Roger Federer first made his name very well known at Wimbledon in 2003, though he has appeared in the tennis Grand Slam event every year since 2000. The "New York Times" has called him the "wizard of Wimbledon." No other player has been ranked No. 1 in the world for as many consecutive weeks as Federer: 237 from February 2, 2004, through August 18, 2008.
Early Years
Federer turned pro in 1998 after winning the Junior Wimbledon title -- his first appearance on the famed grass courts. He was 16 years old. In 2001, ranked No. 13, Federer stunned spectators and the world at Wimbledon when he ousted Pete Sampras in the fourth round.
The Championship Years
In 2003, Federer became the first Swiss man to win any Grand Slam title when he took the men's championship at Wimbledon. He went on to triumph every year from 2004 through 2007, ultimately winning five consecutive men's Wimbledon titles. In 2006, he defeated Rafael Nadal in four sets, and in 2007 he won in five sets.
2008 Finals
If he had won the 2008 Wimbledon championship, Federer would have been only the second man since William Renshaw in 1886 to win there six consecutive times. Instead, he fell to Rafael Nadal in the longest men's final ever to take place at Wimbledon: four hours and 48 minutes.
2009 Championship
Federer was back on top in 2009, besting Andy Roddick and winning his sixth championship. After setting the record for the longest men's final a year before, Federer set a record for the longest set in 2009 when his fifth set against Roddick went to 30 minutes. He lost only one set on his way through to the final. It was his 15th Grand Slam title, setting a record for men's tennis. He also set a record for most aces in a Grand Slam final with 50.
2010 Quarterfinals
2010 was Federer's worst showing at Wimbledon since 2002. Banged up and suffering from a sore knee and back, he fell to 12th-seeded Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 and 6-4. The loss dropped him to third-ranked in the world for a short time. By the start of 2011, he had climbed back to the second spot.
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