Roger Federer has been the most successful man in the history of the Wimbledon Championships, yet, all could have been much different, had he lost one important match.
Early on in his tennis career, it was clear that the Swiss player was special. However, as every up-and-coming player, he felt the nerves, sometimes also maybe the pressure, and with the inexperience added, winning a first major is never easy, even for a talented player.
That happened for Federer at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, when he beat Mark Philippoussis in the final, winning 7–6(5), 6–2, 7–6(3). It was a dominant final performance by the Swiss player, who lost only one set in the whole tournament.
Still, there was one challenge who he thought could have stopped him at SW19 in 2003. In the semi-final of the tournament, Federer played against Andy Roddick, who he beste
d in three sets 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-3.
He looked back on that performance during a recent interview with Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman. Federer recently launched a new collection of his tennis rackets with Wilson, and Roddick recently switched from Babolat to the racket brand that the Swiss Maestro has been using, which prompted Weissman to ask a funny question.
“Do you think maybe one of those Wimbledon finals would have gone differently if [Roddick] had had a Wilson in his hands?”
While obviously in a light-hearted tone, knowing that the brand of the racket likely did not impact either player’s performance, the 20-time Grand Slam champion gave it a proper thought, recollecting that 2003 Wimbledon semi-final.
“I think he probably would have beaten me in the 2003 Wimbledon semis.”
“Do you think maybe one of those Wimbledon finals would have gone differently if [Roddick] had had a Wilson in his hands?”
While obviously in a light-hearted tone, knowing that the brand of the racket likely did not impact either player’s performance, the 20-time Grand Slam champion gave it a proper thought, recollecting that 2003 Wimbledon semi-final.
“I think he probably would have beaten me in the 2003 Wimbledon semis.”