Roger Federer, arguably the world’s greatest tennis player of all time, is the ideal role model for young, aspiring tennis players. His achievements, spanning a little over a decade and a half, have not come easy. Sheer tenacity, determination and skill; have seen him climb the ladder of success, one rung at a time.

Roger holds several world records, including the World No.1 position for 302 weeks, staying at the top for 237 weeks at a stretch. He is currently ranked World No.3 by the ATP and has been ranked within the Top 10 for since 2002.

He has to his credit 17 Grand Slam Singles titles, reaching each Grand Slam Final at least 5 times, an all time record. He has reached the Wimbledon Finals nine times, having won it seven times. Roger has performed exceedingly well at the Australian Open with four titles and the US Open with 5 titles.

Federer’s versatility has been well summarized by Jimmy Connors: “In an era of specialists, you’re either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist… or you’re Roger Federer”. Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his speed, agility and tremendous shot making. Primarily a baseline player, he is also comfortable at the net, being one of the best volleyers in the game today.

His powerful backhand smash, half-volley and jump smash (slam dunk), make him a formidable player. John McEnroe has referred to Federer’s forehand as “the greatest shot in our sport”. Federer is also known for his efficient and swift movements on the court, displaying great footwork.

Federer has a strong single-handed backhand shot and uses the ‘slice’ to draw his opponent to the net, after which he delivers a game winning passing shot. A big serving player, Federer has an incredible top-spin and a ‘flick’ backhand that uses his wrist power to generate pace. Over the years, Federer mastered the drop-shot, using it often for a winner. He sometimes uses between-the-legs shot, which is colloquially referred to as a “tweener” or “hotdog”.

Federer currently plays with a prototype Wilson 98 square inch tennis racquet. Previously, he used a Pro Staff 6.1 90 BLX tennis racquet, which is characterized by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 364 grams, and thin beam of 17.5 millimeters. His grip size was 4 3/8 inches. When asked about string tensions, Federer stated:

“this depends on how warm the days are and with what kind of balls I play and against who I play. So you can see — it depends on several factors and not just the surface; the feeling I have is most important”.

Roger Federer still has a lot of tennis left in him. His high level of fitness and the hunger to still win and excel on the court, is testimony to his true sportsmanship. As he continues to win Grand Slams at will, there will be little doubt about officially crowning him, “The world’s greatest tennis player ever”, until such time there is a worthy contender to the title.

Source: A glance at the legends legacy in Tennis