Indoor tennis courts at the University of Bath, England

A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.

Dimensions[link]

The dimensions of a tennis court.

Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually of grass, clay, concrete (hard court) or a synthetic suspended court. The court is 23.78 meters (78 feet) long, 10.97 meters (36 feet) wide. Its width is 8.23 meters (27 feet) for singles matches and 10.97 meters (36 feet) for doubles matches.^[1] The service line is 6.40 meters (21 feet) from the net.^[1] Additional clear space around the court is needed in order for players to reach overrun balls for a total of 18.3 meters (60 feet) wide and 36.7 meters (120 feet) long. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 1.07 meters (3 feet 6 inches) high at the posts, and 0.914 meters (3 feet) high in the center.^[2]

Orientation[link]

A North/South orientation is generally desirable for outdoor courts to avoid background glare at dawn or dusk. Orientation also should take into consideration other structures and features on the site, neighbouring property, vehicle and pedestrian traffic and prevailing winds. Topography of the site and efficient site utilization should be considered as well.

Types of tennis courts[link]

There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and carpet courts. Each playing surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. The ITF (International Tennis Federation) lists different surfaces and properties on its website and awards five pace settings from category 5 (fast) to category 1 (slow).

Of the Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open and Australian Open use hardcourts (though both used grass courts in the past, and the US Open used clay courts from 1975 through 1977), the French Open is played on clay (though it too was played on grass before 1928), and Wimbledon has always been played on grass.

Clay courts[link]

Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone, or brick. The French Open uses clay courts, unlike the other three Grand Slam tournaments.

Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when compared to grass courts or hard courts. For this reason, the clay court takes away lot of advantage of big serves, which makes it hard for serve-based players to dominate on the surface. Clay courts are cheaper to construct than other types of tennis courts, but the maintenance costs of a clay surface are higher than those of hard courts. Clay courts need to be rolled to preserve flatness. The clay's water content must be balanced; green courts generally require the courts to be sloped to allow water run-off.

Clay courts are more common in Europe and Latin America than in North America and tend to heavily favor baseline players.

Grass courts[link]

Grass court maintenance at Wimbledon.

Grass courts are the fastest type of courts in common use (AstroTurf is faster but is primarily used only for personal courts). They consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil, which adds additional variables: bounces depend on how healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mown, and the wear and tear of recent play. Points are usually very quick where fast, low bounces keep rallies short, and the serve plays a more important role than on other surfaces. Grass courts tend to favour serve-and-volley tennis players, such as John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg among men and Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotná among women. The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., comprises grass courts. The surface is less firm and more slippery than hard courts, causing the ball to slide and bounce lower, and so players must reach the ball faster. Serve-and-volley players take advantage of the surface by serving the ball (usually a slice serve because of its effectiveness on grass) and then running to the net to cut off the return of serve, leaving their opponent with little time to reach the low-bouncing, fast-moving ball. Players often hit flatter shots to increase power and allow the ball to travel faster before and after the ball hits the ground.

In 2001, Wimbledon organizers had changed the grass to 100% perennial rye in addition to changing to a harder and denser soil with both providing for a higher bounce to the ball.^[3] Grass court specialist Tim Henman spoke out against this change in 2002, stating "What on earth is going on here? I'm on a grass court and it's the slowest court I've played on this year".^[4] As a result, serving and volleying has become rare at Wimbledon and dominant baseliners such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams have won many titles.

Grass courts were once among the most common tennis surfaces, but are now rare due to high maintenance costs, as they must be watered and mown often, and take a longer time to dry after rain than hard courts. The grass surface, however, is the most compatible with the human body because of its softness. For a more extensive discussion of the skills most advantageous on grass court, see grass-court specialist. Currently Wimbledon is the only grand slam played on grass.

Hard courts[link]

Historic "field club" tennis courts in Nicosia, Cyprus

Hard courts are made of uniform rigid material, offering greater consistency of bounce than other outdoor surfaces. Hard courts can vary in speed, although they are faster than clay but not as fast as grass courts. The quantity of sand added to the paint can greatly affect the rate at which the ball slows down.^[5] Hard courts are generally more equalizing than clay or grass in terms of playing style, although they favor harder-hitting baseliners and all-court styles with the current equipment. The US Open is played on an acrylic hard court, while the Australian Open is played on a synthetic hard court. The main difference between a synthetic hard court and a true hard court surface is the level of hardness. When the ball bounces on this surface it is faster than all other surfaces if there is not much sand in the top paint. The amount of sand used in the top paint and the size of the sand also determines the speed – more sand means less speed and larger sand particles will slow the speed of play. The amount of friction can also be altered and more friction will produce a clay court effect, where topspin is magnified. The extra grip and friction will resist the sliding effect of the ball and the resistance will force the ball to change its rotation. Although hard courts are the least expensive to maintain, they are generally more rough on the human body than other surfaces due to their rigidity.

Carpet courts[link]

Carpet is a tennis term for any removable court covering. A short form of artificial turf weighted with sand is common in Asia. Indoor arenas store rolls of rubber-backed court surfacing and install it temporarily for tennis events, however they are not in use any more for professional events. Carpet is generally a fast surface (more than hardcourt), with low bounce.

Indoor courts[link]

Hard courts are most common indoors. Slower, higher bouncing rubberized surfaces are used for a cushioned feel. Clay courts are installed indoors with underground watering systems. Barnstorming professionals played on canvas laid over wooden basketball courts up to the 1960s. For information about the original indoor tennis and tennis courts see real tennis and history of tennis.

Smaller courts[link]

The ITF campaign Play and Stay (now adopted by the United States Tennis Association, USTA, under the "10 and Under Tennis Program") aims to increase tennis participation worldwide, by improving the way children are introduced to the game. The campaign promotes playing on smaller courts with slower red, orange and green balls. This gives children more time and control so that they can serve, rally and score (play the game) from the first lesson on courts that are sized to fit their bodies. Furthermore, with agreement by the USTA, the ITF has mandated that official competition for children under 10 years of age should be played on courts 60' long by 21' wide. Competition for children under 8 years is played on courts that are 36' long and 18' wide.^[6]

Terminology[link]

Common tennis court terms:

• Ad court (short for "advantage court"): the left side of the receiving team, the right side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side for an Ad point.
• Alley (Tramlines): the zone between the single court and the doubles court, one on the Ad side, one on the Deuce side. These are only used when playing doubles.
• Back court ('No man's land'): the area between the baseline and the service line. It is not recommended to play in this area because this is where balls usually bounce.
• Baseline: The line dividing the "out" area from the "in" area made up of the back line of the back court and the small back side of the alleys.
• Center service line: The line dividing the two service boxes.
• Center niblet: The 12-inch mark at the halfway point of the baseline used to distinguish the two halves (and service boxes) of a tennis court.
• Deuce service box or deuce court: the right side of the receiving team, the left side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side for a deuce point.
• Middle T: See T.
• Service box: is made up of the singles boundary and the closest line that runs parallel with the net. There is a left and right service box that is divided by the line running down the center of the court.
• Service line: the line that is parallel to the net and is located between the baseline and the net. It marks the end of the service boxes.
• Side T: The T shape formed by the service line and the sideline. There are four such side Ts, two on each side of the net.
• T or Middle T: The T shape formed by the service line and the center service line.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tennis Court Directory
• List of U.S. tennis courts
• Tennis Glossary

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Bernard Tomic

Bernard Tomic at the 2011 Australian Open.
Country	Australia
Residence	Gold Coast, Australia
Born	(1992-10-21) 21 October 1992 (age 19) Stuttgart, Germany
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight	91 kg (200 lb)[1]
Turned pro	2008
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	$880,948
Singles
Career record	34–31
Highest ranking	No. 28 (21 May 2012)
Current ranking	No. 28 (21 May 2012)[2]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	4R (2012)
French Open	2R (2012)
Wimbledon	QF (2011)
US Open	2R (2011)
Other tournaments
Doubles
Career record	1–5
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 767 (3 October 2011)
Current ranking	No. 768 (1 November 2011)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2010)
US Open	1R (2011)
Mixed Doubles
Career record	1–4
Career titles	0
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2012)
Last updated on: 21 January 2012.

Bernard Tomic (Croatian: Bernard Tomić; born 21 October 1992) is an Australian professional tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Tomic is the highest ranked Australian male tennis player and the youngest player in the top 219.^[2] The highlight of Tomic's career thus far has been a quarterfinal appearance at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, which included a straight sets third round victory over the world Number 5 ranked player, Robin Söderling, before losing in four sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Personal life[link]

Tomic was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on 21 October 1992.^[3] Tomic's parents, John (Ivica) and Ady (Adisa), left Croatia, then a part of Yugoslavia,^[4] several years before his birth.^[5] In an interview, Tomic stated that his parents "have a Croatian background".^[6] Other sources, such The Australian and The Guardian, have written that Tomic's parents are also of Bosnian heritage.^[7][8] They were both working in Germany when Tomic was born. The family migrated to Queensland, Australia when Tomic was three years old.^[9] His younger sister, Sara, is a junior tennis player.^[10]

Junior career[link]

In 2004 and 2006 respectively, Tomic won the 12s and 14s Orange Bowl titles – one of the most prestigious events on the junior tour.^[11]

Playing his first singles event on the junior tour in 2006, he successfully qualified for the Sunsmart 18 and Under Canterbury Championships and went on to win the title, defeating Dae-Soung Oh of Korea 6–3, 6–2 in the final. His success continued, winning the next three tournaments he played in (one of which was also an 18 and under tournament), giving him a 25 match winning streak. Tomic was able to extend this streak to 26 at the Riad 21 junior tournament in Morocco before falling in the round of 16.^[12]

Tomic did not win another tournament until August 2007, where he won the Oceania Closed Junior Championships without dropping a set. He was unable to continue his dominance at the Junior US Open, falling in the Round of 16. Following the US Open, Tomic picked up a second title in 2007 by winning the G1 in Kentucky. Tomic would then travel to Italy where he compiled an undefeated record in the Junior Davis Cup. Tomic lead Australia to winning the Junior Davis Cup final against Argentina with teammates Mark Verryth and Alex Sanders. Tomic finished 2007 with a junior world ranking of 23.^[13]

Tomic began 2008 by winning Nottinghill, an Australian ITF Junior event in Melbourne without dropping a set. Two days later he started his campaign for the Australian Open Juniors title as the 5th seed. Tomic went on to win defeating the 25th, 11th, 8th and 1st seed before beating 10th seed Tsung-Hua Yang of Taiwan 4–6, 7–6, 6–0 in the final.^[14] His win made him the youngest winner of the Australian Open Junior Boys' Championships in the Open Era.^[15]

Four months later, at Roland Garros, Tomic, the number one seed, fell in the quarter finals to Guido Pella of Argentina, losing 6–7, 3–6. At Wimbledon, Tomic was again the number one seed, but fell in the semi-finals to Henri Kontinen 7–6, 6–4. In a notable quarter final match, Tomic played another rising star, Henrique Cunha of Brazil, and came through victorious in three sets 4–6, 6–4, 6–3. Tomic also finished runner-up in the Wimbledon Junior Boys' Doubles Championships with fellow Australian junior Matt Reid.

At the 2008 US Open (Boys' Singles), Tomic lost in the first round to Devin Britton of the United States in three sets.

At the 2009 Roland Garros he once again reached the quarter finals in the boy's single tournament and later once again reached the semi finals at Wimbledon. At the 2009 US Open (Boys' Singles), however, Tomic won the junior grandslam title, defeating Chase Buchanan of the United States 6–1, 6–3.

Junior singles titles (8)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
1.	14 February 2006	Wellington	Hard	Oh Dae-Soung	6–3, 6–2
2.	17 February 2006	Adelaide	Hard	Hiroki Moriya	6–3, 6–3
3.	6 March 2006	Gosford	Hard	Jared Easton	6–3, 6–2
4.	19 August 2007	Lautoka	Hard	Brendan Mckenzie	6–3, 6–4
5.	10 September 2007	Kentucky	Hard	Jarmere Jenkins	6–2, 6–3
6.	12 January 2008	Nottinghill	Hard	Bradley Klahn	6–3, 7–6(10–8)
7.	20 January 2008	Australian Open	Hard	Yang Tsung-Hua	4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–0
8.	31 August 2009	US Open	Hard	Chase Buchanan	6–1, 6–3

Professional career[link]

This biographical section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2012)

2008[link]

Bernard Tomic began 2008 at the Australian Open. He was given a place in the qualifiers where he played Yeu-Tzuoo Wang of Chinese Taipei in the first round. He ended up victorious, 4–6, 7–6, 7–5, however he was easily eliminated in the next round by American Prakash Amritraj 3–6, 2–6 in the second round.

He played in the Australia F4 tournament in March. In the first round, he defeated Tom Rushby of Great Britain 7–5, 7–6. He was again eliminated in the second round after Australia's Adam Feeney defeated him 3–6, 4–6.

After not getting past the second round in any of his tournaments so far, the then 15 year old Tomic had his breakthrough at the Indonesia F2 tournament in August. He beat Kittipong Wachiramanowong of Thailand 6–0, 7–6 in the first round. Hsien-Yin Peng of Chinese Taipei was eliminated by Tomic in the second round 6–1, 6–4. He won his quarter-final against Thailand's Peerakiat Siriluethaiwattana 6–3, 6–3. He advanced to the final without conceding a single set after defeating Kento Takeuchi of Japan 6–3, 6–1 in the semi-final. Japan's Yuichi Sugita ended his dream run, with Tomic losing 3–6, 7–6, 3–6 in the final.

He was involved in serious controversy in the Australia F12 tournament in December. He defeated fellow Australian James O'Brien 6–2, 6–1 in the first round. He met another Australian, Marinko Matosevic, in the second round. Tomic lost the first set 2–6 and when he was down 1–3 in the second set, Tomic walked off the court. In March 2009, the ITF suspended Tomic from playing ITF professional tournaments for a month.

2009[link]

Bernard Tomic's first ATP Tour win, against Potito Starace at the 2009 Australian Open

Bernard Tomic in 2009 at Brisbane

Towards the end of 2008, Tomic stated that he would no longer compete in junior tournaments and focus solely on senior tournaments. In 2009, Tomic was given a wildcard into his first ATP event, the Brisbane International, where he lost to Fernando Verdasco in the first round, 6–4, 6–2. Bernard was granted a wildcard into the 2009 Australian Open and drew Potito Starace in round 1. He won the match, 7–6, 1–6, 7–6, 7–6, saving two set points in the 4th set tiebreak. He became the youngest ever male tennis player to win a senior Australian Open Grand Slam match. In the second round he lost to Gilles Müller 6–3, 1–6, 4–6, 2–6. He also played mixed doubles at the event with fellow 16-year-old Australian Monika Wejnert, losing to the Canadian pairing of Aleksandra Wozniak and Daniel Nestor in the first round 3–6, 2–6.

Tomic received wildcards into Australian Challenger tournaments in Burnie and Melbourne held in February. He reached the quarter-finals of Burnie before winning his first Challenger title in Melbourne.

Tomic earned a wildcard to the 2009 French Open but lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round, 1–6, 2–6, 2–6. Following the defeat Tomic decided to return to the junior tour to contest the Grand Slam tournaments in an attempt to hone his craft. Tomic reached the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros Juniors.

Tomic lost in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying to Édouard Roger-Vasselin. He contested the Junior tournament and made it to the semi-finals before being beaten by Andrey Kuznetsov.

Leading up to the US Open Tomic entered two ATP challenger qualifying tournaments in Vancouver and New York respectively in an attempt to receive a US Open wildcard. Tomic was unable to qualify for the main draw of either challenger tournament. Tomic won the 2009 US Open Juniors title by defeating Chase Buchanan in the final 6–1, 6–3.

In December 2009, Tomic lost in the final of the Australian open wildcard playoffs. He finished the year as the World No. 286.^[16]

2010[link]

Tomic started 2010 with participation at the 2010 Brisbane International where he lost in the first round to qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr.. Even though he lost at the wildcard playoff, he was granted a main draw wildcard at the 2010 Australian Open. Tomic took part in an exhibition match at the AAMI Classic in Kooyong, Melbourne against the World No. 3 Novak Djokovic. Tomic won the match 6–4, 3–6, 7–5. In the 2010 Australian Open Tomic played Guillaume Rufin in the first round and won in straight sets, 6–3 6–4 6–4. He played perhaps his most high-profile match up to that point against 14th seed Marin Čilić in the 2nd round, where he produced the match of his short career. After a tight five-set battle, in which Tomic had several opportunities to win the match, Cilic won 6–7, 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4.

In February, Tomic entered the Burnie Challenger tournament in Tasmania and won the event defeating Greg Jones 6–4 6–2 in the final after coming through the qualifying draw. His ranking rose to World No. 208 for a new career high. At the start of March, Tomic was selected to play singles for the Australian Davis Cup Team. He won both his matches in the tie against Chinese Taipei; defeating Yang Tsung-hua 6–2, 6–1, 6–1 and Lee Hsin-han 6–7, 6–0, 6–3. He competed at the 2010 Tennis Napoli Cup as a Wildcard but lost to Paolo Lorenzi in the first round in straight sets 6–2, 6–4. Tomic's next tournament was the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters where he lost in the first round to the unseeded German Benjamin Becker 6–4 6–2. He then received a wildcard at the 2010 Zagreb Open but lost to Michael Yani in the first round.

He then reached the Semifinals of the Challenger event, 2010 Trofeo Paolo Corazzi cruising through the semi-finals but lost to Marius Copil in tight match. He was awarded a wildcard at the 2010 AEGON Championships and upset 15th seed Andreas Seppi 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 in the first round, but lost in the second round to Belgium's Xavier Malisse 2–6, 6–3, 2–6. Tomic won 3 qualifying matches to reach the main draw of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. This is the first time he has earnt a place in a grandslam, having received wildcards on his three previous occasions. He lost in the first round to Mardy Fish 3–6, 6–7, 2–6. He then entered the 2010 US Open qualifiers but lost in the second round to Noam Okun 6–1, 3–6, 2–6. He then made it through the second round of 2010 Chang-Sat Bangkok Open a Challenger event as a qualifier losing to Konstantin Kravchuk 6–3, 6–1. His next tournament is the 2010 Chang-SAT Bangkok 2 Open where he lost to Danai Udomchoke 4–6, 2–6 in the first round. He then entered the 2010 Proton Malaysian Open as a Wildcard but lost David Ferrer 3–6, 4–6 in the first round. In December 2010, Tomic withdrew from the Australian Open Wild Card Play Offs due to illness, despite training the next day. Tomic finished the year at a career high singles ranking of World No. 208.

2011[link]

Tomic began his 2011 season at the Brisbane International where he was given a main draw wild card. However, he lost to Florian Mayer in the first round 6–2, 6–2. At the Medibank International in Sydney, despite taking the first set against Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, Tomic eventually lost his first round match 6–7, 6–1, 6–2. His performance in Sydney also earned him the final discretionary wildcard into the main draw of the Australian Open.

In Melbourne, Tomic matched his two prior Open performances when he defeated Jérémy Chardy 6–3, 6–2, 7–6 in the first round. He then recorded back-to-back main draw wins for the first time in his career when he defeated the 31st seed Feliciano López 7–6, 7–6, 6–3. In a much anticipated night match, Tomic lost to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the 3rd round 2–6, 5–7, 3–6, despite having led 4–0 in the second set.^[17] In February, Tomic competed in the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where he was given a main draw wild card.^[18] In the first round, Tomic defeated Indian qualifier Rohan Bopanna in three sets 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 to reach the second round of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time. He faced sixteenth seeded Serbian, Viktor Troicki in the second round where he lost 4–6, 4–6. Tomic was granted a main draw wild card for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, losing in the first round to Pablo Andujar.

At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, Tomic upset the 28th seeded Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–3, 7–5 in the first round. In the second round, he came back from two sets to love down to beat another Russian, Igor Andreev 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 6–1. He then caused the upset of the tournament by stunning 5th seeded and two-time Grand Slam finalist Robin Söderling. He defeated the Swede 6–1, 6–4, 7–5 to advance to the fourth round. Tomic defeated Xavier Malisse in three sets 6–1, 7–5, 6–4 to advance to the quarter finals, becoming the youngest player since Boris Becker in 1986 to reach the quarter finals at Wimbledon.^[19] Tomic was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion, Novak Djokovic 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5.^[20] With this showing, Tomic moved 87 places up in the ATP rankings, to number 71 in the world.^[21]

Tomic won his first round match against Lu Yen-hsun 7–6, 6–3 at the Rogers Cup before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–3, 7–6 in the second round.^[22]

Tomic earned direct entry into the US Open, and in the first round defeated Michael Yani 6–3, 6–4, 6–4. He lost in the second round 6–1, 6–0, 6–2 to Marin Cilic.

Tomic then returned home to Australia to compete in the 2011 Davis Cup World Group Play-offs against Switzerland. He defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 in the opening match at Royal Sydney Golf Club, but lost his second match, to World No. 3 Roger Federer 2–6, 5–7, 6–3, 3–6.

Tomic then competed at the 2011 Proton Malaysian Open but lost 2–6, 2–6 in the first round to Flavio Cipolla. Tomic's next event was the 2011 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. He upset the fifth seed, Victor Troicki in straight sets, 7–6, 7–6 in the first round and defeated Japanese wildcard Tatsuma Ito in the second round 6–7, 6–1, 7–5 before losing to fourth seed Mardy Fish 7–6, 4–6, 1–6 in the quarterfinals. Tomic achieved a new career high singles ranking of World No. 49.

Tomic then competed at the 2011 If Stockholm Open. He defeated qualifier, Jürgen Zopp 7–6, 4–6, 6–0 in the first round but lost to Gael Monfils in the second round 4–6, 7–6, 4–6.

2012[link]

Tomic began his 2012 ATP World Tour season at the Brisbane International. In the first round, despite trailing a break in the final set, Tomic bounced back and defeated Julien Benneteau 6–2, 4–6, 7–5. In the second round, he breezed past the Japanese qualifier Tatsuma Ito in straight sets 6–1, 6–2. He was then victorious over Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in straight sets 6–3, 7–6. He then played world Number 4 and top seed, Andy Murray, in his maiden semi-final on the ATP tour. Murray defeated Tomic in straight sets 6–3, 6–2.

After the Brisbane International, Tomic took part in the AAMI Classic seeded eighth. In the first round, he defeated World Numner 7 and second seed Tomáš Berdych 4–6, 6–3, 6–4. Tomic's semifinal match was with the fifth seed and last year's finalist Gaël Monfils, which was to be their second encounter. Tomic went on to defeat Mardy Fish 6–4, 3–6, 7–5 to win the tournament.

In the first round of the 2012 Australian Open, Tomic defeated Fernando Verdasco in 4 hours and 11 minutes, coming from two sets down, with a score of 4–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–2, 7–5.^[23] Tomic defeated Sam Querrey and Alexandr Dolgopolov in the next two rounds, however, Tomic was defeated by Roger Federer in the fourth round 6–4, 6–2, 6–2.

At the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tomic was seeded eight and in the first round was drawn to play Ivan Dodig. Tomic lost the match, 7–5, 4–6, 6–7. Tomic had two match points but lost them. At the 2012 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships Tomic was seeded 8th and made the quarter finals losing to top seed John Isner 3–6, 2–6.

Tomic then moved onto the BNP Paribas Open, held at Indian Wells. Tomic played Gilles Muller but lost 6–4, 6–7, 0–6. At the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open Tomic defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky 7–6, 6–3 but lost in the second round to world number 5 David Ferrer 4–6, 4–6. At the Monte Carlo Masters Tomic advanced to the second round of a clay court event for the first time, defeating Denis Istomin in straight sets 6–4, 6–3. He then faced Alexandr Dolgopolov but lost in three sets 2–6, 7–5, 1–6. Bernard Tomic defeated Ernests Gulbis at the Barcelona Open 6–3, 6–4 before losing the second round to Albert Montanes 0–6, 7–5, 5–7. Tomic then entered the BMW Open in Munich, advancing to the quarter finals with wins over Olivier Rochus and Potito Starace. He lost his quarter final encounter 4–6, 2-6 against Feliciano Lopez.

In his first ever match at the Madrid Open, Tomic lost to Radek Stepanek 2–6, 7–5 in the first round. He played the qualifer Santiago Giraldo in his first round match at the Rome Masters, winning 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. Bernard then faced Novak Djokovic in the second round, losing 3-6, 3-6.

Davis Cup[link]

Tomic made his Davis Cup debut for Australia in Melbourne against Chinese Taipei in 2010. In the first rubber of the tie Tomic would defeat Yang Tsung-hua 6–2, 6–1, 6–1. In the fifth rubber he picked up another victory over Lee Hsin-han 6–7, 6–0, 6–3. Tomic was called back into the team in July 2011 for the tie against China. Following a shock loss in the first round Tomic drew Australia level in the second rubber of the tie against Zhang Ze 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4. Tomic's reverse singles match was cancelled due to Australia winning the tie 3–1.

In September 2011 at the Davis Cup World Group Playoffs Tomic pulled off the biggest scalp of his Davis Cup career to date by defeating the then 19th ranked Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets. Tomic was then given the chance to play his childhood hero in the reverse singles rubber. He was able to take a set off the then world ranked number 3 and 16 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer but eventually lost the match in four sets and in doing so incurred the first loss of his Davis Cup career. Prior to the commencement of the 2012 ATP season Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt both committed to the Davis Cup team for all ties in a bid to re-enter the world group. In the second rubber of the first zonal tie against China, Tomic was victorious against Wu Di 6–4, 7–6, 6–3.

Controversies[link]

In 2009, the International Tennis Federation suspended Tomic from playing ITF professional tournaments for a month after he walked off court in a game against Marinko Matosevic in a Perth Futures tournament in December 2008. Tomic was ordered to walk off the court by his father, who repeatedly accused officials of not taking action against Matosevic's alleged foot faults.^[24][25]

In September 2009, reports began to surface about Tomic's team rejecting an invitational practice session with Lleyton Hewitt during the middle Sunday of Wimbledon.^[26] Hewitt's manager David Drysdale stated:

We turned up and saw the Tomics around and we thought 'oh, maybe they got our message, and they were there to hit with Lleyton'. So Ivan (Gutierrez, Hewitt's physio) went over to Bernard's trainer at the time, Rudy (Sopko) and said 'Is Bernard here to hit?'. Rudy knew nothing of it but said 'Look, Bernard's looking for a practice partner and I think Bernard would like to do it', but then the agent came in and said, 'No, he's not hitting with Lleyton, Lleyton's not good enough'. They were his words: 'Lleyton's not good enough' and we just about dropped on the spot. We were pretty dumbfounded. Lleyton just could not believe it, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got about it."^[27]

Tomic's team cited Hewitt's different playing style as the reason for turning down the practice offer.^[27] He was later seen requesting for a practice hit with former World Number 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, but was subsequently turned down. A few weeks later Tomic revealed that he was forced to turn away the opportunity due to his own infection with swine flu. He further denied any approach to Ferrero as an alternative hitting partner, despite the Spanish tennis player's claim.^[28][29]

In January 2010 The Australian newspaper reported that Tomic's father had threatened to quit Australia and have him play for Croatia. According to the paper, this threat was made during a heated argument between Tomic's father and the Australian Open Tournament Director, Craig Tiley, after Tomic's loss to Marin Čilić.^[30]

Professional career Finals[link]

Singles: 4 (2–2)[link]

ATP finals: 0 (0 titles, 0 runner-ups)[link]

Challenger and Futures Finals: two titles, two runner-ups[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1.	02008-08-1010 August 2008	Balikpapan, Indonesia	Hard	Yuichi Sugita	3–6, 7–6(8–6), 3–6
Winner	2.	02009-03-011 March 2009	Melbourne, Australia	Hard	Marinko Matosevic	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Winner	3.	02010-02-077 February 2010	Burnie, Australia	Hard	Greg Jones	6–4, 6–2
Runner-up	4.	02011-02-1313 February 2011	Caloundra, Australia	Hard	Grega Žemlja	6–7(4–7), 3–6

Singles performance timeline[link]

Key

Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).

Current through the 2012 French Open.

References[link]

External links[link]

Tennis portal

• Bernard Tomic at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Bernard Tomic official website
• Bernard Tomic profile on Tennis Australia
• Bernard Tomic profile on ITF
• Bernard Tomic Video on YouTube

v t e Association of Tennis Professionals: Top ten Australian male singles tennis players, as of May 14, 2012 Bernard Tomic (32 1) Matthew Ebden (69 1) Marinko Matosevic (92 13) James Duckworth (167 1) Lleyton Hewitt (178 1) Benjamin Mitchell (231 5) Greg Jones (261 17) Matt Reid (264 1) Carsten Ball (290 1) John Patrick Smith (300 36)

Roger Federer Federer at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships Country  Switzerland Residence Bottmingen, Switzerland Born (1981-08-08) 8 August 1981 (age 30) Binningen, Switzerland Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Turned pro 1998[1] Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) Career prize money $ 70,658,944 Singles Career record 841–190 (81.57% in ATP (World) Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) Career titles 74 (ATP World Tour and Grand Slam) (4th in the Open Era) Highest ranking No. 1 (2 February 2004) Current ranking No. 3 (28 May 2012) Grand Slam Singles results Australian Open W (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010) French Open W (2009) Wimbledon W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) US Open W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) Other tournaments Tour Finals W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011) Olympic Games 4th place (losing bronze-finalist) (2000) Doubles Career record 119–78 (60% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) Career titles 8 (ATP World Tour and Grand Slam) Highest ranking No. 24 (9 June 2003) Current ranking No. 1263 (19 March 2012) Grand Slam Doubles results Australian Open 3R (2003) French Open 1R (2000) Wimbledon QF (2000) US Open 3R (2002) Other Doubles tournaments Olympic Games Gold Medal (2008) Last updated on: 26 March 2012. Olympic medal record Competitor for  Switzerland Men's Tennis Gold 2008 Beijing Doubles

Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdəʁɐ]) (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP No. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks from 2 February 2004 to 18 August 2008.^[2] Federer has occupied the #1 ranking for 285 overall weeks, one week short of the record 286 weeks held by Pete Sampras. As of 28 May 2012, he is ranked World No. 3. Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles. He is one of seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam and one of three (with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal) to do so on three different surfaces (clay, grass, and hard courts). He is the only male player in tennis history to have reached the title match of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times and also the final at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men's record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, the lone exception being the 2008 Australian Open. He holds the record of reaching the semifinals or better of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments over five and a half years, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open.^[10] At the 2012 Australian Open, he reached a record 31st consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. During the course of his run at the 2012 French Open in Roland Garros, Federer eclipsed Jimmy Connors long standing record of 233 match wins in Grand Slam tournaments when he defeated Adrian Ungur in a second round match.

Federer has won a record six ATP World Tour Finals and 20 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments. He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. He spent eight years (2003–2010) continuously in the top 2 in the year-end rankings and nine (2003–2011) in the Top 3, also a record among male players. His rivalry with Rafael Nadal is considered one of the greatest of all time in the sport. Federer is greatly respected by fans and by fellow players alike as shown by the fact that he has won the ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favorite Award a record nine consecutive times (2003–2011) and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (which is voted for by the players themselves) a record seven times overall and six times consecutively (2004–2009, 2011). Federer also won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2006. In 2011, he was voted the second most trusted and respected person in the world, second only to Nelson Mandela.^[11][12]

As a result of Federer's successes in tennis, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four consecutive years (2005–2008)^[13] and in 2012 he topped a list of the "100 greatest tennis players of all time" (male or female) by Tennis Channel.^[14] He is often referred to as the Federer Express^[15] or abbreviated to Fed Express, or FedEx, the Swiss Maestro,^[15] or simply Maestro.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Personal life[link]

Childhood and early life[link]

Federer was born in Binningen, Arlesheim near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette Durand.^[19] He holds both Swiss and South African citizenships.^[20] He grew up in nearby Münchenstein, close to the French and German borders and speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently, Swiss German being his native language.^[19][21][22] He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome.^[23] Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his military obligation.^[24] Federer himself also credits the range of sports he played as a child—he also played badminton and basketball—for his hand-eye coordination. "I was always very much more interested if a ball was involved," he says. Most tennis prodigies, by contrast, play tennis to the exclusion of all other sports.^[25]

Marriage and family[link]

Federer's family watching him in Indian Wells, 2012.

Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. He met her while both were competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Vavrinec retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury and has since been working as Federer's public relations manager.^[26] They were married in Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family at Wenkenhof Villa (municipality of Riehen).^[27] On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.^[28]

Outreach and charitable efforts[link]

Federer supports a number of charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports.^[29][30] In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.^[31] He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006.^[32] At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP tour and WTA tour called Rally for Relief. The proceeds from the event went to the victims of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami.^[33] He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer arranged a collaboration with fellow top tennis players Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, and Sam Stosur to forgo their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a special charity event called Hit for Haiti, in which all proceeds went to Haiti earthquake victims.^[34] He was named a 2010 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in recognition of his leadership, accomplishments, and contributions to society.^[35]

Similar to the 2010 event, Hit for Haiti, Federer organized and participated in a charity match called Rally for Relief on 16 January 2011, to benefit those that were affected by the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.

Federer is currently number 31 on Forbes top 100 celebrities as of May 2012. ^[36]

Tennis career[link]

Pre-1998: Junior years[link]

Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon in 1998, where he won both the boys' singles tournament over Irakli Labadze,^[37] and in doubles teamed up with Olivier Rochus, defeating the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram.^[38] In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior tournament in 1998 to David Nalbandian. He won four ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl, where he defeated Guillermo Coria, in the finals.^[39] He ended 1998 as the junior world no. 1.

1998–2002: Early career in the ATP[link]

Federer at the 2002 US Open

Federer's first tournament as a professional was Gstaad in 1998 (12th grade), where he faced Lucas Arnold Ker in the round of 32 and lost.^[40] Federer's first final came at the Marseille Open in 2000, where he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset.^[41] Federer won the 2001 Hopman Cup representing Switzerland along with Martina Hingis. The duo defeated the American pair of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the finals. Federer's first win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter.^[41] Although he won his first ever title already in 1999 on the challenger tour, winning the doubles event in Segovia, Spain together with Dutchman Sander Groen, the finals was played on Federer´s 18th birthday. In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and at Wimbledon that same year defeated four-time defending champion Pete Sampras to reach the quarterfinals. The most prestigious event final he reached during this period was the 2002 Miami Masters event, where he lost to Andre Agassi, on hard court.^[42] In addition, Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay, over Marat Safin; the victory made him a top-10 player for the first time.^[42] Federer made 10 singles finals between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.^{[40][41][42][43][44]} He also made six finals in doubles. Of note are Federer and partner Max Mirnyi's defeat in the final of the Indian Wells Masters in 2002, and their victory in the same year in the final of the Rotterdam 500 series event. Federer had won the latter a year earlier with partner Jonas Björkman.^[42][44]

2003–2007: Breakthrough and dominance[link]

In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Mark Philippoussis.^[45] Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 event in Miami with Max Mirnyi,^[46] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 event in Rome on clay, which he lost.^[45] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.^[45] Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships over Andre Agassi.^[45]

During 2004, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles for the first time in his career and became the first person to do so since Mats Wilander in 1988. His first Grand Slam hard-court title came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin. He then won his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick.^[47] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there.^[47] Federer won three ATP Masters Series 1000 events. One was on clay in Hamburg, and the other two were on hard surfaces at Indian Wells and in Canada.^[47] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai and wrapped up the year by winning the year-end championships for the second time.^[47]

Federer during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his third consecutive title

In 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the first two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Safin and the French Open semifinal to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.^[48] However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick. At the US Open, Federer defeated Andre Agassi in the latter's last Grand Slam final.^[48] Federer also took four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard court, and Hamburg on clay.^[48] Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai.^[48] Federer lost the year-end championships to David Nalbandian in the final.^[48]

In 2006, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other, with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open. This was the two men's first meeting in a Grand Slam final.^[49] Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis,^[49] and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion).^[49] In addition, Federer made it to six ATP Masters Series 1000 finals, winning four on hard surfaces and losing two on clay to Nadal. Federer won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo and captured the year-end championships for the third time in his career.^[49]

In 2007, Federer reached all four Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of them. He won the Australian Open over Fernando González, Wimbledon over Rafael Nadal for the second time, and the US Open over Novak Djokovic. Federer lost the French Open to Nadal.^[50] Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 finals in 2007, winning the Hamburg and Cincinnati titles.^[50] Federer won one 500 series event in Dubai and won the year-end championships.^[50]

2008 to present[link]

Federer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in doubles

In 2008, Federer won one Grand Slam singles title, which came at the US Open over Briton Andy Murray.^[51] Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the French Open, and at Wimbledon, when he was going for six straight wins to break Björn Borg's record.^[51] At the Australian Open, Federer lost in the semifinals to Djokovic, which ended his record of 10 consecutive finals.^[51] Federer lost twice in Master Series 1000 finals on clay to Nadal, at Monte Carlo and Hamburg.^[51] However, Federer captured two titles in 250-level events at Estoril and Halle and one title in a 500 level event in Basel. In doubles, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won the gold medal at the Olympic Games.^[52]

External images
	Federer on the Cover of Sports Illustrated After 2009 French Open Victory

In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles, the French Open over Robin Söderling, and Wimbledon over Andy Roddick.^[53] Federer reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open, and to Juan Martín del Potro at the US Open.^[53] Federer won two more events, the first at the Madrid Masters over Nadal in the final on clay.^[53] The second was in Cincinnati over Djokovic, although Federer lost to Djokovic in Basel, later in the year.^[53] Federer completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title and won a men's record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title, surpassing Pete Sampras's mark of fourteen.^[53]

In 2010, Federer slowed down in his milestones and achievements. The year started with a win at the Australian Open,^[54] where he defeated Andy Murray in the final and improved his Grand Slam singles record to sixteen titles.^[51] But at the French Open, Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2004 French Open, losing to Söderling, in the quarterfinals, and losing his no. 1 ranking.^[54] At the French Open, Federer won his 700th tour match and 150th tour match on clay.^[54][55] Federer was just one week away from equaling Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as world no. 1. In a big surprise at Wimbledon, Federer lost in the quarterfinal to Tomáš Berdych, and fell to world no. 3 in the rankings.^[54][56][57] At the 2010 US Open, Federer reached the semifinals, avenging his French Open loss to Söderling in the quarterfinals, but then lost a five-set match to third seed Novak Djokovic.^[54] Federer made it to four Masters 1000 finals, losing three of them (the Madrid Open, the Canadian Masters, and the Shanghai Masters) while winning the Cincinnati Masters against Mardy Fish.^[58] In 2010 Federer equaled Agassi for the number of Masters wins at 17 and tied Bjorn Borg's mark for number of total titles won, moving to just one behind Sampras. Towards the middle of July, Federer hired Pete Sampras' old coach Paul Annacone to put his tennis game and career on the right path on a trial basis.^[59] Federer won two lesser titles at the Stockholm Open and the Davidoff Swiss Indoors which brought his tally to 65 career titles. Lastly, Federer won the year-end championships by beating rival Rafael Nadal, for his fifth title at the event. He showed much of his old form, beating all contenders except Nadal in straight sets. Since Wimbledon 2010, Federer had a win-loss record of 34–4 and had multiple match points in two of his losses: to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal of the US Open, and to Gaël Monfils in the semifinal of the Paris Masters. Federer did not play in the 2010 Davis Cup.

The year 2011, although great by most players' standards, was a lean year for Federer. He was defeated in straight sets in the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open by eventual champion Novak Djokovic, marking the first time since July 2003 that he did not hold any of the four Major titles. In the French Open semifinal, Federer ended Djokovic's undefeated streak of 43 consecutive wins with a stunning four-set victory. However, Federer then lost in the final to Rafael Nadal. At Wimbledon, Federer advanced to his 29th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, but lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It marked the first time in his career that he had lost a Grand Slam match after winning the first two sets. At the US Open, Federer lost a much-anticipated semifinal match with Novak Djokovic, after squandering two match points in the fifth set which repeated his previous year's result against Djokovic and added a second loss from two sets up in Grand Slam play to his record. The loss at Flushing Meadows meant that Federer did not win any of the four Majors in 2011, the first time this has happened since 2002.

During this 2011 season, Federer won the Qatar Open, defeating Nikolay Davydenko in the final. However, he lost the final in Dubai to Djokovic and lost in the Miami Masters and Madrid Open semifinals to Rafael Nadal. In pulling out of the 2011 Shanghai Masters, Federer dropped out of the top 3 for the first time since June 2003.^[60] Later in the season, things picked up for Federer. He ended a 10-month title drought and won the Swiss Indoors for the fifth time, defeating youngster Kei Nishikori, who had defeated an ailing Djokovic in the semifinals. Federer followed this up with his first win at the Paris Masters, where he reached his first final at the event and defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. At the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals, Federer crushed Rafael Nadal in exactly one hour en route to the semifinals,^[61] where he defeated David Ferrer to reach the final at the year-end championships for the seventh time, his 100th tour-level final overall. As a result of this win, Federer also regained the world no. 3 ranking from Andy Murray. In the final, he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the third consecutive Sunday and, in doing so, claimed his record sixth ATP World Tour Finals title.^[62]

Federer began his 2012 season with the Qatar Open, where he withdrew in the semifinals. He then played in the 2012 Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals, setting up a 27th career meeting with Nadal, a match he lost in four tight sets. He then participated in the Davis Cup representing Switzerland in the 2012 Davis Cup World Group, but Switzerland was eliminated in a home tie against the United States played on indoor clay in Fribourg. The loss included a four-set defeat for Federer at the hands of John Isner as well as a tight four-set loss with Stanislas Wawrinka in the doubles rubber against Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan. He then played the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament for the first time since winning the title in 2005. He beat del Potro in the final to clinch his second title in Rotterdam. Federer then played in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships where he defeated Andy Murray in the final, improved his record against him to 7–8, and won the championship title for the fifth time in his career. Federer then moved on to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinal, and defeated John Isner in the final. Federer won the title for a record fourth time, and, in doing so, equalled Rafael Nadal's record of 19 ATP Masters 1000 titles. Federer then lost in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open to Andy Roddick in three sets. Federer went on to compete at the Madrid Masters on new blue clay, where he beat Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer, Janko Tipsarevic and Tomáš Berdych in the final and regained the world no. 2 ranking from Rafael Nadal in the process. Federer then participated in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome where he won over Carlos Berlocq, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Andreas Seppi en route to the semifinal, where he was defeated in straight sets by the defending champion and 2012 runner up Novak Djokovic.

Rivalries[link]

Federer vs. Nadal[link]

Nadal and Federer during the 2006 Wimbledon Championships final

Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.^{[63][64][65][66][67]}

They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 14 September 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray became the new No. 2).^[68] They are the only pair of men to have ever finished four consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked number 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is five years younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.^[69]

Nadal leads their head-to-head 18–10. However, most of their matches have been on clay. Federer has a winning record on grass (2–1) and indoor hard courts (4–0) while Nadal leads the outdoor hard courts by 5–2 and clay by 12–2.^[70] Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 19 of their matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record 8 Grand Slam finals.^[71] From 2006 to 2008 they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and then they met in the 2009 Australian Open final and the 2011 French Open final. Nadal won six of the eight, losing the first two Wimbledons. Three of these matches were five set-matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open), and the 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.^{[72][73][74][75]} They have also played in a record 9 Masters Series finals, including their lone five hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break having saved two match points.

Federer vs. Djokovic[link]

The two have met 25 times with Federer leading 14–11, and 5–4 in Grand Slam events. Djokovic is the only player besides Nadal to have defeated Federer more than once in a Grand Slam tournament since 2004, the only player besides Nadal to defeat Federer in consecutive grand slam tournaments (2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open) and the only player besides Nadal who has "double figure" career wins over Federer. Djokovic is one of two players (the other again being Nadal) currently on tour to have defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam (2008 Australian Open and 2011 Australian Open) and the only player to do it two times.

Because of the continuously improving game and general rise of Djokovic in the last 3 years, many experts include Djokovic when talking about Nadal and Federer (all 3 have played each other at least 25 times) and Federer has cited his rivalry with Djokovic as his second favorite after his rivalry with Nadal. Experts such as John McEnroe have said that this is the beginning of a new change in tennis. Djokovic's recent back-to-back-to-back wins against Federer at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells tournament have made this rivalry even more intense. During that span, Djokovic had gone on a 43–0 winning streak dating back to the Davis Cup final the previous year. Federer ended Djokovic's perfect 41–0 season defeating him in the semifinals of the 2011 French Open, but Djokovic was able to avenge his loss at the 2011 US Open, and Federer lost with a score of 6–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 7–5.^[76] Federer cited this as one of the greatest losses in his career, as he had 2 consecutive match points in set five, with his serve, and was 2 sets up before Djokovic came back in what has become one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history (according to John McEnroe). McEnroe claimed that Djokovic's crosscourt forehand return was "one of the great all-time shots in tennis history" and that the semifinal was one of the greatest matches in history. Djokovic contributed to ending Federer's eight-year streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title per year and Djokovic became the second male tennis player to have at least 10 wins against Federer (the other being Nadal).

Many experts have included the rivalry between Federer and Djokovic as one of the best hard-court rivalries in the Open Era.^[77]

Federer vs. Murray[link]

Federer and Murray have met 15 times, all hard courts, with Murray leading 8–7.^[78] Federer has won each of their Grand Slam matches (both were in the final) in straight sets at the 2008 US Open^[79] and 2010 Australian Open,^[80] but Murray leads 5–1 in ATP 1000 tournaments. They have met three times in the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray winning in Shanghai in 2008^[81] and Federer in London in 2009 and 2010.^[82] Their most recent encounter was in the 2012 Dubai final where Federer was victorious. Apart from Nadal, Murray is the only other active player to have a positive head to head record against Federer.

Federer vs. Hewitt[link]

Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have played each other on 26 occasions. Early in their careers, Hewitt dominated Federer, winning seven of their first nine meetings, including a victory from two sets down in the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal which allowed Australia to defeat Switzerland. However, from 2004 onward, Federer has dominated the rivalry, winning 16 of the last 17 meetings to emerge with a 18–8 overall head-to-head record.^[83] This is Federer's longest rivalry as these two first played each other as juniors in 1996. They have met in one Grand Slam final, the 2004 US Open final, where Federer won to win his first US Open title. Federer is 9–0 against Hewitt in Grand Slams, and has won six of the Grand Slams in which he has defeated Hewitt.

Federer vs. Roddick[link]

One of Federer's longstanding rivalries is with American Andy Roddick. Federer and Roddick have met on many occasions, including in four Grand Slam finals (three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open). Federer leads 21–3, making Roddick the ATP player with the most tournament losses to Federer. Roddick lost his World No. 1 ranking to Federer after Federer won his first Australian Open in 2004.

In the 2009 Wimbledon final, Roddick lost to Federer in five sets. It included a fifth set made up of 30 games (a Grand Slam final record) and a match that was over 4 hours long. With that victory, Federer broke Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

Federer vs. Nalbandian[link]

David Nalbandian was Federer's biggest rival earlier in his career. Both players had an outstanding junior career, Federer won the Wimbledon junior title and Nalbandian won the US Open junior title (beating Federer). Even though Federer has a narrow advantage against Nalbandian, leading their meetings 11–8, Nalbandian beat Federer in their first five meetings after turning professional, including the fourth round of both the Australian Open and US Open in 2003. Their most impressive match was in the 2005 Shanghai Tennis Master Cup, where Nalbandian came back from being two sets to love down against Federer and ultimately prevailed in a fifth set tiebreak. The loss prevented Federer from tying John McEnroe's 82–3 all-time single year record, set in 1984. Nalbandian, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Murray have beaten Federer 8 times, with only Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic recording more victories over Federer.

Playing style[link]

Federer at the 2007 Davidoff Swiss Indoors.

Federer's versatility was summarised 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."^[84]

Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his speed, fluid style of play, and exceptional shot making. Federer mainly plays from the baseline but is also comfortable at the net, being one of the best volleyers in the game today. He has a powerful, accurate smash and very effectively performs rare elements in today's tennis, such as backhand smash, half-volley and jump smash (slam dunk). David Foster Wallace compared the brute force of Federer's forehand motion with that of "a great liquid whip,"^[85] while John McEnroe has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport."^[86] Federer is also known for his efficient movement around the court and excellent footwork, which enables him to run around shots directed to his backhand and instead hit a powerful inside-out or inside-in forehand, one of his best shots. Though Federer plays with a single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. Federer's forehand and backhand slice are both known as the best ever to enter the game. He employs the slice, occasionally using it to lure the opponent to the net and pass him. Federer can also fire topspin winners and possesses a 'flick' backhand where he can generate pace with his wrist; this is usually used to pass the opponent at the net.^[85] His serve is difficult to read because he always uses a similar ball toss regardless of what type of serve he is going to hit and where he aims to hit it, and turns his back to his opponents during his motion. He is often able to produce big serves on key points during a match. His first serve is typically around 200 km/h (125 mph);^[87][88][89] however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph).^[87][88] Federer is also accomplished at serve and volleying,^[90] and employed this tactic especially frequently in his early career.^[91] His speciality is a half-volley from the baseline which enables him to play close to the baseline and to pick up even the deeper shots very early after they bounce, giving his opponents less time to react.^{[citation needed]} Later in his career Federer added the drop shot to his arsenal, and can perform a well-disguised one off both wings. He sometimes uses a between-the-legs shot, which is colloquially referred to as a "tweener." His most notable use of the tweener was in the semifinals of the 2009 US Open against Novak Djokovic, bringing him triple match point, on which he capitalised for a straight-set victory over the Serb.^[92]

Equipment, apparel, endorsements[link]

Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 90 BLX tennis racquet,^[93] which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 357.2 grams, and thin beam of 17.5 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3).^[94] Federer strings his racquets at 21.5 kg mains/20 kg crosses pre stretched 20%, utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings.^[94] 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."^[95]

Federer is one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. He has a contract with Nike footwear and apparel.^[96] For the 2006 championships at Wimbledon, Nike designed a jacket emblazoned with a crest of three tennis racquets, symbolising the three Wimbledon Championships he had previously won, and which was updated the next year with four racquets after he won the Championship in 2006.^[97] In Wimbledon 2008 and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan.^[98] He also has his own logo, an R and F joined together.^[99] Federer endorses Gillette,^[100] Jura, a Swiss-based coffee machine company,^[101] as well as Mercedes-Benz and NetJets. Federer also endorses Rolex watches,^[102] although he was previously an ambassador for Maurice Lacroix.^[103] Also in 2009 Federer became brand ambassador for Swiss chocolate makers Lindt.^[104] In 2010 his endorsement by Mercedes-Benz China was extended into a global Mercedes-Benz partnership deal.^[105]

Career statistics[link]

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline[link]

Information in these tables is updated only once the player's participation in the tournament has concluded.