Roger Federer’s last years were very complicated due to a serious knee injury. The former world number 1 had his first knee surgery in 2016, just after losing the Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic. The former Swiss champion was due to return to action during the summer to play the Wimbledon Championships and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but decided to skip the second part of 2016 to take good care of his knee and be ready for the next season.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to action in Australia in 2017, achieving one of the most incredible and memorable feats of his legendary career. Thanks to a simply amazing run, Roger won the Australian Open by playing a magnificent tennis and defeating his eternal rival Rafael Nadal in one of the most iconic finals of the modern era.
The Swiss – who was back by a break in the fifth set – made a truly extraordinary comeback before celebrating one of the most valuable titles of his entire career. The King did not win a Major title at Wimbledon 2012 and that success was of enormous significance. 2017 would have given him many other satisfactions in the following months: the Swiss Maestro also won Indian Wells, Miami, Halle, Wimbledon, Shanghai and Basel. After a truly exceptional 2017 from all points of view, Federer won the last Major title of his career at the 2018 Australian Open, defeating Croatian ace Marin Cilic in the final after a five-set battle.
An unforgettable win
All fans and professionals agree that the 2017 Australian Open triumph is one of the most iconic in the career of the Swiss legend. In a long interview with Eurosport, his former coach Ivan Ljubicic recalled that amazing win in Melbourne seven years ago: “I am very proud and happy for what he did in that Australian Open final against Nadal because he was 1-3 down in the fifth set. Coming back and winning that match was very special for me. It was the most emotional moment I’ve experienced as a coach, and I believe also for Roger as a player. After that, the story continued, and we know that Novak won more than the rest, but that tournament was very important.
What do I remember about Roger? The details, the excellence in everything he did. Preparing interviews, warm-ups, dinners… he was deeply involved in everything he did. Many times I realized I didn’t know what to tell him because he was perfect. However, we also had difficult moments mentally. Everyone thinks everything is easy for Roger, but we went through challenging times.”
The collaboration between Federer and Ljubicic – who had been rivals for many years – began in early 2016 after the Swiss split from Swedish legend Stefan Edberg. Roger had hired Edberg to change some of his game’s expectations after the bad results in 2013, which was perhaps the worst season of his career.
In the same conversation, ‘Ljubo’ opened up on the beginning of his partnership with Roger: “I was working in London with Italian television during the Masters when he invited my wife and me to dinner. He asked me if I would be interested in working with him. It surprised me a lot because I didn’t know that Stefan Edberg was going to leave. I said yes, of course. That’s when we started discussing goals. He asked me if I thought he could still win a Grand Slam because it had been four years since his last win. ‘Certainly,’ I replied. I also mentioned that I wasn’t signing up to win just one Grand Slam; I wanted to win several.”
Federer’s legacy remains unmatched
The former world number 1 had his last chance to win a Grand Slam title at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, when he came just one point short of triumph in the amazing final against Nole Djokovic on the iconic Centre Court. After that atrocious defeat, the physical problems began to hit the Swiss ace who was no longer at the top of his form. The King played his last major at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz and even suffering a bagel in the third set.
Almost all the records of the legend from Basel have been broken by Rafa Nadal and Nole Djokovic in recent years. Rafa reached 22 Majors thanks to two achievements in 2022, while Novak won 24 Grand Slam titles and broke the all-time record of weeks at the top of the ATP ranking. Despite the numbers, Federer’s legacy remains unmatched and his impact on the sport has been something totally unique.
