Roger Federer: perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time
His name has long had a permanent place in the history books of sport: Roger Federer. 20 Grand Slam titles, 103 tournament wins on the ATP Tour, 310 weeks as world number one – 237 of them consecutively: hardly any athlete of his generation has shaped tennis the way the elegant Swiss has. Eight titles at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, five at the US Open and one at the French Open – Federer has won each of the four majors and established a style of play that has made millions of people fall in love with tennis.
Despite his enormous success, Federer is regarded as down-to-earth and modest; he uses his profile for social causes and likes to look beyond the world of sport. His achievements and his personality place him alongside sporting greats such as Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali.
From tranquil Switzerland out into the world: Federer's tennis career
Born in Basel, Roger Federer took up tennis at the age of three but only decided on a tennis career nine years later. As natural as his titles seem today, the first successes came only in his late teens: from 1995 to 1997 he won seven Swiss junior championship titles, and he made his ATP debut in 1998 in Gstaad. He quickly broke into the world's top 100.
His first tournament win was not long in coming: in 2001 Federer triumphed in Milan, and in Paris he reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final. The big coup came a few weeks later at Wimbledon – in the fourth round he beat multiple champion and personal idol Pete Sampras, a match that in hindsight looks like a handover of the throne. "FedEx" secured his first Masters Series title a year later in Hamburg, which also meant a place in the world's top 10.
Winning every Grand Slam: Federer reaches the tennis Olympus
2003 brought the definitive breakthrough: at his favourite tournament, Wimbledon, Federer beat Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final. What followed has never been seen in tennis again – he won all of his first seven Grand Slam finals, from Wimbledon 2003 to the Australian Open 2006. He became a serial champion at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open, conquered the top of the world rankings and did not relinquish it for 237 consecutive weeks.
Federer came close to the "Grand Slam", winning all four majors in a single season, several times. The reason: at the French Open, Rafael Nadal was long a man he could not beat. The Spaniard became the Swiss player's great rival – on every other court on tour as well. Their 2008 Wimbledon final, almost five hours long and decided in near darkness, is still regarded as the greatest tennis match of all time. In private, incidentally, the two get on splendidly.
In 2008 Federer had to give up the top of the world rankings for the first time. A year later, though, victory at the French Open brought him the long-awaited "career Grand Slam": in the final in Paris he beat Sweden's Robin Söderling, who had surprisingly knocked out Nadal. That closed the circle – Federer had every one of the four major titles in his cabinet.
Federer dominates even at an advanced age
The success story did not stop in the new decade either: in 2010 the Swiss won the Australian Open again. In 2011 he went without a major title for the first time since 2002, but only a year later came his seventh Wimbledon crown as well as Olympic silver in London – he had already taken gold in Beijing in 2008 in the doubles with Stan Wawrinka. Alongside Nadal, Federer now increasingly duelled with Novak Djokovic; the three exceptional players shaped tennis for more than a decade. In 2016 knee injuries slowed the Swiss down, so that after more than 14 years he dropped out of the top 10. Many thought his time was up.
But then came 2017 – and with it one of the finest comebacks in sporting history. After six months out, Federer won the Australian Open and shortly afterwards secured his eighth Wimbledon title, comfortably in three sets against Marin Cilic in the final. He thereby surpassed Pete Sampras and became the oldest Wimbledon champion of the Open era. In 2018, at the age of 36, he became the oldest world number one, and in 2019 he won the 100th ATP title of his career in Dubai.
Farewell and honour: Laver Cup 2022 and Hall of Fame 2026
After several knee operations, Roger Federer ended his career in September 2022 at the Laver Cup in London – in the doubles with Rafael Nadal, in front of an arena in tears. It was the farewell to an era, but not the end of the story: on 30 August 2026 Federer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, the highest honour in the sport. To mark the occasion, Wilson released a limited Hall of Fame edition of his signature racket.
Federer's success factors: versatility, athleticism and mental strength
Roger Federer is probably the most versatile player tennis has ever produced: thanks to his adaptability he coped superbly with every surface. He mastered every shot, and his forehand is considered particularly strong – along with the perfected footwork that lets hardly anyone else move so elegantly around the court. His mental strength was exceptional too: in decisive moments Federer produced his best tennis and rarely showed emotion. Incidentally, as a teenager he was still considered loud and hot-headed.
Roger Federer's equipment: racket, shoes & outfit
Federer played his entire professional career with Wilson – most recently with the legendary Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph, which he helped develop himself. His legacy lives on in the Wilson RF series, created together with him: at 320 g the RF 01 Pro is the professional model for players with a long, controlled swing, the RF 01 (300 g) the more accessible variant for ambitious tournament players and the RF 01 Future (280 g) the entry point for improvers and younger players. All three come with a 632 cm² head and a 16/19 string pattern – plenty of control, but enough of a spin window for modern tennis. If you prefer something more classic, you will find the roots of the line in the Wilson Pro Staff series.
With his shoe supplier, Federer is not only an ambassador but an investor and co-creator: in 2019 he took a stake in the Swiss sports brand newcomer On and developed the THE ROGER line with the company. A professional who co-designs his own shoe and holds a share in the company – there is practically only one of those. At Tennis-Point you will find the current On tennis shoes from THE ROGER Pro through THE ROGER ADV Pro to THE ROGER Pro Fire – each as an all-court shoe and as a clay-court shoe, for men and women.
Since 2018 Federer has worn Uniqlo clothing on court. You can get the unmistakable Swiss look at Tennis-Point through the On tennis clothing – court shirts, shorts and dresses from the same brand DNA as his shoes. They go perfectly with our men's tennis clothing and caps & visors.
The RF logo is available away from the racket too: the Wilson racket bags of the Tour RF line and the Wilson backpacks provide reliable protection and the right look. The setup is rounded off with Wilson overgrips, Wilson tennis strings and the RF dampeners.
Buy Roger Federer tennis fashion online
Roger Federer has been honoured five times with the Laureus World Sports Award as world sportsman of the year – a record he shares only with Novak Djokovic. His style and his equipment still inspire a new generation around Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. At Tennis-Point you get the complete Federer world in one place: rackets from the Wilson RF series, On tennis shoes from the THE ROGER line, bags, grips and accessories with the RF logo – curated by tennis players for tennis players and usually available immediately. Discover the equipment of many more tennis pros as well.