For players like Rafael Nadal and many tennis lovers, Roger Federer will always be missed as he is an ’emotion’ whose game was like poetry. And many fans who were younger in the 90s and 2000s would be shocked that Federer’s first Australian Open title win will complete exactly 20 years this year. The Grand Slam win Down Under was a milestone one for the Swiss superstar as that made him the undisputed World No.1 in men’s tennis.
At Wimbledon 2003, Roger Federer won the first Grand Slam title of his career. But winning one on hard courts was least expected as Federer had the likes of Marat Safin, Andy Roddick, home favorite Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian and the legendary Andre Agassi to overcome in Melbourne in 2004. Agassi was in fact, the defending champion going into that tournament. But the American was knocked out of the semifinals by an inspired Safin.
With Pete Sampras retired and Andre Agassi on his last legs, men’s tennis needed a new champion to look upto for some or the man to be hunted down for some. Andy Roddick was the favorite for many to take over after his US Open 2003 win, but Roger Federer had other ideas. Roddick too was knocked out by Safin, showing what a terrific tournament the Russian had.
But the journey wasn’t that simple for Roger Federer either. Federer beat Hewitt in the Round of 16, Nalbandian in the quarterfinals and the man who is currently Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semifinals. However, the final was one-sided as a confident Federer outclassed Safin in straight sets to kickstart a memorable 2004 season, which signified the change of guard in tennis.
After that Roger Federer win, Andre Agassi never won another Grand Slam and neither did Andy Roddick. In fact, since then, no American men’s player has won a Majors title. The victory Down Under made Federer a superpower even on outdoor hard courts as he went on to win the US Open title for the first time in his career, in 2004 itself. While defending his Wimbledon title successfully was an icing on the cake as fans were convinced Federer was perhaps the next Sampras in dominating tennis.
Roger Federer 2004 season and his Australian Open journey
Roger Federer lost only 6 matches out of the 80 he played in 2004. With 11 ATP titles in the calendar year, which also includes the ATP Finals win, Federer took home an impressive $6.35 million USD in prize money. That figure was a big deal back then, with no other player coming close to him.
At the Australian Open 2004, Roger Federer won a paycheck worth $915,000 USD for his title-winning run. Overall, Federer has won an impressive 6 Australian Open titles in his career (2004-07, 2010, 2017 and 2018). He is also one of the rare players to have successfully defended his title there on 5 occasions in the last 25 years, alongside his big rival, Novak Djokovic.
Otherwise, Federer made it to the finals of the Grand Slam Down Under once in 2009 and as many as 8 semifinals. This explains why the Swiss star continues to hold the record for the most matches played by a men’s singles player at the Australian Open, which stands at 117.
