Andy Murray and Roger Federer contested many high-quality matches on the ATP Tour.
The pair, who played their last match at the 2015 Cincinnati Open, contested 25 matches in total on the ATP Tour.
Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam titles during his career, retired from the sport in 2022 after contesting his final match at the Laver Cup.
Murray followed suit two years later, retiring after participating in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Murray, who in 2013 ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a Wimbledon Men’s Singles champion and led Great Britain to the 2015 Davis Cup title, discussed his approach heading into matches against Federer.
Andy Murray used his forehand down-the-line shot to trouble Roger Federer
During an interview on the Tennis Podcast, Murray discussed his admiration for Federer’s game, while also noting how Federer’s experience in Grand Slam finals proved a key factor when they contested some of the biggest matches on Tour.
Murray said: “I loved watching him [Federer] play. I felt like I knew from a strategic point of view how to play against him. I certainly was never going to always execute it well because of how good he is, but I had a clear idea of how it was that I wanted to play against him. That certainly helped me early on when I competed against him.
“The matchup was not a great matchup for me. I still lost more than I won against him, but it was a good match. I had chances to win when I played against him. In the Grand Slams I certainly did not do as well, and I think part of that was his game, but also the psychological impact of him having won multiple majors and me never having won one.
“The nerves that I would feel going into those matches and the pressure I would feel, obviously he would have felt that too – I’m not saying that he wouldn’t – but I think if I played him the first time in Slams when neither of us had won one, I probably would have felt a bit different going on the court.
“But he had this aura about him and was always described as the best tennis player of all time, so to overcome him is challenging in those biggest matches. But the matchup itself, I felt like I matched up quite well.”
Murray, who lost to Federer in three Grand Slam finals, then discussed his strategy when playing the Swiss maestro.
“I get on very well with Roger now. It meant a lot for me to beat him because he was someone I watched as a kid. I loved his game,” Murray began.
“People would say that his backhand was weak, but I mean, in relation to what? His backhand would still have been one of the best backhands in the world, but in relation to his forehand, it was clear that was the side that you could maybe attack. My backhand cross-court was one of my best shots.
“I also used to like playing this high forehand down the line, which was slow. For him, I think – and I’d be interested to know – but I did not hit it super deep, it was high but short in the box and for one-handers it was difficult. You need to make a decision early on, what to do with this ball. Do I step in and take it early, or they [Federer] have to retreat and go back behind the baseline.
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“I felt like that shot gave him some trouble, particularly early on when we played. Obviously he figured that out the more I played against him, but there were a few things in the matchup that I felt like I could [hurt him].
“And also, I watched hours of him play, so initially reading his game, a lot of that had been done before I went on the court with him the first few times.”
Andy Murray and Roger Federer’s head-to-head matchup
Roger Federer retired from his playing career in 2022, ending a 24-year stint on the ATP Tour.
During that period, Federer played Andy Murray on 25 occasions, winning 14 of those matches.
In 2005, the pair met for the first time in the Bangkok Open final. Federer won the match, defeating Murray 6-3, 7-5.
As mentioned above, they contested their last match at the 2015 Cincinnati Open. Federer won the match 6-4, 7-6.
Upon Federer’s retirement in 2022, he held a 14-11 record against the Brit.
Federer was particularly dominant against Murray in their last few matchups. In fact, Federer won his last five matches against Murray, from 2014 to 2015.
Murray’s last victory against Federer occurred in the 2013 Australian Open semi-finals. Murray won the contest 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
