Roger Federer brings down curtain on his career with a defeat, but still dazzles alongside longtime friend and rival Rafael Nadal
Andy Murray’s world came to a crashing halt when he lost to Tomas Berdych in last year’s Wimbledon final, but he had already shown his depth as a grand slam champion by becoming the first male player to win consecutive titles at five slams, starting with a victory over Djokovic at the 2011 US Open.
Andy Murray and Jamie Murray pose with their children in 2016 ©Getty Images
His success at the grand slams led Murray to believe he was on a collision course with Rafael Nadal, who had won 15 grand slam titles and one grand slam final by the time Murray’s 2016 season ended in a fifth-set tiebreak against Berdych.
Nadal lost the sixth set in the deciding sets, and the drama of that final was captured by a memorable Sports Illustrated cover of the five men who had met that year.
Andy Murray and Jamie Murray celebrate defeating Tomas Berdych to win their Wimbledon final in 2013 ©AFP/Getty Images
When Federer turned professional at 19 in 1993, he had an extraordinary 14 Grand Slam titles to his name. It was one of the great moments in tennis. There was little room for error in his game. He was the epitome of excellence on clay courts, winning Wimbledon five times and the French Open six times. He also won the US Open four times.
Federer has always been a dominant force on clay, with four French Open titles and 13 Grand Slam titles to his name. He has been the first man to win 15 grand slams on the surface, a record he would not break for another decade.
Federer was ranked No 33, a rank he would never break again in his long career.
Ahead of Federer’s first major final in the 2010 Australian Open, he went down to Gilles Simon and then to Stanislas Wawrinka.
In the same year, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title, a French Open mixed doubles title, and also won the US Open doubles. At the time, he was the highest-ranked male player in the world.
His career started to fall apart after he lost in the semi-finals of the US Open final in 2013 to the world No 1, Stan Wawrinka. Federer had a