Roger Federer?s Dad Missed Watching His Son?s Wimbledon Victories as He Considered Himself to Be ?Unlucky?

Legendary Swiss player Roger Federer is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players ever to play the game. Moreover, he is also probably the greatest grass court player. Certainly, his eight Wimbledon titles provide ample evidence of that.

At Wimbledon, we often see Federer’s family in attendance when he wins a title. Interestingly, Federer?s father, Robert Federer, did not witness his first two Wimbledon titles from the stadium, as he counted himself unlucky for his son. However, he came back to Wimbledon in 2005, and this time the result was different from his last visit.?

Robert Federer counted himself unlucky for his son Roger Federer

According to the book, The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer, Robert Federer first saw his son play in a Wimbledon match back in 2002. During that event, Federer was playing against Croatian tennis player Mario Ancic in the very first round. Like many people, Robert Federer also thought his son would win the match pretty easily. However, the Croatian dominated the Swiss legend and won in straight sets.?

Since that day, Federer?s father refused to watch his son play live for at least two years. In 2003 and 2004, Federer won two Wimbledon titles and his father watched his son?s victory sitting at home. During the 2005 Wimbledon, Federer urged his father to come and see him play at the Center Court. He said, ?Forget it! If I lose, then it certainly won?t be because of you.?

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In the final, Federer played against American Andy Roddick. The Swiss star was off to a quick start, as he won the first set in quick fashion. In the second set, the American gave a tough fight but Federer won the set in a tie-breaker. Then, there was a short delay due to rain, as Robert Federer was sitting on the stand nervously. In the end, Federer won the third set, 6-4 to win the match and the Wimbledon title. This was Federer?s 3rd consecutive title win at Wimbledon.?

“He still gets upset if I miss a backhand or a forehand. But I’ve learned to deal with this in the meantime because I know that he doesn’t know as much about tennis as I used to think,” Federer said about his father after winning the Wimbledon trophy.?

Federer?s incredible record at Wimbledon

After his Wimbledon victory in 2005, Federer went on to win the Grand Slam title in the next two years as well. From 2003 to 2007, he won five consecutive Wimbledon titles, a record still unbroken. The next three of his eight titles came in 2009, 2012, and 2017, respectively.?

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Moreover, he became the oldest champion ever at Wimbledon at 35 years old in 2017. In 2021, he lost in the quarter-final and had to undergo a knee surgery. Since then, he has not played in any tournament. However, he will make his return soon on the tour, in his home tournament in Basel.