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A legend on the court, an icon off it.

Roger Federer’s tennis talent has brought joy to people the world over, but just as impactful were his cool and calm demeanour and his kind-natured gratitude for his groundbreaking popularity. Federer was a proactive off-court force for good, both within tennis and outside the sport, but he was also never afraid to have a little fun along the way.

With his storied career set to end after this weekend’s Laver Cup in London, ATPTour.com looks at some memorable off-court moments that have helped cement Federer’s status as a bona fide legend of the game.

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Sky-High In Dubai
Federer took tennis to new heights on the court, but he joined legendary American Andre Agassi in giving literal meaning to that expression in 2005 when the pair stepped out to play on the helipad at the top of the Burj Al Arab tower in Dubai.

Gilles Simon made an impressive start to his final campaign at the Moselle Open in Metz on Tuesday evening, when he downed 2014 winner David Goffin 6-3, 6-3 at the ATP 250 indoor hard event.

Simon, who announced earlier this year that he would retire at the end of the 2022 season, is a three-time champion at the indoor hard-court event. He broke Goffin’s serve four times en route to a 93-minute victory to level his ATP Head2Head series against the Belgian at 3-3.

“We’ve known each other for a very long time and I’m always happy to play against [David], one more time before the end,” said Simon in his on-court interview. “I was really not confident before the match because I know that he can play and I’m never sure about the performance I am going to show on the court. But in the end I played a very good match and it was a very nice win.

“I was playing very consistently today. I had a very good feeling from the baseline. I was missing very few shots and I was able to be offensive enough for him to be a bit in trouble if he started to be passive. So I think I played the match I needed to play. It was really perfect from the start until the end and that’s how I won this one.”

The former World No. 6 Simon has struggled for form this year, but clinched his 500th tour-level win against Steve Johnson in the second round at Roland Garros in May. The next challenge for the 37-year-old as he seeks to extend his 22-9 winning record in Metz is a second-round clash against Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Roger Federer is on the ground in London preparing for the Laver Cup, his final ATP Tour event.

The Swiss legend practised on Monday at The O2 with fellow Team Europe member Stefanos Tsitsipas. Their captain, former World No. 1 Bjorn Borg, was watching on.

Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Federer missed last year's event due to the knee injury that has kept him out since Wimbledon last year. This will be his fourth time representing Team Europe at the Laver Cup, where he owns a 6-0 singles record and a 2-3 doubles record.

Team Europe consists of the 'Big Four' of Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray as well as Tsitsipas and World No. 2 Casper Ruud, who reached the final at Roland Garros and the US Open this year.

Team Europe hits the practice court with a special trio: Roger, Stefanos and Bjorn.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/axVcl1w2fi

The last time Australian James Duckworth played countryman Alexei Popyrin in California, in an ATP Challenger Tour event in 2018, he needed a final-set tie-break to triumph. Popyrin tested Duckworth again on Monday in the first round of the San Diego Open, but the veteran again found a way through.

The seventh seed surged past Popyrin 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 behind 14 aces in two hours and 20 minutes to reach the second round. Duckworth saved six of the eight break points he faced to move to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head series with Popyrin.

The 30-year-old will next try to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of the year, having advanced to the last eight in Newport in July. He will play one of two American qualifiers: Christopher Eubanks or Mitchell Krueger.

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Duckworth has found form in recent weeks, having made an ATP Challenger Tour final in France earlier this month. It is an important week for the Australian, who is defending 150 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points this week that he earned last year by reaching the final in Nur-Sultan.

Sebastian Korda has only just begun his 2022 indoor season at the Moselle Open in Metz, but already the American is coming across some familiar faces.

The World No. 49 held firm against his former #NextGenATP rival Hugo Gaston on Monday to secure a 6-3, 7-6(2) first-round victory at the ATP 250 tournament in France. It is Korda's first indoor event since he reached the final of the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last November, when he squeezed past the Frenchman in five sets en route to championship match.

Through In Two ✌️@SebiKorda defeats Gaston 6-3 7-6 in an entertaining encounter in Metz@MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/A2fErJnwX0

Korda was given a similarly stern test by Gaston in Metz on Monday. The The 22-year-old fended off two set points when trailing 5-6 in the second set as Gaston ramped up the pressure in front of his home fans, but after digging deep to hold serve Korda carried the momentum with him into the tie-break. He opened a 5/1 lead that proved unassailable as he sealed a one-hour, 37-minute victory on tournament debut.

Awaiting Korda in the second round is another player he beat in Milan 10 months ago, Lorenzo Musetti. Despite that defeat in his home country, Hamburg champion Musetti leads Korda 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

With 20 Grand Slam titles and 310 weeks at World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, there is no doubt that Roger Federer is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Across his nearly two decades at the top of the game, the Swiss maestro’s seemingly effortless style and dominance captivated fans and confounded opponents – as he rewrote the tennis record books many times over. 

But which of Federer’s many seasons at the top would rank as the best of his career? Would it be 2004, 2006 or 2007, when he lifted three Grand Slam titles, or 2005 when he recorded the second-best winning percentage in the Open Era? What about 2009 when he completed the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros, or 2012 when he surpassed Pete Sampras for most weeks at World No. 1? 

ATPTour.com breaks down seven of the best seasons of Federer’s legendary career, from his big breakout season to his major comeback year…

Roger Federer captures his second Wimbledon title in 2004. Photo by: Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images

2004 
Win-Loss Record: 74-6 (92.5%)
Titles: 11
Grand Slam Titles: 3

Two French lefties won ATP Challenger Tour titles Sunday. Ugo Humbert defeated former US Open Dominic Thiem on home soil in Rennes to win his seventh Challenger title while Corentin Moutet triumphed at the Szczecin Challenger to claim his second Challenger title of the season (Lyon).

Players from France have now won 17 Challenger Tour titles this season, tying Argentina’s season-leading mark.

Humbert fended off all 21 break points faced this past week en route to capturing the Open Blot Rennes. In the championship match, the 24-year-old cruised to a comfortable 6-3, 6-0 victory over Thiem.

“I'm super happy, it was a very big match. A final is never easy, I managed to raise my level of play today,” Humbert said. “I couldn't have hoped for better, I had been looking for this level for a long time. I managed to play well on the important points and I felt that I had managed to crack him. To finish the week like this is very strong. I worked hard to get to this level of play.”

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For more than two decades, Roger Federer has enthralled fans with his play, personality, and superior fashion sense. His style has evolved from his long-haired teenage years to the detail-orientated, meticulously put together icon of modern day.

Though Wimbledon made expressing fashion a unique challenge with the white dress code, Federer rose to the occasion time and time again, managing to make his warm-up outfits as resplendent as his tuxedos for the champion’s ball (a celebration he starred in eight times). At the US Open, he appropriately went for bold, loud looks to rev up the New York crowds, while at Roland Garros he counterbalanced the red background by donning blue and neutral hues. At the Australian Open, where he won six times, he stayed effortlessly cool and chic in the sweltering heat every year.

Off the court, the Swiss has been a regular at the front rows of fashion shows and on best dressed lists alike. When Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine, was asked about her favourite looks at New York Fashion Week in 2007, she famously declared, “Anything that Roger wears!”

In honour of the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s decorated career, let’s take a journey through his most memorable looks.

Wimbledon 2006
On his way to winning his fourth Wimbledon trophy in a row, Federer made a fashion statement with a cream jacket more appropriate for a black-tie gala than a tennis court. He donned the perfectly tailored outerwear for the trophy ceremony with Rafael Nadal, all but breaking the internet.

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz ensured Spain advanced to the Davis Cup Finals knock-out stage on Sunday, when he defeated Soonwoo Kwon 6-4, 7-6(1) to move the former champion into a 2-0 lead against South Korea in Valencia.

View Davis Cup Scores | View Davis Cup Group Standings

The 19-year-old, who captured his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last week, lost against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. However, Alcaraz saved all three break points he faced against Kwon to bounce back after one hour and 49 minutes.

In the first match of the tie, Roberto Bautista Agut downed Seong-chan Hong 6-1, 6-3 in 73 minutes. The result sees Spain finish top in Group B, with Canada qualifying in second.

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Three events will make for a busy week on the ATP Tour, with ATP 250s in Metz and San Diego on the schedule in addition to the weekend’s Laver Cup, the final event of Roger Federer’s legendary career.

Debutant Daniil Medvedev leads the field at the Moselle Open in Metz, while Daniel Evans and Jenson Brooksby are the top seeds at the San Diego Open. The Laver Cup, which will be held from Friday to Sunday, will feature each of the Big Four — Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — for the first time.  

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch from each event.

View Draws: Metz | San Diego

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2) Returning Champ Hurkacz: World No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz did not drop a set on his way to the 2021 Metz title, including wins against Andy Murray in the quarter-finals and Pablo Carreno Busta in the final. That trophy was his third of 2021. Already a title-winner in Halle this season, Hurkacz — who also won the Metz doubles crown last year with Jan Zielinski — will hope to secure his second multiple-trophy campaign in France. After reaching the Montreal final, he went 1-2 at Cincinnati and the US Open.

3) Home Hopes: Eighth seed Adrian Mannarino leads seven Frenchman in the main draw, not including potential qualifiers. Also among the local favourites in action are Ugo Humbert, Gilles Simon, Arthur Rinderknech and Richard Gasquet. Nine of the past 12 Metz champion were French, including five straight French champions from 2009-13.

4) Musetti, Rune, Thiem Add Intrigue: #NextGenATP stars Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune are seeded third and fourth, separated by just one place in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at World No. 30 and 31, respectively. They also occupy third and fourth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Milan. Musetti is making his Metz debut, while Rune returns after reaching the quarter-finals as a qualifier one year ago. Wild card Dominic Thiem is set for his second Metz appearance after a run to the 2016 final (l. to Lucas Pouille).

Less than two months before the Nitto ATP Finals, tennis is already in the spotlight in Turin. In preparation for the year-end event, to be held at the Pala Alpitour stadium from 13-20 November, six parks and iconic locations will be the venues for "Tennis in Piazza" during September and October.

Organised by the Italian Tennis Federation in collaboration with the Municipality of Turin and the Piedmont Regional Schools Directorate, this activation will span across six different events and invites members of the public to familiarise themselves with a sport that is experiencing a moment of extraordinary popularity in Italy.

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Following the success of the 2021 edition of "Tennis in Piazza", this year's event returns with an avant-garde setup, keeping with the style of the Nitto ATP Finals. Each venue will have a 10x16-metre court, with teachers and supervisors from the Istituto Superiore di Formazione “Roberto Lombardi” (ISF) on hand to assist children and young aspiring players as well as adolescents and adults who want to take the first step toward learning the sport of tennis. Thanks to the collaboration between the ISF, the City of Turin and the Schools Directorate of Piedmont, this initiative has already seen 30 schools confirm their participation.

This year, "Tennis in Piazza" will also offer participants the opportunity to practise another racket sport: table tennis. Next to each tennis court, a further four playing areas will be set up with reduced-size tables specially designed for players in the preliminary stages of the sport. This activation was made possible by the support of technical experts of the Federation and in collaboration with the Piedmont Regional Committee and the Italian Table Tennis Federation.

Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor earned singles wins for the Netherlands against the United States on Saturday to secure the Dutch team the top spot in Group D with a perfect 3-0 record.

Competing in Glasgow, van de Zandschulp scored his third singles win in as many ties with a 6-4, 7-6(3) result against World No. 13 Taylor Fritz. The Dutchman broke in the ninth game of the opening set before serving it out and breaking to open set two. Fritz would level in the second, but his comeback bid ended in the tie-break.

"We’ve had an amazing week together," Van de Zandschulp said post-match. "Not everyone expected we would be No. 1, but we played some great tennis. I played to a really good level this week. The last couple of months I’ve had difficulty finding my level and I think it’s coming back."

The 26-year-old's victory clinched the tie for the Netherlands after Griekspoor's 7-5, 7-6(3) win against Tommy Paul opened Saturday's play. Griekspoor recorded two singles wins in three matches in Group D. In the dead doubles rubber, Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock put Team USA on the board with a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 win against Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.

Despite the defeat, the United States advances to the quarter-final stage with a 2-1 record, good enough for second place in the group.

Felix Auger-Aliassime earned one of the biggest wins of his career on Friday when he defeated new World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in Davis Cup action.

The World No. 13 saved all seven break points he faced to level Canada's tie against Spain at 1-1 after two hours and 50 minutes. Auger-Aliassime took the initiative in the match to put the recent US Open champion on the back foot, especially in the critical moments.

This was Alcaraz's first match as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 19-year-old fought valiantly, but was unable to close out the tie.

Roberto Bautista Agut had made a good start for Spain when he rallied past Vasek Pospisil 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. There will be a deciding doubles match in Valencia.

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Following Roger Federer’s retirement announcement on Thursday, many tennis stars of the past and present took to social media to pay tribute to the Swiss.

But Federer’s announcement reverberated far beyond the tennis world. Celebrities including Bill Gates, football player Lionel Messi, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso also shared their well-wishes for the former World No. 1.

You've been an incredible friend to me and an inspiration to an entire generation of tennis players. I'm lucky to have seen you work your magic on the court many times. And I'm excited to watch your philanthropic work grow in this next phase of your life. https://t.co/lAWC14Ho1B

What a career, @rogerfederer. We fell in love with your brand of tennis. Slowly, your tennis became a habit. And habits never retire, they become a part of us.

Thank you for all the wonderful memories. pic.twitter.com/FFEFWGLxKR

They were born only 49 days apart, though in vastly different corners of the world.

Consider the catalogues of Serena Williams and Roger Federer as a portrait of contrasting forces. Stylistically different, but in terms of sheer substance, they are two of the most decorated players of the Open Era, almost without rivals.

It feels appropriate they chose to depart from professional tennis within a span of five weeks. Williams’ retirement news arrived in a Vogue magazine essay on 9 August, the day after Federer turned 41. His announcement came Thursday, 11 days before her 41st birthday.

“This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the tour has given me,” Federer wrote in his retirement letter. “But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible.”

Williams earlier had expressed similar sentiments when saying goodbye to fans.

ATP has announced significant upgrades to the ATP Challenger Tour, set to deliver a record number of events, multi-million dollar prize money increases and an optimised tournament calendar from January 2023. The reforms follow an in-depth review and strategy development, conducted by ATP’s new senior Challenger Tour team over the past eight months.

Key changes include:

1) Category Simplification:

The ATP will phase out the Challenger 90 and 110 categories, reducing the number of categories from six to four. Starting in 2023, the core categories will be:

In addition, ATP will introduce three brand-new premium Challenger 175 events, during the second week of ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Rome and Madrid, with prize money of $220,000.

In 1973, Ilie Nastase became the first player to finish the season as the year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Since then, a further 16 players have ended the year at the top of tennis’ mountain.

Novak Djokovic holds the ATP record of seven year-end No. 1 finishes, while 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz will be aiming to become the youngest player in history to finish the season in top spot after soaring to No. 1 following his recent US Open title run. However, one record looks set to remain for years to come...

As part of ATP’s anniversary celebrations, ATPTour.com has identified 50 game-changing moments of the past 50 years and collated them in an immersive feature. Here we look at how Pete Sampras stayed at the top of the sport throughout the 1990s.

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As Sampras secured his place among the sport’s kings in the 1990s, one record kept the American hungry: Jimmy Connors’ five straight year-end No. 1 finishes between 1974 and 1978.

Taylor Fritz fired the United States closer to the Davis Cup Finals knock-out stage on Thursday, defeating Alexander Bublik 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3 to give the Americans an unassailable 2-0 lead against Kazakhstan.

The United States won its opening Group D tie in Glasgow against Great Britain in the early hours of Wednesday morning and backed that up with a comfortable victory against Kazakhstan. In the first match of the tie, Tommy Paul proved too strong for Mikhail Kukushkin. The World No. 29 cruised past the 34-year-old 6-1, 6-4 in 87 minutes, before Fritz finished the job.

View Davis Cup Scores

Kecmanovic Seals Serbia’s Win Against South Korea
Miomir Kecmanovic overcame Soonwoo Kwon 6-3, 6-3 in Valencia to keep Serbia’s Davis Cup qualification chances alive in Group B.

The World No. 33 saved all four break points he faced to triumph after 81 minutes, moving Serbia into a 2-0 lead against South Korea. Kecmanovic has improved his ATP Head2Head series record against the 24-year-old to 2-0.

Portugal’s Nuno Borges might just celebrate making his Top 100 debut by putting to use one of his biggest passions outside of tennis.

“I like to bake cakes,” Borges told ATPTour.com “I think I got that from my mom, I used to help her when I was young and I guess I still have that in me, it’s a side of me that not many people know about.”

After a second consecutive standout year on the ATP Challenger Tour, Borges found himself knocking on the door of the Top 100 on the eve of the US Open. Then at Flushing Meadows, the 25-year-old advanced through qualifying before reaching the second round, a run that lifted him to World No. 93 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The Maia native is just the sixth Portuguese player to win a Grand Slam main-draw match in men's singles and the fourth Portuguese player to crack the Top 100 in the past decade, joining Joao Sousa, Pedro Sousa, and Gastao Elias (in 2016, Joao Sousa reached the highest ranking in Portuguese tennis history when he climbed to a career-high No. 28).

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