2003 Roger Federer tennis season

2003 Roger Federer tennis season
Calendar prize money $4,000,680
Singles
Season record 78–17 (82.10%)
Calendar titles 7
Year-end ranking #2
Ranking change from previous year 4
Grand Slam results
Australian Open 4R
French Open 1R
Wimbledon W
US Open 4R
Tour Finals W
Last updated on: 31 December 2003.
Main article: Roger Federer

Roger Federer won his first Grand Slam title in the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, which he won it over Mark Philippoussis, 7–6(5), 6–2, 7–6(3). Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 Event in Miami with Max Mirnyi, and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 final in Rome on clay, which he lost. Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour, of which he won seven, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna. Lastly, Federer won the Year-End Championships over Andre Agassi.

Contents

Year summary

Winter Hard Court Season

Federer began the 2003 season as the world number 6, with the stated goal of capturing his first career Grand Slam title.[1] However, early loses in Doha to Jan-Michael Gambill and as defending champion in Sydney to Franco Squillari kicked off the year in an ominous fashion.

In the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, Federer entered as the sixth seed and had a good chance to win his first Grand Slam when his draw opened up with the quick elimination of major rivals Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt. Federer entered the round of 16 without having dropped a set and faced his early nemesis David Nalbandian of Argentina. The match was a back-and-forth struggle, however, Federer ended up losing the devastating five set match 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 3-6.

He then won two hard-court tournaments in Marseille and Dubai, defeating Jonas Björkman and Felix Mantilla respectively. These two tournament victories constituted his fifth and sixth career singles titles. Back in the United States Federer had disappointing results at the Masters Series tournaments in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. He was upset in early-round matches by a pair of former French Open champions, Gustavo Kuerten and Albert Costa.

Clay Court Season

On clay, Federer won the tournament in Munich defeating Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4. This was his seventh career title and second career clay court title. Following this victory, Federer began his preparation for the French Open by competing in the clay masters tournaments in Rome and Hamburg. He reached the finals of Rome dropping only a single set, but was upset in a shocking defeat to the unseeded Spaniard Felix Mantilla 5-7, 2-6, 6-7(8). In Hamburg, the final tuneup before the French Open, Federer was defeated in the third round by Australian Mark Philippoussis 3-6, 6-2, 3-6.

His victory in Munich and finals showing in Rome launched Federer into the conversation as a favorite to win the French. Federer, seeded number five, was determined to prove himself at the French Open in 2003 after losing in the first round the year before. His opponent in the first round was Luis Horna of Peru who ranked number 88 in the world. Federer started out well, jumping out to a 5-3 lead in the first set before imploding and losing the match 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-7(3). After the nightmarish match where Federer committed an astounding 82 unforced errors he stated, "I don't know how long I'll need to get over this defeat. A day, a week, a year--or my entire career."[2]

Grass Court Season

Two weeks after his crushing defeat in the first round of the French Open, Federer began the grass court season. He competed in the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. Federer quickly wiped away the bitter defeat in France by reaching the finals and defeating German Nicolas Kiefer 6-1, 6-3. This was Federer's first title on grass and it propelled him to odds of 5:1 to win Wimbledon at the British betting offices--behind only Americans Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.[3]

Federer entered Wimbledon as the fourth seed and quickly raced through the first three rounds. In the fouth round he faced Feliciano Lopez and was vicotrious in straight sets even though he had to take numerous injury timeouts for a serious lower back injury sustained in the match warm-up. In the quarterfinals Federer was fortunate that the match was delayed because of rain and was able to rest his injury for two whole days.[4] When the quarterfinals finally began Federer defeated the eighth seed Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands. His next match was a blockbuster semifinal where he faced American favorite Andy Roddick. Roddick had won the other grass court tuneup at the Queen's Club Championships and was an extremely dangerous opponent on grass. Federer defeated his young American rival 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-3 and became the first Swiss man to advance to the finals of a Grand Slam tournament. In the finals Federer faced Australian Philippoussis who had defeated him earlier in the year at Hamburg. Federer, however, proved that he possessed the quality of a champion and rose to the occassion. As Philippoussis's backhand sailed into the net on championship point Federer sank to his knees, raised his arms above his head, and looked to the sky. He had defeated the Australian 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) and finally achieved his elusive first Grand Slam title.

His breakthough and victory and the 2003 Wimbledon Championships proved especially significant because Federer would go on to win more Grand Slam titles than any man in tennis history. This achievement of winning his first ever Wimbledon and Grand Slam title has been repeatedly described by the Swiss star as the highlight of his career along with his 2009 victory at Roland Garros.

Gstaad

Immediately following his historic Wimbledon victory, Federer flew to the Bernese Alps to honor his commitment of playing the Swiss Open in Gstaad. This tournament was unique in Federer's calendar as it was played on a clay surface in between the grass and summer hard court seasons. Federer's Wimbledon victory was honored by the tournament which gave the Swiss star a 1,760 pound milking cow named Juliette.[5] Federer continued his winning ways until exhaustion finally caught up to him in the finals, where he fell to Jiri Novak in five sets ending his 15 match winning streak. This loss, however, could not lessen the euphoric atmosphere in Switzerland in the wake of his Wimbledon performance.

Summer Hard Court Season

During the North American summer hard-court season, however, Federer lost his initial opportunities to ascend to the top of the world rankings. Federer lost an extremely close match in the semifinals of the Masters Series tournament in Montreal to Roddick which ended in a final set tiebreaker 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(3). This would be the last time he would lose to Roddick until 2008. At the Cincinnati Masters Federer lost to rival David Nalbandian in the second round. This loss to Nalbandian was extremely close as well with Federer on the unlucky end of a 6-7(4), 6-7(5) result.

Federer entered the 2003 US Open for the first time ever as a Grand Slam champion. The number two seed breezed through the first three rounds of the tournament dropping only his opening set. In the fourth round Federer again faced arch-nemesis Nalbandian who had defeated him in the previous tournament and held a 4-0 head to head record against the Swiss. The Argentine again frusrated Federer as the Swiss lost 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 3-6. His goal of achieving the number one ranking receded even further as Roddick completed the American summer hard court triple.

Fall Indoor Season

During the autumn, Federer played four consecutive indoor tournaments in Europe. He won the tournament in Vienna defeating former world number one and French Open champion Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. However, he failed to reach the finals in his home tournament of Basel and the Masters Series tournaments in Madrid and Paris.

To end the year, Federer won his first Tennis Masters Cup title in Houston. As the third-seeded player, he defeated Andre Agassi to open the round robin in a thrilling 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(7) epic. He would go on to straight set Nalbandian 6-3, 6-0, defeating the Argentine for the first time in his career. His last round robin match was against world number 2 Juan Carlos Ferrero who fell to Federer 6-3, 6-1. In the semifinals he defeated world number 1 and US Open champion Andy Roddick 7-6, 6-2. Federer entered the final against the 1990 champion Andre Agassi and won decisively 6-3, 6-0, 6-4.

Federer challenged for the top ranking during 2003, finishing the year at world number 2, just behind Roddick and just ahead of Juan Carlos Ferrero.[6]

Matches

Grand Slam performance

Tournament Round Result Opponent Score
Australian Open 1R Win Flávio Saretta 7–6(7–4), 7–5, 6–3
2R Win Lars Burgsmüller 6–3, 6–0, 6–3
3R Win Andreas Vinciguerra 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
4R Loss David Nalbandian 4–6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 3–6
French Open 1R Loss Luis Horna 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 6–7(3–7)
Wimbledon 1R Win Hyung-Taik Lee 6–3, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
2R Win Stefan Koubek 7–5, 6–1, 6–1
3R Win Mardy Fish 6–3, 6–1, 4–6, 6–1
4R Win Feliciano López 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–4
QF Win Sjeng Schalken 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
SF Win Andy Roddick 7–6(8–6), 6–3, 6–3
F Win (1) Mark Philippoussis 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
US Open 1R Win José Acasuso 5–7, 6–3, 6–3, 2–0 retired
2R Win Jean-René Lisnard 6–1, 6–2, 6–0
3R Win James Blake 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3
4R Loss David Nalbandian 6–3, 6–7(1–7), 4–6, 3–6

All matches

Singles

Match Tournament Country Start
Date		 Entry Type I/O Surface Round Opponent Result Score
458 Doha Qatar 12/30/2002 DA 250 Outdoor Hard R32 Andrei Stoliarov W 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 6–4
459 Doha Qatar 12/30/2002 DA 250 Outdoor Hard R16 Michel Kratochvil W 6–4, 6–4
460 Doha Qatar 12/30/2002 DA 250 Outdoor Hard Q Jan–Michael Gambill L 4–6, 5–7
461 Sydney Australia 1/6/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Hard R32 Franco Squillari L 2–6, 3–6
462 Australian Open Australia 1/13/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R128 Flávio Saretta W 7–6(7–4), 7–5, 6–3
463 Australian Open Australia 1/13/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R64 Lars Burgsmüller W 6–3, 6–0, 6–3
464 Australian Open Australia 1/13/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R32 Andreas Vinciguerra W 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
465 Australian Open Australia 1/13/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R16 David Nalbandian L 4–6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 3–6
466 NED v. SUI WG Rd 1 Netherlands 2/7/2003 DA DC Indoor Carpet RR Raemon Sluiter W 6–2, 6–1, 6–3
467 NED v. SUI WG Rd 1 Netherlands 2/7/2003 DA DC Indoor Carpet RR Sjeng Schalken W 7–6(7–2), 6–4, 7–5
468 Marseille France 2/10/2003 DA 250 Indoor Hard R32 Ivan Ljubičić W 7–6(7–3) RET
469 Marseille France 2/10/2003 DA 250 Indoor Hard R16 Jarkko Nieminen W 6–3, 6–3
470 Marseille France 2/10/2003 DA 250 Indoor Hard Q Raemon Sluiter W 6–4, 4–6, 6–4
471 Marseille France 2/10/2003 DA 250 Indoor Hard S Karol Kučera W 7–6(7–5), 6–3
472 Marseille France 2/10/2003 DA 250 Indoor Hard W Jonas Björkman W 6–2, 7–6(8–6)
473 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/17/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard R32 Thomas Enqvist W 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
474 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/17/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard R16 Fabrice Santoro W 6–0, 6–4
475 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/17/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard Q Sjeng Schalken W 6–2, 6–4
476 Rotterdam Netherlands 2/17/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard S Max Mirnyi L 7–5, 3–6, 4–6
477 Dubai U.A.E. 2/24/2003 DA 500 Outdoor Hard R32 Irakli Labadze W 6–3, 6–3
478 Dubai U.A.E. 2/24/2003 DA 500 Outdoor Hard R16 Maximilian Abel W 6–4, 7–5
479 Dubai U.A.E. 2/24/2003 DA 500 Outdoor Hard Q Hicham Arazi W 7–5, 6–3
480 Dubai U.A.E. 2/24/2003 DA 500 Outdoor Hard S Ivan Ljubičić W 6–3, 6–2
481 Dubai U.A.E. 2/24/2003 DA 500 Outdoor Hard W Jiří Novák W 6–1, 7–6(7–2)
482 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells USA 3/10/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Félix Mantilla W 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 4–1 RET
483 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells USA 3/10/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 Gustavo Kuerten L 5–7, 6–7(3–7)
484 ATP Masters Series Miami USA 3/17/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R128 Bye W  
485 ATP Masters Series Miami USA 3/17/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Luis Horna W 6–2, 7–5
486 ATP Masters Series Miami USA 3/17/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 Juan Ignacio Chela W 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
487 ATP Masters Series Miami USA 3/17/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R16 Sjeng Schalken W 6–3, 6–2
488 ATP Masters Series Miami USA 3/17/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard Q Albert Costa L 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 6–7(7–9)
489 FRA v. SUI WG Qtrs France 4/4/2003 DA DC Indoor Hard RR Nicolas Escudé W 6–4, 7–5, 6–2
490 FRA v. SUI WG Qtrs France 4/4/2003 DA DC Indoor Hard RR Fabrice Santoro W 6–1, 6–0, 6–2
491 Munich Germany 4/28/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay R32 Zeljko Krajan W 6–4, 6–3
492 Munich Germany 4/28/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay R16 Raemon Sluiter W 6–4, 6–3
493 Munich Germany 4/28/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay Q Mikhail Youzhny W 6–2, 6–3
494 Munich Germany 4/28/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay S Stefan Koubek W 6–2, 6–1
495 Munich Germany 4/28/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay W Jarkko Nieminen W 6–1, 6–4
496 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy 5/5/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R64 Paul–Henri Mathieu W 6–3, 7–5
497 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy 5/5/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R32 Mariano Zabaleta W 7–6(7–4), 6–2
498 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy 5/5/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R16 Tommy Robredo W 6–1, 6–1
499 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy 5/5/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay Q Filippo Volandri W 6–3, 5–7, 6–2
500 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy 5/5/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay S Juan Carlos Ferrero W 6–4, 4–2 RET
501 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy 5/5/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay F Félix Mantilla L 5–7, 2–6, 6–7(8–10)
502 ATP Masters Series Hamburg Germany 5/12/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R64 Max Mirnyi W 6–3, 6–3
503 ATP Masters Series Hamburg Germany 5/12/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R32 Sargis Sargsian W 6–1, 6–1
504 ATP Masters Series Hamburg Germany 5/12/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Clay R16 Mark Philippoussis L 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
505 Roland Garros France 5/26/2003 DA GS Outdoor Clay R128 Luis Horna L 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 6–7(3–7)
506 Halle Germany 6/9/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Grass R32 Sargis Sargsian W 7–5, 6–1
507 Halle Germany 6/9/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Grass R16 Fernando Vicente W 4–6, 6–2, 6–1
508 Halle Germany 6/9/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Grass Q Younes El Aynaoui W 7–5, 7–6(7–3)
509 Halle Germany 6/9/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Grass S Mikhail Youzhny W 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–2
510 Halle Germany 6/9/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Grass W Nicolas Kiefer W 6–1, 6–3
511 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass R128 Hyung–Taik Lee W 6–3, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
512 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass R64 Stefan Koubek W 7–5, 6–1, 6–1
513 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass R32 Mardy Fish W 6–3, 6–1, 4–6, 6–1
514 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass R16 Feliciano López W 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–4
515 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass Q Sjeng Schalken W 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
516 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass S Andy Roddick W 7–6(8–6), 6–3, 6–3
517 Wimbledon England 6/23/2003 DA GS Outdoor Grass W Mark Philippoussis W 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
518 Gstaad Switzerland 7/7/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay R32 Marc López W 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 6–3
519 Gstaad Switzerland 7/7/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay R16 Jean–René Lisnard W 6–1, 6–2
520 Gstaad Switzerland 7/7/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay Q David Sánchez W W/O
521 Gstaad Switzerland 7/7/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay S Gastón Gaudio W 6–1, 7–6(8–6)
522 Gstaad Switzerland 7/7/2003 DA 250 Outdoor Clay F Jiří Novák L 7–5, 3–6, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6
523 ATP Masters Series Canada Canada 8/4/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Gastón Gaudio W 6–4, 3–6, 7–5
524 ATP Masters Series Canada Canada 8/4/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 Greg Rusedski W 6–4, 6–3
525 ATP Masters Series Canada Canada 8/4/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R16 Tommy Robredo W 6–4, 6–3
526 ATP Masters Series Canada Canada 8/4/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard Q Max Mirnyi W 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
527 ATP Masters Series Canada Canada 8/4/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard S Andy Roddick L 4–6, 6–3, 6–7(3–7)
528 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati USA 8/11/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R64 Scott Draper W 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(12–10)
529 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati USA 8/11/2003 DA 1000 Outdoor Hard R32 David Nalbandian L 6–7(4–7), 6–7(5–7)
530 US Open USA 8/25/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R128 José Acasuso W 5–7, 6–3, 6–3, 2–0 RET
531 US Open USA 8/25/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R64 Jean–René Lisnard W 6–1, 6–2, 6–0
532 US Open USA 8/25/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R32 James Blake W 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3
533 US Open USA 8/25/2003 DA GS Outdoor Hard R16 David Nalbandian L 6–3, 6–7(1–7), 4–6, 3–6
534 AUS v. SUI WG SF Australia 9/19/2003 DA DC Outdoor Hard RR Mark Philippoussis W 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
535 AUS v. SUI WG SF Australia 9/19/2003 DA DC Outdoor Hard RR Lleyton Hewitt L 7–5, 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 5–7, 1–6
536 Vienna Austria 10/6/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard R32 David Ferrer W 6–2, 6–2
537 Vienna Austria 10/6/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard R16 Karol Beck W 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
538 Vienna Austria 10/6/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard Q Jarkko Nieminen W 6–3, 6–3
539 Vienna Austria 10/6/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard S Max Mirnyi W 6–2, 7–6(7–2)
540 Vienna Austria 10/6/2003 DA 500 Indoor Hard W Carlos Moyà W 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
541 ATP Masters Series Madrid Spain 10/13/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Hard R64 Bye W  
542 ATP Masters Series Madrid Spain 10/13/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Hard R32 Àlex Corretja W 6–4, 6–3
543 ATP Masters Series Madrid Spain 10/13/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Hard R16 Mardy Fish W 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
544 ATP Masters Series Madrid Spain 10/13/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Hard Q Feliciano López W 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–4
545 ATP Masters Series Madrid Spain 10/13/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Hard S Juan Carlos Ferrero L 4–6, 6–4, 4–6
546 Basel Switzerland 10/20/2003 DA 250 Indoor Carpet R32 Marc Rosset W 6–1, 6–3
547 Basel Switzerland 10/20/2003 DA 250 Indoor Carpet R16 Ivan Ljubičić L 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–5), 4–6
548 ATP Masters Series Paris France 10/27/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Carpet R64 Bye W  
549 ATP Masters Series Paris France 10/27/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Carpet R32 Thierry Ascione W 7–6(7–5), 6–1
550 ATP Masters Series Paris France 10/27/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Carpet R16 Martin Verkerk W 6–7(3–7), 7–6(12), 7–6(8–6)
551 ATP Masters Series Paris France 10/27/2003 DA 1000 Indoor Carpet Q Tim Henman L 6–7(5–7), 1–6
552 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/10/2003 DA WC Outdoor Hard RR Andre Agassi W 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 7–6(9–7)
553 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/10/2003 DA WC Outdoor Hard RR David Nalbandian W 6–3, 6–0
554 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/10/2003 DA WC Outdoor Hard RR Juan Carlos Ferrero W 6–3, 6–1
555 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/10/2003 DA WC Outdoor Hard S Andy Roddick W 7–6(7–2), 6–2
556 Tennis Masters Cup USA 11/10/2003 DA WC Outdoor Hard W Andre Agassi W 6–3, 6–0, 6–4

See also

References

  1. ^ René Stauffer, The Quest for Perfection, page 74
  2. ^ René Stauffer, The Quest for Perfection, page 76
  3. ^ René Stauffer, The Quest for Perfection, page 79
  4. ^ René Stauffer, The Quest for Perfection, page 80-81
  5. ^ René Stauffer, The Quest for Perfection, page 89
  6. ^ "2003 Singles Activity". ATP World Tour. http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Roger-Federer.aspx?t=pa&y=2003&m=s&e=0#. Retrieved 2008-01-22. 

External links

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