Roger Federer's Record Reign

SI Staff | Aug 4, 2008

Roger Federer's Record Reign /

Roger Federer's Record Reign

Week 235, '08 Cincinnati Masters | Week of July 28, 2008

Roger Federer's loss Thursday to Ivo Karlovic (coupled with Rafael Nadal's victory Friday over Nicolas Lapentti) ensured the Swiss grandmaster will cede his No. 1 ranking to his Spanish rival on Aug. 18 -- after a mind-blowing 237 consecutive weeks atop the ATP rankings. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from Federer's four-and-a-half-year reign.

Week 231, '08 Wimbledon Championships | June 30, 2008

Nadal's 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 victory over Federer -- dubbed <i>The Greatest Match Ever</i> by many observers -- snapped Federer's Wimbledon winning streak at 40 matches and overall grass-court run at 65. At four hours and 48 minutes, it was the longest Wimbledon final in the tournament's 132-year history.

Week 227, '08 French Open | June 2, 2008

Nadal thrashed Federer in a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 rout for his fourth consecutive French Open title. The previous time Federer lost a set 6-0 was a first-round match in 1999 against Byron Black at the Queen's Club Championships.

Week 215, '08 Pacific Life Open | Mar. 10, 2008

Federer lost 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals to Mardy Fish of the United States, snapping his 41-match winning streak against American players dating to August 2003.

Week 208, '08 Australian Open | Jan. 21, 2008

Federer lost 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the semifinals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, ending his record string of 10 straight Grand Slam final appearances.

Week 199, Exhibition with Pete Sampras | Nov. 19, 2007

Federer needed just 61 minutes to dispense of former World No. 1 Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3 in a Seoul exhibition.

Week 179, '07 Wimbledon Championships | July 2, 2007

Nadal rallied from a two-set deficit to push his nemesis to five sets, but Federer locked down a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 victory to match Björn Borg's record of five straight Wimbledon singles titles.

Week 172, '07 Hamburg Masters | May 14, 2007

With his victory over Nadal in the final of the Hamburg Masters, Federer snapped the Spaniard's record of 81 consecutive match wins on clay.

Week 157, '07 Australian Open | Jan. 29, 2007

Federer defeated Chile's Fernando González for his third Australian Open and 10th major championship, becoming the first player since Borg in 1980 to win a Grand Slam singles tournament without dropping a set.

Week 136, '06 U.S. Open | Sept. 4, 2006

Federer won his third straight U.S. Open -- and his third Grand Slam of the year -- with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Andy Roddick. He would finish the 2006 season several thousand points ahead of Nadal, his nearest competitor, in the ATP rankings.

Week 123, '06 French Open | June 5, 2006

Had Federer won the French Open, the Swiss native would have completed a career Grand Slam and become the first man since Rod Laver to hold all four major titles at the same time. Instead, defending champ Nadal defeated Federer 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Week 84, '05 U.S. Open | Sept. 5, 2005

Federer defeated Andre Agassi in four sets to clinch his second consecutive U.S. Open title. He dropped just two sets on his way to the title and became the first man in the open era to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in consecutive years.

Week 70, '05 French Open | May 30, 2005

Nadal got the best of Federer in their first Grand Slam meeting with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory in the French Open semifinals.

Week 61, '05 Miami Masters | Mar. 28, 2005

Federer dug out of a two-set hole to complete an epic 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1 victory over Nadal in the Miami Masters final -- a match many consider the genesis of their great rivalry.

Week 52, '05 Australian Open | Jan. 24, 2005

In the semifinals of the Australian Open, Federer lost 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 9-7 to eventual champion Marat Safin -- a five-set thriller lasting more than four hours.

Week 32, '04 U.S. Open | Sept. 6, 2004

Federer scored a convincing 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0 victory over Lleyton Hewitt to nab his first of four U.S. Open titles.

Week 29, '04 Summer Olympics | Aug. 16, 2004

Despite entering the Athens tournament as the top overall seed, Federer dropped a surprising 6-4, 5-7, 5-7 decision to previously unknown Tomáš Berdych in the second round.

Week 22, '04 Wimbledon Championships | June 28, 2004

Federer defended his Wimbledon singles title with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory over Andy Roddick.

Week 5, '04 Dubai Tennis Championships | March 1, 2004

With his 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Feliciano López at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Federer nabbed his first ATP singles title as the world's top-ranked player.

Week 0, '04 Australian Open | Jan. 26, 2004

By defeating Marat Safin in straight sets to win the Australian Open, Federer surpassed Andy Roddick as the world's No. 1-ranked player in the Feb. 2 rankings.

Published Aug 4, 2008

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