2024, it was the turn of Germany, who took down an impressive Polish team to lift the trophy thanks to the efforts of Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber.

The 2025 edition of the competition could well be its best yet, as fans eagerly anticipate some more thrilling action from the best of the ATP and WTA Tours.

Plenty of big names will be competing in Australia later this month, as they look to write their names into the United Cup history books.

The 2025 United Cup is set to begin on December 27th.

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