Roger Federer played his first Grand Slam quarterfinals in back-to-back tournaments at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2001. The Swiss was unable to repeat those accomplishments a year later, suffering early losses and hoping for a better run in 2003 .
Federer won his first grass-court title in Halle just weeks before Wimbledon and went to the All England Club as one of the favourites. Roger dropped just one set to Hyung-Taik Lee, Stefan Koubek and Mardy Fish to meet in week two.
The Swiss defeated Feliciano López in the fourth round despite a serious back injury that almost cost him the first set and possibly the entire match. Federer defeated an injured Sjeng Schalken in the quarterfinals to set up a highly anticipated clash against Andy Roddick, with the two youngsters contending for their first Major final.
Federer played at a high level as he claimed a 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in one hour and 43 minutes. Roger avoided a set point in the tie break and never looked back in sets two and three. Roddick only missed two break chances early in the second set and struggled to keep pace with his opponent.
The American suffered three breaks that pushed Roger over the finish line.
Roger Federer was a player to beat at Wimbledon 2003.
With 34 game-winning serves and a powerful 40 from the court, Federer committed just 35 errors to tame his shots well and build up the pressure at the other end.
After the match, Roger was feeling confident after such a solid performance, proving he is important material and hoping for more in the title clash against Mark Philippoussis.
The Swiss was willing to try again in the following years if he lost the final, which he didn’t. “I still have one game to play, and if I don’t win the title, I will try to come back and be successful in the next few years.
This Wimbledon showed me that I can fight for big titles and take the next steps, as I have never played in a semi-final before. I knew I could play well in best-of-five Davis Cup games, but you only play them sometimes, especially if you lose early in the Majors.
This result will give me confidence and experience for the next tournaments; I won a lot of matches this year, which gives me an extra boost,” said Roger Federer. The Swiss began his idyll with Wimbledon in 2003, a tournament in which he defeated the great champion of the tennis cathedral, Pete Sampras , whom he beat in the 2001 quarterfinals.
The Swiss ended his career with eight championships in the third Major on the calendar, confirming himself as one of the great protagonists in the history of tennis on this surface, a game characterized by elegance and precision, that distinctive trait that led him to stand out at the top of the circuit.
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