However, an incredible five-set victory to knock out reigning champion and the erstwhile ‘King of Wimbledon’ Pete Sampras - Federer’s childhood hero - from the 2001 tournament’s fourth round had already put him on the map. Roger Federer, the 1998 junior Wimbledon champion, also became the first player since Stefan Edberg in 1990 to win both the junior and pro gentlemen Wimbledon singles titles. To pinpoint where exactly Roger Federer’s journey to becoming a legend began, the 2003 Wimbledon would be a good place to start. In a special programme to be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live on Wednesday, the 31-year-old talks about the pressure he felt at the time dealing with the huge expectation of the tennis world. A win on Sunday would also make him the first Wimbledon champion outside of Federer, Murray, Djokovic and Nadal since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed in 2002. A gifted shot maker, he was victorious in 11 of the 17 tournaments he played in 2004 and finished the year ranked number one in the world. Roger lifted the first Wimbledon trophy at 21 in 2003 and won eight titles in total, with the latest coming 14 years after the first. In what was a marathon five-setter, Roger Federer eventually emerged victorious by a 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 scoreline, with his experience proving to be the difference at the end. but in the moment itself it's very difficult to deal with. In 2011, the Swiss tennis player failed to win a single Grand Slam – a phenomenon which had never happened since his maiden Slam triumph in 2003. Having won the Australian Open earlier that year, Roger Federer, the top seed at Wimbledon 2004, set up a final clash against second-seed Andy Roddick. “It was awfully tight and I was getting awfully nervous in the end too,” Federer admitted. In hindsight, each of these went right down to the wire and could have swayed the other way very easily. Nadal knew getting the better of the Swiss legend on grass will be a different ordeal. The Wimbledon crown of 2003 was the first of a record 17 Grand Slam singles title for the Swiss, seven of them at the All England Club. With Rafael Nadal starting to make waves on the big stage, the focus promptly shifted from the Federer-Roddick rivalry to Federer vs Nadal. Wimbledon was always my favourite tournament, and will always be my favourite tournament - Roger Federer. Having crossed 30 in 2011, there were also concerns that the Swiss icon’s time was over and the ascent of Novak Djokovic during that period only added to the narrative. We use simple text files called cookies, saved on your computer, to help us deliver the best experience for you. Here’s a look back at how Roger Federer went on to record the most Wimbledon titles. Jan 30, 2018 - Roger Federer first Wimbledon practice 2017 all England club I kept on believing and dreaming and here I am today with the eighth. That was hard to accept. Roger Federer has confirmed he will make his return next month in Doha and will then play on clay before his main goals of Halle, Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open. Five-time Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer is the first to reach round 4 at the grass Grand Slam event. In what was a near-flawless performance on the grand stage, Federer cruised to 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory over Roddick to clinch his third consecutive Wimbledon title. Mats Wilander still puts Roger Federer among Wimbledon favorites. Federer beat Nadal for the 2006 and 2007 titles, but Nadal won the … He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated Guillermo Coriain the final. Roger Federer, the five-time Wimbledon champion, will be first on Centre Court against Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu when the All-England Club Grand Slam starts on Monday. The win in 2012 also meant he was tied with Sampras and Renshaw (pre-Open era) for the most Wimbledon titles in history with seven a-piece. Nadal, leading by two sets to zero, held on to knock Federer off his SW19 throne and celebrate his first Wimbledon title. Even though it was actually a compliment in one way, it was a hard pressure on the other side.". "People were comparing me to Pete Sampras when he had 60 titles and I had barely five. ", "Roger Federer: Centre Court King" is on BBC Radio 5 live at 21:30 BST on Wednesday. FIND OUT MORE. At the time, barely a year before Rafael Nadal burst onto the scene at the 2005 French Open, Roddick’s power game was considered by many as the perfect counter to Federer’s craft. Roger Federer speaks to the media after his 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Guido Pella . The numbers, too, testify. Roger Federer became the first Swiss tennis player to win an Open era Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 2003. 91 Daniel Evans, in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in their first … 08:33. video. Having been denied by Djokovic in the 2014 and 2015 finals, Federer was made to wait for the coveted eighth title.