The Major Exploits Of Roger Federer

Everyone knows about Roger Federer’s record 17 Grand Slam titles, but what else can we learn from looking a bit more closely at his overall record in majors? Being a bit of a tennis nerd, one of my favourite things to do is study graphics like the one below; they often appear on a player’s Wikipedia page. 

What we already know:

• 17 GS titles from 24 finals (17-7).
• 10 straight finals. 
• Made 18 of 19 finals contested between Wimbledon 2005 and AO 2010. In tennis years, that’s pretty much making all but 1 final over the course of 5 seasons.
• 23 consecutive SF appearances.
• Made 36 straight quarter-finals - a full 9 years worth of tennis without losing before this stage.

Digging a little deeper:

• Since winning the 2010 AO, Federer’s made only 2 of 15 GS finals This, after the otherworldly dominance of the previous five years, might be the best indicator of his much talked about decline. 
• Won only 2 majors after turning 28. Rafael Nadal just turned 27. It’s entirely possible likely that he will have the same number of majors (15) as Federer did by age 28. At that point, the top spot will belong to the guy who gets through the post-28 years in better shape.
• 10 straight Australian SF appearances (active).
• 9 straight French QFs (active). As much as clay is easily Federer’s least successful surface, he’s still one of the best clay court players of his era. There’s a credible argument that he’s second only to Nadal.
• 8 straight years winning at least one major (2003-2010).
• 10 straight years making at least one major final (2003-2012).
• 40 quarter-finals, 33 semi-finals, 24 finals, 17 titles.
• Finals record by GS: Australian 4-1, French 1-4, Wimbledon 7-1, US Open 5-1. By making only three finals (2-1) in the last four years, Federer’s overall record in finals has been somewhat protected from Nadal and Djokovic.

There’s no arguing that Roger Federer is still the best to have ever played men’s tennis. Whether that will remain the case has been a matter of great debate. He may recover from his recent struggles and add to his tally of 17 titles, making Nadal’s chase more difficult. Nadal might encounter more injuries or Djokovic could go on a Federer-esque tear the next few years. Amidst all the uncertainty, Federer’s career thus far is the stuff of legend. Even if you feel, as I do, that many of his titles came at a time when men’s tennis was not at its deepest, the absurd consistency is jaw-dropping. Many of his records will never be eclipsed — even if another player ends up with more majors.