Roger Federer enjoyed one of the most illustrious and era-defining careers in the history of tennis, regarded by many as the greatest of all time.
He played the sport with an element of class and elegance that has never been, and likely will never be seen again.
The way in which he made such a physically gruelling sport look so easy was at times jaw-dropping, and thus explains why so many point to him as the man who truly got them into tennis.
However, like most, there were humble beginnings for the now 42-year-old, forced to earn his place in a busy ATP Tour filled with superstars.
For him, and his Grand Slam journey in particular, that started at the French Open.
Roger Federer’s first-ever Grand Slam match
Having failed to make it through the Australian Open qualifying in 1999, a series of strong performances, including some big upsets, led Roland Garros to gift the Swiss youngster a wild card into their event.
Ranked 111th in the world, Roger Federer was rewarded with a match against the third seed Pat Rafter in arguably the peak of his powers.
Coming off the back of two straight US Open titles, the net-rushing Australian had a powerful game that had shown promise on clay given his recent upturn in results on the surface.
And yet, he was pushed by the 17-year-old, with Federer stunning the favourite to take the first set 7-5.
‘The boy impressed me very much,’ Rafter admitted afterwards. ‘If he works hard and has a good attitude, he could become an excellent player.’
The senior superstar managed to turn the match around eventually, winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2, but it was certainly a huge moment for Federer which reaffirmed his steady rise.
He would then go on to make his debut at Wimbledon later that summer, the start of a legendary love affair with the All-England Club.
Whilst looking back on his legendary career, it’s worth remembering Federer’s iconic Wimbledon speech after losing the 2019 final to Novak Djokovic.
How good was Pat Rafter?
Rafter went on to reach just the third round at the 1999 French Open, losing to eventual semi-finalist Fernando Meligeni in a surprising result.
And, it marked the start of a steady decline for the 52-year-old, as injuries prevented him from competing as much as he would have liked.
However, what he achieved throughout his career was not to be underplayed, proving many high-profile names wrong with his two Grand Slam titles.
After he won that maiden US Open in 1997, John McEnroe infamously branded him a one-slam wonder.
Pete Sampras, who Rafter had just beaten in Cincinnati in 1998, also added that to truly be considered great one must return and win more than one Grand Slam title. That’s exactly what the 1999 Australian Open doubles champion did, beating compatriot Mark Philippoussis to defend his crown in New York.
Rafter managed to reach another semi-final in Melbourne, and the final at Wimbledon in 2001, but both times fell to Andre Agassi and Goran Ivanisevic respectively. They would mark his final few runs into the latter stages of a Grand Slam.
He did not play any tour matches in 2002 due to injury and announced his retirement in 2003. His final match came in the 2001 Nitto ATP Finals in Sydney, where he lost to Lleyton Hewitt aged just 28.
