Throughout the history of tennis there has never been a player as great as the man, the myth, the legend, Roger Federer. With Eighteen grand slam titles, and nineteen years of dominance over every player on the ATP tour, it is without question that Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time.
He was man who the ATP never saw coming. Roger Federer started his tennis career in Basel, Switzerland, where he was born. He took on the sport easily and started playing when he was eight years old. After three years he was among the top three in Switzerland and after three more years, He was crowned the national champion in Switzerland. At eighteen years old, Roger turned pro.
Federer’s dominance was early to come when he knocked out the reigning number one player in the world, Pete Sampras in 2001. In 2003, Roger won his first grand slam (which most players work their entire life to be a victor of a slam) at the age of 22. This was only the spark of Roger’s wildfire supremacy. Following Wimbledon, Federer’s momentum was not thwarted when he was crowned the champion of the US open, The Australian Open, and he defended his title at Wimbledon. In all of his historic career, Roger Federer won 18 Grand Slam titles, which is the most by any male tennis player in history.
Roger Federer holds the Grand Slam record of all time for a reason. Most tennis players are not pretty. Their shots sometimes look awkward or not intentional even at the pro level. Fed takes this principal and shatters it with his smooth play. His elegance is inspiring to witness and it looks effortless. He pushes himself over any other player and has never retired a match. Also, there isn’t any other player from any era that has a one-handed backhand as smooth and powerful as Roger. Nobody can match the craftsmanship he has with a yellow fuzzy ball and a graphite Wilson Pro Staff RF97. With his cyborg-like rhythm, Roger broke another record while going 105 points without a single error. The most elegant player of all time definitely has correlation to be the greatest player of all time.
The Swiss Maestro is considered the greatest of all time because of his dynasty of his rule over the professional tour. Federer holds the record for the number of weeks he has been ranked number one in the world and this record is 302 weeks. And of course, he also holds the record for the number of consecutive weeks ranked number one in the world, which is 237. Roger’s dominance is nothing to be taken lightly. Six years without dropping a ranking is GOAT criteria without a doubt.
From the moment he stepped on the court in Gstaad, Switzerland for his first professional match, to January 29th 2017 when he won his 18th grand slam at the Australian Open, Roger Federer has shocked humanity with his skill and determination. Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time.
Works Cited
Oliver Holt for the Mail on Sunday. “Roger Federer Is Nullifying Stamina with Elegance… All Real Sports Fans Want Him to Win Wimbledon Final.” Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 11 July 2015. Web. 16 May 2017.
“Roger Federer.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 29 Jan. 2017. Web. 16 May 2017.
“35 Facts That Prove Roger Federer Is the Greatest Tennis Player Ever.” USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, 25 June 2015. Web. 16 May 2017.
