"I felt like everyone was behind me" - Roger Federer discloses the three greatest matches of his legendary career
ATP
Widely regarded as the greatest male tennis player of all time, Roger Federer has been involved in several classic matches on the ATP Tour. However, the Swiss Maestro put speculation to bed as he named the three greatest matches of his career.
The former World No.1 enjoyed a distinguished professional career that saw him capture numerous accolades while setting several records. In addition to holding the World No.1 ranking for a record number of consecutive weeks, Federer captured 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record eight titles at Wimbledon.
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Federer reveals his top three matches
Fans of the Swiss superstar will have different responses based on the era they saw him play and their emotions at the time. However, Federer himself opened up on his greatest matches on court, in a recent interview with Eurosport Spain.
"The first one I would like to remember is clear: Wimbledon 2001 and my match against Pete Sampras,” said Federer. “That match was facing the hero of a whole generation, my first time on Wimbledon’s centre court, without knowing everything that tournament would bring me in my career.
“Second, I would choose the 2009 Roland Garros final. I chased that tournament for a long time, until this season when the floodgates opened with Rafa’s elimination. I felt like everyone was behind me; they really wanted me to win; it made me feel very special.
"Finally, I will stick to the 2017 Australian Open final, right after my knee problems. It was a complete match, it had everything. I would like to relive all those emotions."
“Second, I would choose the 2009 Roland Garros final. I chased that tournament for a long time, until this season when the floodgates opened with Rafa’s elimination. I felt like everyone was behind me; they really wanted me to win; it made me feel very special.
"Finally, I will stick to the 2017 Australian Open final, right after my knee problems. It was a complete match, it had everything. I would like to relive all those emotions."
The Basel native would retire in 2022, following a lengthy battle with knee injury. Federer would play his last professional match at the 2022 Laver Cup, teaming with longtime rival Rafael Nadal in a doubles match for Team Europe.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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