Roger Federer holds a couple of incredible records at Majors. One of them came in his last season on the Tour in 2021. Roger entered Roland Garros after an extended break, not playing at Majors for 500 days! The Swiss overcame his knee issues and scored three wins.
He became the oldest player in the fourth round at Roland Garros and stole a massive achievement from Jimmy Connors. Namely, Federer became the only player with a Major win in 22 seasons, leaving the American on 21. Roger played his first Major matches at Roland Garros and Wimbledon 1999, failing to score a win and fixing that at the beginning of 2000.
Roger’s first Major triumph came against Michael Chang at the 2000 Australian Open. The Swiss secured the first of many victories on the most significant scene and carved his path toward tennis immortals. There were many changes in men’s tennis in the next 21 seasons, but one thing was never in doubt – Roger Federer as a Major contender.
The Swiss reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2001 and waited for two more years to claim the first Major trophy at Wimbledon 2003. Eighteen years later, the Swiss was still among the world’s leading players thanks to his points from 2019, recovering from a severe knee injury and returning to the court after 13 months in March 2021.
Roger Federer won one Major match in 22 seasons for an impressive record.
Federer secured the record with a first-round victory over Denis Istomin. Becoming the first player with 80 appearances at Majors, Roger kicked off the Parisian campaign with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 win in an hour and 33 minutes.
Playing sharp and aggressive tennis, the Swiss lost 13 points behind the initial shot and kept the pressure on the other side to control the scoreboard. Federer converted five out of 13 break opportunities and raced over the finish line for one of his quickest Roland Garros wins.
In the second round, Roger beat his old rival Marin Cilic 6-2, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in two hours and 35 minutes for a place in the third round. Federer earned the tenth victory over Cilic in 11 encounters and the fifth in a row, all at notable tournaments.
The Swiss fired 16 aces and suffered three breaks from eight chances offered to the Croat while converting five opportunities on the return that sent him through. Roger fired 47 winners and 27 unforced errors to tame his strokes nicely, prevailing in the third set and dominating the fourth to advance into the last 32.
Federer overpowered Dominik Koepfer in four epic sets in the third round on empty Court Philippe-Chatrier, moving into the final 16 and withdrawing to preserve his knee for the upcoming grass swing.
