2010 Roger Federer tennis season


Roger Federer won the Australian Open, beating Briton Andy Murray, whom he also beat in the final of the 2008 US Open. Federer played in eighteen tournaments in 2010, and won five. He made the semifinals of his opening tournament at the Qatar Open in Doha, losing to Nikolay Davydenko, and at the Estoril Open, which he had won in 2008, losing to defending and eventual champion Albert Montañés. Federer was runner-up in the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open to Rafael Nadal. At the French Open, he faced his opponent in the previous year's final, Robin Söderling at the quarterfinals stage and lost. As defending champion at Wimbledon, he was defeated in the quarterfinals by Tomáš Berdych in four sets, thus ending his streak of seven consecutive Wimbledon finals also falling to world no. 3, his lowest ranking since 2003. During the summer hard-court season, Federer hired Paul Annacone to be his coach and revive his form. At the 2010 US Open, Federer advanced to his seventh straight semifinal appearance, but lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets, despite holding two match points in the final set. Federer's ranking slipped from no. 2 to no. 3 after the tournament, but he finished the year strong with victories in Stockholm, Basel, and the ATP Tour Finals to pass Djokovic in the rankings and finish the year at no. 2. By the end of 2010 Roger Federer became widely considered as the greatest male tennis player of all time.

Year summary

Early hard court season and Australian Open

On Sunday, January 17, Federer created a charity tournament called the "Hit for Haiti" at the Rod Laver Arena the day before the Australian Open. He invited a number of top world players from the ATP and WTA tours to join him to raise money for relief efforts in Haiti. The players who participated included Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, and Samantha Stosur. A few days before the start of Indian Wells, Federer, Nadal, 14-time Grand Slam singles champion Pete Sampras, and 8-time Grand Slam singles champion Agassi participated in a doubles exhibition match called "Hit for Haiti 2" as a fundraiser for the relief efforts in Haiti. Also in February, Federer made a trip to Ethiopia, where his charity foundation works.
Federer started the year by playing in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, where he was defeated in the semifinals by eventual champion Nikolay Davydenko.
Federer won his 16th Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open. In the fourth round, Federer beat Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Federer trailed Davydenko by a set and two games in the second set, but was able to win in four sets. Federer then defeated world no. 10 and 2008 Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals in straight sets. This marked the 23rd consecutive time that Federer had appeared in a semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament, and the seventh consecutive year that Federer had made at least the semifinals at the Australian Open, breaking the previous record held by Ivan Lendl. In the final, Federer defeated fifth-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets to claim his fourth Australian Open singles title. This win tied him for most Australian Open victories in the open era at four with Andre Agassi. Since Wimbledon 2005 Federer had made the finals of 18 out of 19 Grand Slam tournaments, an extraordinary period of sustained excellence unparalleled in the Open Era.
Federer withdrew from the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships for the second consecutive year due to a lung infection.
Federer then appeared at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells for his first tournament since the Australian Open. Along with the 31 seeded players behind him, Federer received a first round bye in the main draw. However, in the third round, he was defeated by Marcos Baghdatis in a rematch of the 2006 Australian Open final, after Federer failed to convert three match points.
The week after Indian Wells, Federer played in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Federer and the other 31 seeded players received first-round byes. In the second round, Federer defeated Nicolás Lapentti before over 14,000 fans, a record-breaking attendance for a second round match in the Stadium. After beating Florent Serra, Federer lost to the eventual runner-up, Czech Tomáš Berdych, in three sets in the fourth round. Federer hit 62 unforced errors in that match.

Clay court season and French Open

Federer next appeared in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. In addition to singles, he teamed with Yves Allegro for the doubles competition as wildcards. The team lost in the quarterfinals to Sam Querrey and John Isner. Federer lost to world no. 40 Gulbis in the second round of the singles competition, after receiving a first-round bye. It was the first time since 2000 that Federer had lost his opening clay-court match of the year. It was the first time since 2002 that he had lost before the quarterfinals at three consecutive events, and the first time since 2002 that he had lost his first match in Rome.
Federer then played the Estoril Open. In his only previous appearance in 2008, he won the title, when Davydenko retired in the final. However, he lost in the semifinals this year to Albert Montañés in straight sets, after which Federer said he was not worried by his current form, while Nadal expressed surprise at his rival's loss.
Federer continued at the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where he was the defending champion. He defeated his 2008 Olympic doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round. In the quarterfinals, he avenged his earlier loss to Gulbis. In the semifinals, he defeated David Ferrer in three sets. Federer then lost to Nadal in the final in straight sets.
In the third round of the French Open, Federer beat Julian Reister to register his 700th ATP-level match victory and 150th on clay. He followed this milestone by defeating Wawrinka in the fourth round. Federer lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, ending his six-year streak of consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. Moreover, after the end of tournament, he lost the world no. 1 ranking to Nadal, leaving Federer at 285 weeks of being world no. 1, with Sampras holding the record of 286 weeks at that time.

Grass court season and Wimbledon

Federer next played at the Gerry Weber Open, where he lost to Hewitt in the final in three sets. In doubles, Federer and Allegro lost in the first round to Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Next, Federer attempted to defend his title at the Wimbledon Championships. Since Wimbledon has a different formula for seedings based on grass-court achievements, Federer was seeded first above world no. 1 Rafael Nadal. In the first round, Federer won for the 200th occasion in Grand Slam matches as he came from two sets down to beat Alejandro Falla, who served for the match in the fourth set at that time, but Falla took Federer to another set before Federer won in a quick fifth set. Federer beat Ilija Bozoljac in four sets. He next faced Arnaud Clément and had a straight-set victory. In the fourth round, Federer defeated no. 16 seed Jürgen Melzer. In the quarterfinals, he faced Tomáš Berdych, but lost in four sets. With this defeat, Federer became ranked no. 3 at the end of Wimbledon, which was his lowest ranking since November 10, 2003.

US Open Series and US Open

During Federer's summer break between Wimbledon and Canada, he hired Pete Sampras' old coach Paul Annacone to attempt to revive his fortune, to start with on a trial period. After beating Chela in his first match at the 2010 Rogers Cup, Federer broke Andre Agassi's record for Master level wins as he won his 210th match. Federer then overcame quarterfinal and semifinal challenges from Berdych and Djokovic respectively, winning the first set of both matches before dropping the second and having to fight hard to capture the decider. His triumph over Djokovic, the world no. 2, ensured that he would reclaim that ranking, regardless of the outcome of his final showdown with Murray, the defending champion. Federer lost in the final, 5–7, 5–7.
A week later, Federer played in the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, still seeded third behind Nadal and Djokovic, but competing as world no. 2 for the first time since Wimbledon. He received a bye in the first round, and then got another break when Uzbekistan second-round opponent Denis Istomin was forced to retire in the first set. He advanced to the quarterfinals in a walkover, when Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany pulled out, citing a shoulder injury. He defeated frequent tour opponent and world no. 6 Nikolay Davydenko and advanced to the semifinals. He defeated Marcos Baghdatis and advanced to the finals. There he defeated Mardy Fish and successfully defended the title. Federer began his quest for a sixth U.S. Open title with an easy win over Brian Dabul. Federer next beat Andreas Beck. In the third round, Federer defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu. In the round of 16, Federer faced Roland Garros semifinalist Jürgen Melzer and won in straight sets. Then, in the quarterfinals, he faced Robin Söderling, who had recently beaten him in the quarterfinals of the 2010 French Open, and defeated him. He narrowly lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after failing to convert two match points in the final set. As a result, Djokovic rose to no. 2 in the world and Federer fell to no. 3. By reaching the semifinals, Federer achieved his 20th match win in 2010 Grand Slams; this is the seventh consecutive year he has accomplished this feat, a record matched only by Ivan Lendl.

Asian swing

Federer competed at the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai, where he was seeded third and had a bye in the first round. Federer defeated John Isner and Andreas Seppi to advance to the quarterfinals, where he defeated world no. 5 Robin Söderling. He avenged his last US open loss against Djokovic. However, in the final, Federer fell to Murray.

European indoor season

His next tournament was the Stockholm Open. He got a bye in the first round, defeated the American Taylor Dent in the next round, and defeated fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka afterwards. Up next in the semifinals was Ivan Ljubičić, whom Federer beat in two sets. Federer won his 64th Tour-level title, tying with Pete Sampras for fourth place on the Open Era titles list, as he beat Florian Mayer in the final to win his first Stockholm crown.
He next participated at the 2010 Davidoff Swiss Indoors as the top seed. He defeated Djokovic the final, to win a record fourth title at the event. This was his 65th career title, placing him fourth in the all-time list, surpassing Pete Sampras' record of 64 career titles. At the BNP Paribas Masters, Federer reached the semifinals for the first time, where he lost to Gaël Monfils despite holding five match points.
At the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals, Federer was placed in Group B, along with Andy Murray, Robin Söderling, and David Ferrer. He defeated Ferrer in his first round-robin match. He then defeated Murray and defeated Söderling in his final round-robin match. These straight-set wins marked the first time Federer completed the round-robin stage without dropping a set. He was the winner of Group B and qualified for the semifinals. In the semifinals, he beat Novak Djokovic to advance to his sixth year-end championship final, where he faced his longtime rival Rafael Nadal. Federer retained his unbeaten record against Nadal at the ATP World Tour Finals by defeating the top seed in the final. Federer then had five season-ending championships to his name, tying Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl for the most ever. Federer ended the year ranked world no. 2 and played Nadal in two charity matches, one in Zürich and one in Madrid. The proceeds benefited , as well as . By the end of 2010 he widely became considered as the greatest player of all time.

Matches

Grand Slam performance

TournamentRoundResultOpponentScore
Australian Open1RWin Igor Andreev4–6, 6–2, 7–6, 6–0
Australian Open2RWin Victor Hănescu6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Australian Open3RWin Albert Montañés6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Australian Open4RWin Lleyton Hewitt6–2, 6–3, 6–4
Australian OpenQFWin Nikolay Davydenko2–6, 6–3, 6–0, 7–5
Australian OpenSFWin Jo-Wilfried Tsonga6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Australian OpenWWin Andy Murray6–3, 6–4, 7–6
French Open1RWin Peter Luczak6–4, 6–1, 6–2
French Open2RWin Alejandro Falla7–6, 6–2, 6–4
French Open3RWin Julian Reister6–4, 6–0, 6–4
French Open4RWin Stanislas Wawrinka6–3, 7–6, 6–2
French OpenQFLoss Robin Söderling6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 4–6
Wimbledon1RWin Alejandro Falla5–7, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6, 6–0
Wimbledon2RWin Ilija Bozoljac6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 7–6
Wimbledon3RWin Arnaud Clément6–2, 6–4, 6–2
Wimbledon4RWin Jürgen Melzer6–3, 6–2, 6–3
WimbledonQFLoss Tomáš Berdych4–6, 6–3, 1–6, 4–6
US Open1RWin Brian Dabul6–1, 6–4, 6–2
US Open2RWin Andreas Beck6–3, 6–4, 6–3
US Open3RWin Paul-Henri Mathieu6–4, 6–3, 6–3
US Open4RWin Jürgen Melzer6–3, 7–6, 6–3
US OpenQFWin Robin Söderling6–4, 6–4, 7–5
US OpenSFLoss Novak Djokovic7–5, 1–6, 7–5, 2–6, 5–7

All matches

Singles

TournamentMatchRoundOpponentRankResultScore
Qatar Open, Doha
Qatar
250
Hard, outdoor
4 January
8401R86Win6–1, 6–2
Qatar Open, Doha
Qatar
250
Hard, outdoor
4 January
8412R53Win6–2, 6–4
Qatar Open, Doha
Qatar
250
Hard, outdoor
4 January
842QF90Win6–2, 4–6, 6–4
Qatar Open, Doha
Qatar
250
Hard, outdoor
4 January
843SF6Loss4–6, 4–6
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
8441R37Win4–6, 6–2, 7–6, 6–0
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
8452R47Win6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
8463R32Win6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
8474R22Win6–2, 6–3, 6–4
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
848QF6Win2–6, 6–3, 6–0, 7–5
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
849SF10Win6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Australian Open, Melbourne
Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
18 January
850W4Win 6–3, 6–4, 7–6
Indian Wells Masters, Indian Wells
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
8 March
1RBye
Indian Wells Masters, Indian Wells
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
8 March
8512R43Win6–3, 6–7, 6–1
Indian Wells Masters, Indian Wells
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
8 March
8523R33Loss7–5, 5–7, 6–7
Miami Open, Miami
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
22 March
1RBye
Miami Open, Miami
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
22 March
8532R102Win6–3, 6–3
Miami Open, Miami
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
22 March
8543R61Win7–6, 7–6
Miami Open, Miami
USA
Masters 1000
Outdoor, hard
22 March
8554R20Loss4–6, 7–6, 6–7
Italian Open, Rome
Italy
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
25 April
1RBye
Italian Open, Rome
Italy
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
25 April
8562R40Loss6–2, 1–6, 5–7
Estoril Open,
Estoril
Portugal
250
Clay, outdoor
3 May
1RBye
Estoril Open,
Estoril
Portugal
250
Clay, outdoor
3 May
8572R138Win6–3, 6–4
Estoril Open,
Estoril
Portugal
250
Clay, outdoor
3 May
858QF83Win7–6, 6–2
Estoril Open,
Estoril
Portugal
250
Clay, outdoor
3 May
859SF34Loss2–6, 6–7
Madrid Open, Madrid
Spain
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 May
1RBye
Madrid Open, Madrid
Spain
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 May
8602R46Win6–2, 7–6
Madrid Open, Madrid
Spain
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 May
8613R23Win6–3, 6–1
Madrid Open, Madrid
Spain
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 May
862QF34Win3–6, 6–1, 6–4
Madrid Open, Madrid
Spain
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 May
863SF12Win7–5, 3–6, 6–3
Madrid Open, Madrid
Spain
Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
9 May
864F3Loss 4–6, 6–7
French Open, Paris
France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
23 May
8651R71Win6–4, 6–1, 6–2
French Open, Paris
France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
23 May
8662R70Win7–6, 6–2, 6–4
French Open, Paris
France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
23 May
8673R165Win6–4, 6–0, 6–4
French Open, Paris
France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
23 May
8684R24Win6–3, 7–6, 6–2
French Open, Paris
France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
23 May
869QF7Loss6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 4–6
Halle Open, Halle
Germany
250
Grass, outdoor
7 June
8701R65Win6–4, 6–4
Halle Open, Halle
Germany
250
Grass, outdoor
7 June
8712R67Win6–1, 6–2
Halle Open, Halle
Germany
250
Grass, outdoor
7 June
872QF35Win7–5, 6–3
Halle Open, Halle
Germany
250
Grass, outdoor
7 June
873SF41Win7–6, 6–4
Halle Open, Halle
Germany
250
Grass, outdoor
7 June
874F32Loss 6–3, 6–7, 4–6
Wimbledon Championships, London
Great Britain
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
21 June
8751R60Win5–7, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6, 6–0
Wimbledon Championships, London
Great Britain
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
21 June
8762R152Win6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 7–6
Wimbledon Championships, London
Great Britain
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
21 June
8773R86Win6–2, 6–4, 6–2
Wimbledon Championships, London
Great Britain
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
21 June
8784R16Win6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Wimbledon Championships, London
Great Britain
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
21 June
879QF13Loss4–6, 6–3, 1–6, 4–6
Canadien Open, Toronto
Canada
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
11 August
1RBye
Canadien Open, Toronto
Canada
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
11 August
8802R50Win7–6, 6–3
Canadien Open, Toronto
Canada
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
11 August
8813R35Win7–6, 6–3
Canadien Open, Toronto
Canada
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
11 August
882QF7Win6–3, 5–7, 7–6
Canadien Open, Toronto
Canada
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
11 August
883SF2Win6–1, 3–6, 7–5
Canadien Open, Toronto
Canada
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
11 August
884F4Loss 5–7, 5–7
Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati
USA
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
16 August
1RBye
Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati
USA
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
16 August
8852R53Win5–2, RET
Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati
USA
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
16 August
3R33WalkoverN/A
Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati
USA
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
16 August
886QF6Win6–4, 7–5
Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati
USA
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
16 August
887SF20Win6–4, 6–3
Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati
USA
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
16 August
888W36Win 6–7, 7–6, 6–4
US Open, New York
USA
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
30 August
8891R96Win6–1, 6–4, 6–2
US Open, New York
USA
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
30 August
8902R104Win6–3, 6–4, 6–3
US Open, New York
USA
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
30 August
8913R109Win6–4, 6–3, 6–3
US Open, New York
USA
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
30 August
8924R15Win6–3, 7–6, 6–3
US Open, New York
USA
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
30 August
893QF5Win6–4, 6–4, 7–5
US Open, New York
USA
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
30 August
894SF3Loss7–5, 1–6, 7–5, 2–6, 5–7
Shanghai Masters, Shanghai
China
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 October
1RBye
Shanghai Masters, Shanghai
China
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 October
8952R20Win6–3, 6–4
Shanghai Masters, Shanghai
China
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 October
8963R58Win6–3, 6–4
Shanghai Masters, Shanghai
China
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 October
897QF5Win6–1, 6–1
Shanghai Masters, Shanghai
China
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 October
898SF2Win7–5, 6–4
Shanghai Masters, Shanghai
China
Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 October
899F4Loss 3–6, 2–6
Stockholm Open, Stockholm
Sweden
250
Hard, indoor
18 October
1RBye
Stockholm Open, Stockholm
Sweden
250
Hard, indoor
18 October
9002R101Win6–1, 6–2
Stockholm Open, Stockholm
Sweden
250
Hard, indoor
18 October
901QF21Win2–6, 6–3, 6–2
Stockholm Open, Stockholm
Sweden
250
Hard, indoor
18 October
902SF17Win7–6, 6–2
Stockholm Open, Stockholm
Sweden
250
Hard, indoor
18 October
903W47Win 6–4, 6–3
Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel
Switzerland
500
Hard, indoor
1 November
9041R48Win6–4, 5–2 RET
Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel
Switzerland
500
Hard, indoor
1 November
9052R46Win6–3, 6–4
Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel
Switzerland
500
Hard, indoor
1 November
906QF38Win6–3, 6–2
Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel
Switzerland
500
Hard, indoor
1 November
907SF9Win6–2, 6–4
Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel
Switzerland
500
Hard, indoor
1 November
908W3Win 6–4, 3–6, 6–1
Paris Masters, Paris
France
Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
7 November
1RBye
Paris Masters, Paris
France
Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
7 November
9092R28Win6–4, 6–4
Paris Masters, Paris
France
Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
7 November
9103R41Win6–4, 6–3
Paris Masters, Paris
France
Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
7 November
911QF12Win6–1, 7–6
Paris Masters, Paris
France
Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
7 November
912SF14Loss6–7, 7–6, 6–7
ATP World Tour Finals, London
England
YEC
Hard, indoor
21 November
913RR7Win6–1, 6–4
ATP World Tour Finals, London
England
YEC
Hard, indoor
21 November
914RR5Win6–4, 6–2
ATP World Tour Finals, London
England
YEC
Hard, indoor
21 November
915RR4Win7–6, 6–3
ATP World Tour Finals, London
England
YEC
Hard, indoor
21 November
916SF3Win6–1, 6–4
ATP World Tour Finals, London
England
YEC
Hard, indoor
21 November
917W1Win 6–3, 3–6, 6–1

Exhibition matches

Doubles

Yearly records

Finals

Singles: 9 (5–4)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Winner62.31 January 2010Australian Open, Australia Hard Andy Murray6–3, 6–4, 7–6
Runner-up25.16 May 2010Madrid Open, Spain Clay Rafael Nadal4–6, 6–7
Runner-up26.13 June 2010Halle Open, GermanyGrass Lleyton Hewitt6–3, 6–7, 4–6
Runner-up27.Canada Masters, Canada Hard Andy Murray5–7, 5–7
Winner63.Cincinnati Masters, United States Hard Mardy Fish6–7, 7–6, 6–4
Runner-up28.17 October 2010Shanghai Masters, ChinaHard Andy Murray3–6, 2–6
Winner64.24 October 2010Stockholm Open, SwedenHard Florian Mayer6–4, 6–3
Winner65.7 November 2010Swiss Indoors, Switzerland Hard Novak Djokovic6–4, 3–6, 6–1
Winner66.28 November 2010Year-End Championships, London, UK Hard Rafael Nadal6–3, 3–6, 6–1