Robin Soderling

Tennis Player

Robin Soderling was born in Tibro, Västra Götaland County, Sweden on August 14th, 1984 and is the Tennis Player. At the age of 39, Robin Soderling biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

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Date of Birth
August 14, 1984
Nationality
Sweden
Place of Birth
Tibro, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
Age
39 years old
Zodiac Sign
Leo
Profession
Tennis Player
Social Media
Robin Soderling Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 39 years old, Robin Soderling has this physical status:

Height
193cm
Weight
Not Available
Hair Color
Not Available
Eye Color
Not Available
Build
Not Available
Measurements
Not Available
Robin Soderling Religion, Education, and Hobbies
Religion
Not Available
Hobbies
Not Available
Education
Not Available
Robin Soderling Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
Spouse(s)
Not Available
Children
Not Available
Dating / Affair
Not Available
Parents
Not Available
Robin Soderling Career

Tennis career

At the age of five, Söderling began playing tennis. In November 1998, he made his first international tennis appearance in Luxembourg at the age of 14. He lost his first official junior tournament to Fred Hemmes Jr. in the first round.

Söderling made his debut at the 2009 French Open, becoming the first player to defeat Rafael Nadal at the tournament and the first one to win it until Novak Djokovic in 2015. Nadal had never lost at the tournament since his debut in 2005 and was the four-time defending champion. Söderling advanced to the final after defeating Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals and Fernando González in five sets en route to Roger Federer in the final.

In 2010, Söderling reached her second straight French Open final. Federer, the reigning champion, was defeated in the quarterfinals, snapping Federer's record of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. Söderling defeated Tomár Berdych in five sets before losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal in the final.

Söderling had not played in a tour-level match since winning the 2011 Swedish Open in July 2011, (when he was ranked No. 1 at the time). He was only 26 years old, and he was ranked in the top ten for more than 50 weeks in a row) until his retirement in 2015. He has been involved in tennis since 2014 and 2015 and has developed his own line of high-end tennis gear since 2013.

Söderling resigned from professional tennis on December 23, 2015.

He won four championship titles in his first full year on the junior circuit in 2000, including the highly coveted Orange Bowl, which he swept without losing a single set. Söderling made No. 1 in the same year. In the year-end rankings, we place 4th in the year-end list.

As a junior Söderling, he ranked No. 1 in the world rankings as the highest in the class. In 2002, the country's second highest singles ranking (and No. 2) were ranked second (and No. 1) (In doubles) There are 11 in doubles.

Söderling became a professional in 2001, but only in two tour-level matches. He won his first ATP tournament in Stockholm, defeating Ramón Delgado 6–3.

In 2002, Söderling began to make his name known in the men's circuit by playing five more ATP tournaments and the second round of the US Open. He set a 20-7 record on the Challenger circuit, and he competed in the US Open Junior tournament, where he reached the final.

In 2003, the transition to the main tour was complete as he advanced to the third round at Wimbledon (coming from the qualifying rounds) and earned an ATP final in Stockholm (losing a crucial tie-break there), achieving the year-end ranking of 86.

Robin's first ATP title came in 2004 at the Lyon, where he defeated Belgian Xavier Malisse in the final. At Marseille, he reached the final. Söderling ranked in the top 50 in the world rankings by the end of the year.

Söderling sustained his first serious injury in 2005, resulting in a knee surgery in March. However, even though he was unable to participate in several tournaments, he did win another title – in Milan (defeating Radek tpánek in the final). Söderling reached the third round of the US Open after a poor and exhausting season from there.

He bounced from 100th place in the Indesit ATP rankings to top 50 in a matter of three months, even though knee and shoulder injuries prevented him from playing at his best. He helped the Swedish team win two games to keep its World Group Davis Cup spot in a play-off in Brazil. He gained enough ATP points to finish at No. 3 in a then career-high position. The world's 25 best countries.

In 2007, Söderling made it to the round of 32 at Wimbledon, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in a five-set match. After growing sick of Nadal's slow play at the start of the 5th, he caused a lot of controversies on the court by jokeing about Nadal's behavior, tugging on his shorts in the way Nadal is known for. In 2007, Söderling did not make it to the ATP final for the first time in five years, but he continued to have strong results throughout the year. Due to a left wrist injury, he missed the last 3 months of the main tour. Söderling missed the Australian Open due to injury. The Open 13 Marseille, where he qualified in 2007 was the first tournament he attended in 2007, where he advanced to the quarterfinals. He then progressed to the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (Rotterdam), finishing runner-up to Michal Llodra in the final, 7–6, 2–6, 6–3. He reached another final at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, United States, next week. He advanced to the final over top seed Andy Roddick in the tournament. However, he lost another final in two weeks after finishing second in a row to unseeded Steve Darcis, 3–6, 6–7.

He was undefeated in four singles and four doubles matches at the 2008 World Team Cup in Düsseldorf on clay. He was the third person in the history of the tournament to win that honor since John McEnroe in 1984 and Fernando González in 2003. He won all of his matches at the Swedish team, leading the Swedish team to victory. He advanced to the 3rd round of the French Open in late May, defeating home star Julien Benneteau. He lost in three straight sets at Wimbledon to Roger Federer in the round of 64. Söderling and his trainer Peter Carlsson were disappointed in both the Beijing Olympics and the US Open, and after disappointing results in both the Beijing Olympics and the US Open. Magnus Norman, the former Swedish world number two, was given as a mentor until he drafted a new one. Robin made his third final of the year in Stockholm, Sweden, with the help of Norman, but he lost to David Nalbandian in a close match, 2–6, 3–6. Söderling won his first title in three years and second on the same site as the Lyon tournament, defeating Julien Benneteau in three sets, 6–7, 6–1. He won over top seed Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, as well as French number one Gilles Simon in the semi-finals, all ranked in the top ten ATP South African Airways rankings. Söderling himself soared to No. 1 with that achievement. A new career-best finish for 18th in the rankings, which is a new career peak. He ended the year with a then-high ranking of No. 1 in the country. 17. Magnus Norman will be his tutor right after his holiday, according to his on 4 November.

Söderling, his new handler, started the 2009 ATP World Tour at the Brisbane International Centre. He failed in the quarterfinals against Radek tpánek, who later championed the tournament. Söderling went on to lose in the semifinals against Juan Martn del Potro, then losing to the eventual champion. He was seeded 16th at the 2009 Australian Open and lost to Marcos Baghdatis, an unseeded finalist, in the second round.

Despite playing well and winning the Challenger in Sunrise, Söderling suffered from injuries and poor results for more than two months. For the first time on the ATP tour since the Australian Open at the Rome Masters, he won consecutive matches before falling to world No. 6. In the third round, Rafael Nadal defeated Rafael Nadal in a tumultuous match 1–6, 0–6. Söderling next competed at the ARAG World Team Cup in Düsseldorf against Roger Federer in another third round match at the Madrid Masters against Roger Federer. Despite Sweden's loss, Söderling beat Gilles Simon and Rainer Schüttler, who were defeated 6–0, 6–0.

After beating Kevin Kim, Denis Istomin, and David Ferrer in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, Söderling, seeded 23rd, advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Rafael Nadal, the defending champion of the four-time grand finalists, will face him in a match. He sparked the biggest surprise of the year by defeating Nadal and snaping the former's undefeated streak at Roland Garros. Martina Navratilova, a women's tennis legend, referred to the match as one of the best upsets in tennis history. He defeated the reigning world No. 6–2, 6–7 (2–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–2) victory over the reigning world No. 6. Söderling defeated Nadal in a best-of-five sets clay match on clay, with Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021). Söderling defeated Nikolay Davydenko two days later to reach his maiden major semifinal. Söderling won his first Grand Slam final, beating Fernando González 6–3, 7–5, 6–4, 6–4 after being down 0–30 and 1–4 in the first round and then reeling off the final five games of the set and match. Söderling lost the final to Federer 1–6, 6–7(1–6), 4–6, but his ranking was also boosted to 12th in the world, which was then a career high.

Söderling's next event, he was seeded 13th at the Wimbledon Championships. For the first time in his career, he advanced to the fourth round, defeating Gilles Müller, Marcel Granollers, and Nicolás Almagro on the way. Söderling played a match with Federer, the Wimbledon champion, for the second time; Federer beat him again, 4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(5–7), Söderling was only broken once in the competition.

Söderling returned to his homeland country to compete at the Collector Swedish Open after Wimbledon. He earned a first-round bye as the number two seed. In the second round, he defeated Kristof Vliegen 6–3, 6–3, and ended his quarterfinal match against Nicolás Almagro 7–3. Söderling reached the final by defeating Andreas Vinci, a fellow countryman, 6–1, 7–6(8–6). He won the singles title at the Swedish Open for the first time since his mentor Magnus Norman (in 2000) defeated Juan Mónaco 6–3, 7–6(7–4) for the title, becoming the first Swede since his coach Magnus Norman (in 2000) to win the singles title. This was Söderling's first outdoor title, as well as his first title on a surface other than indoor hardcourt. Söderling's rank as a result of his victory ranked him 11th in the world.

Söderling continued to participate in the International German Open, but Nicolás Almagro defeated it in the third round. This was Söderling's first defeat to a player other than Federer since the Rome Masters, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in late April.

Söderling got off to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic but had to pull out in the quarterfinals due to an elbow injury that compelled Söderling to withdraw from the Canada Masters as well. He lost in the first round to former world No. 2, who was returning to the field at Cincinnati Masters. 1 Lleyton Hewitt is a comedian.

Söderling was seeded 12th at the US Open and progressed to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time since defeating notable opponents such as Albert Montay, Marcel Granollers, and 8th seed Nikolay Davydenko. Söderling had a little luck on the fact that two of his opponents resigned, including the Russian who retired when Söderling led 7–5, 3–6, 6–2. For the fourth time this year, Söderling met five-time defending champion and 1st seed Roger Federer for the fourth time (three of them in a Grand Slam tournament). Federer defeated Söderling 0–6, 3–6, 7–6, 6–8, 6–8). Söderling won a set against Federer for the second time in the pair's 12 meetings. He played a significant role in the 2010 Davis Cup victory over Romania and a chance for Sweden to qualify in the 2010 Davis Cup by clinching a 7–5, 6–0 victory over world No. 79. Victor Hănescu, 28.

He reached the semifinals in both Malaysian Open and China Open before winning the Shanghai Masters, where he earned his first appearance in the top ten for the first time, defeating fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–3, 6–3. Nonetheless, Feliciano López's 6–7(4), 3–6 defeat was disappointing in the quarterfinals. Söderling was the No. 1 in the world. One seed in the Stockholm Open but in the semifinals due to an elbow injury, the player had to withdraw due to an elbow injury. Although not due to a serious injury, Söderling resigned from the Valencia Open 500 tournament as well. No. 1 is currently No. 201. Söderling, nine on the ATP Race to London, needed a big success in BNP Paribas Masters to progress to the ATP World Tour Finals. He started off strong against Ivo Karlovi, winning in straight sets, 6–6, 6–4, and 6–4. Söderling lost his chance of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals, however, when third seed Novak Djokovic was too strong in the quarterfinals and was defeated 3–6, 6–6, 3–6.

However, Söderling qualified as the first reserve for the finals after American Andy Roddick was forced to withdraw due to a back injury suffered in Shanghai. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Nikolay Davydenko were among the Söderlings recruited into a group composed of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Nikolay Davydenko. In his first round robin match 6–4, 6–4 he got off to a promising start by defeating Nadal 6–4. He blew them away with a 7–6(7)–5 win over Djokovic, which was 6–1. He was then guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals of this year's championships. However, in his third and final round-robin match, he lost to Nikolay Davydenko 6–7(4–7), 3–6. Despite this, he emerged the champion of his organization (group B) and set up a semifinal match against US Open champion Juan Martn del Potro, who defeated him 6–7(1–7), 6–3(7–3). Söderling came in No. No. 9 on the year at the top of the charts. 8, a new career record.

2010 was Söderling's most fruitful year to date. He came in second place, at No. 1. Best in the world (career-best) and ended the year as a Top-5 performer. He mirrored last year's success at Roland Garros by winning his second straight final and winning his first Masters 1000 crown.

Söderling made his 2010 debut at the Capital World Tennis Championship, an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. He got off to a good start in the quarterfinals, beating Stanislas Wawrinka 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–2). Söderling came back from a set and a slump to beat Roger Federer 6–7 (Japan), 6–2. Despite being widely reported in the media as the first time Söderling had defeated Federer in 13 attempts, it is still an unofficial match that does not count on records. In the final, Söderling met Rafael Nadal, but Söderling was defeated 6–7 (3–7), 5–7.

Söderling then moved to Chennai, India, to compete in the Aircel Chennai Open, where he was the 1st seed but lost in the first round to American Robby Ginepri.

In the first round of the Australian Open to unseeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers, Robin Söderling was seeded 8th but losing in the first round of the Australian Open to unseeded Spaniards despite being up 2 sets to love, 6–2, 4–6, 2–6.

Söderling was seeded third in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, winning a wildcard. He won his first ATP match of the year, beating Florent Serra 4–6, 6–1, 6–1, 6–1, 6–1 in the first round, and went on to win the tournament, beating Mikhail Youzhny's second-biggest tournament victory (in terms of point size).

Söderling was the first seed in the Open 13 in Marseille but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Michal Llodra 6–7(2–6), 4–6. In the Davis Cup, he won both his singles matches against Argentina, but Sweden lost 2–3. Söderling was seeded sixth in the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, losing in the semifinals to seventh seed Andy Roddick after a three-set match, 4–6, 3–6, 3–6. Söderling was once more disqualified in the semifinals, this time by Tomá Berdych 2–6, 2–6.

Following promising results in the United States, Robin returned to Europe for the clay-court season, but she was forced to withdraw from 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters due to a tight knee injury. His clay-court career began in 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, where he reached the final after victories over Juan Ignacio Chela, Feliciano López, Eduardo Schwank, and Thiemo de Bakker. In three sets, he defeated 5th seed Fernando Verdasco.

After poor results in both Rome Masters and Madrid Masters winning just one match against Paolo Lorenzi in Rome, Söderling took a dip in form. Open de Nice Côte d'Azur, where he was the first seed, was his final tournament before Roland Garros. Olivier Rochus shocked the Swede 6–2, 4–6, 4–6. He was on a bye in the first round after receiving a bye in the first round.

Söderling was seeded 5th at the French Open, defeating Federer for the first time in his career in a tour-level match in the quarterfinals. Federer's streak of 23 consecutive appearances in Grand Slam tournaments came to an end this year, with Söderling defeating the defending French Open champion in the second straight year. He defeated the 15th seed in the French Open finals, beating 5–7, 6–3, 6–3. Söderling won a career-high ranking at world No. 138, guaranteeing him a long-awaited spot. 6. In the final, Söderling met Rafael Nadal, who could not stop him from defeating the Spaniard, who fell 4–6, 2–6, 4–6.

Söderling's third season at Roland Garros brought him his sixth seed, where he lost in the quarterfinals, to eventual champion Rafael Nadal 6–6, 6–7 (4–7), 1–6. Despite the loss, he for the first time in his career ranked in the top five.

Söderling was seeded top at the Swedish Open for the first time since the Davis Cup match in March; a tournament he won the previous year. He lost in the final against Nicolás Almagro, 5–7, 6–3, 2–6.

Söderling began his U.S. bad court season with the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in the third round, but was defeated by Argentine David Nalbandian 6–4, 1–6, 1–6.

Söderling was the 5th seed in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters second round, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 4–6, 6–3, 7–5. In the third round, he lost to Andy Roddick.

Söderling was seeded 5th in the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam event. In a difficult five-set first round, he defeated qualifier Andreas Haider-Maurer. Söderling defeated Taylor Dent 6–2, 6–4, 6–4. He then competed in the third round with Thiemo de Bakker, and he won in straight sets 6–2, 6–3, 6–3. He went through Albert Montaés in four sets to set up a quarterfinal match with Roger Federer, but the Swiss maestro was unable to hold down his tenacity as he lost 4–6, 5–7 under difficult conditions. He returned to Sweden to compete in the Davis Cup, where Sweden retained their World Group status as they defeated Italy.

Söderling had three quarterfinal appearances while heading to Asia for the Asian swing. Proton Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur was first, followed by the China Open in Beijing. He competed in Shanghai, China, for the Shanghai Rolex Masters, where he maintained his form, winning 6–3, 7–6(5), and David Ferrer 7–4, 6–4. In the quarterfinals 1–6, 1–6 defeat Federer.

He bowed out to eventual runner up Florian Mayer while in Stockholm, competing at the If Stockholm Open. Despite a rough week for the Swede, he secured his spot in the ATP World Tour Finals as the 5th player to qualify.

Söderling, a semifinalist in Valencia, moved to Paris to compete at the BNP Paribas Masters. Söderling defeated Gilles Simon 6–4, 6–0, beating them in the second round after being a bye. Stanislas Wawrinka, 7–6(7–3), 6–3. Söderling defeated Andy Roddick in straight sets 7–5, 6–4. Söderling then saved three match points in beating Michal Llodra to advance to the Masters 1000 final after beating Gal Monfils (who had previously saved 5 match points in his semi-final against Roger Federer) 6–7 (7–1). He was the first Swedish athlete to win the Paris Masters since Thomas Enqvist in 1996, and the first Swedish winner of a Masters 1000 since Enqvist won Cincinnati in 2000. With the win, he secured a career-high ranking of No. 1 in the United States. Andy Murray defeated him 4 by a score.

Söderling's last tournament of the year was in the ATP World Tour Finals, where he failed to progress across the group stage, winning one match against David Ferrer and losing to Andy Murray and Roger Federer. He finished the year as the world No. 1 for the year. That's a career-best score on 5.

Söderling and coach Magnus Norman decided on December 1 that they would not continue to work together. In early December 2010, Robin Söderling revealed that his new coach would be Claudio Pistolesi.

He began 2011 with a new coach on his team, and he came in third place at the Abu Dhabi exhibition. Brisbane International was his first ATP World Tour tournament of the year for Söderling, where he defeated Ryan Harrison, Michael Berrer, Matthew Ebden, and Radek tpánek en route to the final. Söderling went on to win the tournament without dropping a single set and only breaking twice, defeating Andy Roddick 6–3, 7–5 in the final. This boosted his ranking to No. 1 in the world of No. 1. He improved his seeding for the Australian Open from the top in the world.

Söderling reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, a career-best. He made his way to the fourth seed without losing a set before being disqualified in five sets by unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov.

He defended his title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, returning to Europe. This was Söderling's second title of the year and eighth of his career. This was also the first time he defended a title.

He went to Marseille for the Open 13 after a success in Rotterdam. He defeated Nicolas Mahut, Michal Llodra, and Dmitry Tursunov in the first round in two weeks as the first seed. He met Marin ili, and after losing the first set, he came back, winning 6–7(6–3), 6–3. This was Söderling's third title of the year and his ninth title of his career.

Söderling suffered in form from early March to May, with only getting to the third round in four events. Söderling decided against Claudio Pistolesi due to a lack of form, just five months into the relationship. Fredrik Rosengren was appointed as the Söderling's next coach a few days later.

Söderling defeated Santiago Giraldo and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to advance to the quarterfinals against Roger Federer, who lost 6–7(2–6), 4–6.

Söderling survived a scare in the first round of the Rome Masters as he saved 3 match points en route to defeating Fernando Verdasco 2–6, 6–4. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Novak Djokovic 6–6, 6–6 after winning 6–3, 3–6, 6–4.

Söderling was seeded 5th and defeated Ryan Harrison in the first round, 6–7(5–7), 6–5, 5–5. Harrison was up 5–4 in the fourth set, just shy of requiring a fifth and deciding set, but the final three games, the fourth set, and ultimately the match to Söderling were decided. Söderling then plowed through Albert Ramos, Leonardo Mayer, and Gilles Simon without losing a single point to land himself in a quarterfinal showdown with world No.. Rafael Nadal, the narrator of the Dominica of Nadal. Söderling's efforts to repeat his 2009 disappointment of the Spaniard were futile, as he was swept out in straight sets.

Söderling (seeded fifth) defeated Philipp Petzschner of Germany in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships, going up against former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. Hewitt took the first two sets 7–6, 6–3, but Söderling fought back, snatched a few good service breaks, eventually progressing to the third round after winning the last three sets 7–5, 6–4. Robin Söderling, who was plagued by a bad stomach, lost to Bernard Tomic of Australia 1–6, 5–7.

Söderling revealed that he would not participate in Sweden's Davis Cup match against Serbia's reigning champions, Serbia, instead opting for the Swedish Open after Wimbledon. In the entire tournament, he did not lose a single set. He made it to the world No. 1. 8 Tomá Berdych of the semifinal (6–1, 6–0) and world No. 1 in the semifinals. David Ferrer, 6, 6–2, 6–2) for his fourth title of the year and his first tour-level match to date.

Söderling was forced to withdraw from the back-to-back hardcourt Masters tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati due to a wrist injury. He was also diagnosed with mononucleosis, an illness that prompted him to withdraw from the US Open at the last minute. In the first round, he was supposed to meet Louk Sorensen of Ireland. With the flu affecting his development, he took yet more time out, with the 2012 Australian Open retiring for the remainder of the season.

In the first half of 2011, Söderling only managed to win 14 tournaments, ending the year with a 38–9 record and four titles.

Söderling announced that he would miss the 2012 season, including the Australian Open and the French Open, due to his continuing recovery from sickness. He remained unnoticed at the Indian Wells Masters, the year's first Masters tournament. He later announced that he would be out early in the Olympic Games, and that he would not return to the ATP rankings until at least, after the games, and that in July 2012, he fell out of the ATP rankings for the first time.

Söderling said he would have no return dates because of his illness's recovery.

In 2013, Söderling was not on tour. He introduced a new line of tennis balls under the brand 'RS-Tennis.'

Söderling continued to be absent from the tour in 2014. During the year, he designed and introduced more types of tennis clothing for RS-Tennis, as well as being the tournament director of the Stockholm Open.

Despite being out of town on tour, 2015 was Söderling's last year of his professional tennis career to date, but he was still missing from the tour. Throughout the year, he produced and introduced more variations of tennis clothing for RS-Tennis. Söderling announced his retirement from competitive tennis on December 23 after more than four years of not playing a single ATP-level match due to mononucleosis. He suffered with continuing anxiety and panic attacks, which he described starting in July 2011; Söderling declared himself "fully healed" in July 2020.

Söderling declared his intent to return to competitive tennis a few years ago, a few years ago, when he had said he wanted to have a long career. Simon Aspelin took over as the Stockholm Open tournament's tournament director.

He and his wife and two children now live in Djursholm, Stockholm, Sweden.

Söderling captained the Swedish 2021 Davis Cup Finals team after a period of coaching fellow Swede Elias Ymer.

Source

Roger Federer played with such grace that his matches belonged on the culture pages

www.dailymail.co.uk, September 15, 2022
Roger Federer does not retire as one of the two greatest tennis players to have graced the stage, according to CHIEF SPORTS WRITER. Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic are an improvement on Federer if Margaret Court is more effective than Serena Williams. He hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2018 Australian Open, and hasn't made it to the last four since 2020. In 2021, his last round of Grand Slam tennis ended in a 6-0 loss at Wimbledon. And yet, we know all of this is fantasy. Tennis has lost its greatest artist, a hero unlike no other, who influenced the game until it became almost highbrow, thanks to Federer's retirement. Federer's best moments on the sport page looked like his matches should be investigated on the culture pages, away from the sweat and effort of the sporting arena. The man himself never seemed to break into anything as unseemly as a sweat. His detractors would wilt, but he remained aloof. Of course not in reality. Federer's true art — as well as a strong streak of ruthlessness — seemed to be seamless integration.
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