NEW DELHI: Roger Federer, the legendary tennis player with 20 Grand Slam titles, was warmly greeted by the audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday evening during the US Open quarterfinal match between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen.
The Swiss icon, who retired in 2022 and played his final official match at Wimbledon the year before, acknowledged the crowd with a smile and a wave when he appeared on the stadium’s videoboards.
This marked Federer’s first appearance at the US Open venue since his retirement. He holds the record for the most consecutive US Open championships, having secured five straight titles from 2004 to 2008.
Additionally, he holds the record for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 (237) in PIF ATP Rankings history (since 1973).
During the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid final against Tomas Berdych, Federer demonstrated his keen observation skills and understanding of physics. In one rally, Federer noticed that the ball had bounced twice before Berdych made contact, a detail the chair umpire missed. Federer approached the umpire to discuss the incident.
Roger acknowledged what the umpire had to say and responded, “Yeah, I know, but the ball came bouncing at me with topspin. The only way that happens is if he pushed it down into the court first.”
The chair umpire clarified again, “It looked like he just came under it. I probably missed it, but that’s how it appeared to me, Roger.”
Roger replied, “I agree it was close, but the result was obvious—he didn’t hit it the right way. Otherwise, the ball would’ve gone up in the air.”
Despite Berdych’s strong start, winning the first set with an impressive 14 winners and only two unforced errors, Federer managed to turn the match around in the second set. The Swiss maestro broke Berdych’s serve twice and capitalized on a double fault from the Czech player to secure the set.
Berdych’s struggles continued in the third set, as he committed two more double faults, seemingly handing Federer a decisive lead at 5-3.
However, Federer encountered a hiccup while serving for the match, allowing Berdych a brief reprieve. Nonetheless, Berdych found himself in trouble again in the 12th game, facing three championship points at 0-40.
Although he managed to save all three, he ultimately succumbed to Federer’s pressure, hitting a forehand into the net to concede the match and the title to the Swiss champion.
Roger Federer’s achievements:
With 103 titles and 1,251 wins, Federer is second only to Connors’ 109 titles and 1,274 wins in the Open Era.
Remarkably, he never retired in 1,526 singles and 224 doubles matches throughout his career. Twenty-time Grand Slam champion owns all-time Grand Slam record with 369 wins and 58 QFs, as well as 10 finals, 23 SFs and 36 QFs in a row.
Federer holds tournament records for the most titles at Basel (10), Halle (10), Wimbledon (8), and ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (7).
His impressive achievements include a 41-match winning streak (2006-07), reaching 17 consecutive finals (2005-06), a 24-final winning streak (2003-05), 24 straight victories against Top 10 players (2003-05), and 65 consecutive wins on grass (2003-08).