Only one of Roger Federer’s 103 ATP Tour titles was won at the Paris Masters.
Before winning the title in 2011, Federer had reached the semi-finals of the tournament once in eight attempts.
In 2011, Federer appeared in the final for the first time, where he defeated French star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6.
Remarkably, this moment would end up being Federer’s sole triumph in Paris: he never won the tournament again.
After the 2011 final, Federer expressed his joy at winning the title.
Federer believed fans wanted to see him win the Paris Masters after his ‘unlucky’ injury record at the event
During his 2011 Paris Masters title run, Roger Federer defeated some high-flying players.
After defeating wildcard Adrian Mannarino in the second round, Federer dispatched French talent Richard Gasquet before beating Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5 in the quarter-finals.
Federer defeated fifth seed Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals before claiming the title against Tsonga.
Federer was simply superb at the tournament, as demonstrated by the fact that he did not drop a single set on his way to the title.
Speaking to Tennis TV after the final, Federer said: “I’m very happy. It’s been a wonderful tournament for me from start to finish. Didn’t drop a set, I think, as far as I can remember right now.
“I played a great final. I started great and finished great in the breaker so I couldn’t be more happy, and what a great end to the season.”
The interviewer then asked: “Paris is always a special city for you, isn’t it? And this has kind of capped it off, if you like.”
Federer replied: “Very much so, and I think people really wanted me to win here in Bercy as well because they know how many times I’ve come here, how many times I’ve tried, how many times I’ve gotten unlucky as well with injuries not to be able to compete at 100 per cent.
“I think it all paid off in the end. It’s been a great crowd throughout the whole tournament, and I’m really looking forward to coming back again next year.”
Federer competed at the Paris Masters five more times before retiring from the sport in 2022. His best results at the tournament after 2011 came in 2013 and 2018 – he made the semi-finals on both occasions.
Roger Federer’s last Paris Masters appearance
In 2018, Roger Federer made his last appearance at the Paris Masters.
After receiving a bye and benefitting from a walkover, Federer defeated 13th seed Fabio Fognini in the third round before beating former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4.
However, his run was then halted by Novak Djokovic, who won the titanic battle 7-6, 5-7, 7-6.
After the match, Djokovic said: “Well, we had epic matches throughout our rivalry, but this one definitely ranks as one of the best matches we played. High quality tennis.
“Next to the match I played against Nadal in semis of Wimbledon, this was definitely the most exciting match I was playing this year, and probably the best quality tennis match that I was part of.
“So it was kind of also expected, you know, because when I get to play Roger, I know I have to get the best out of myself in order to win. And that’s why our rivalries and matches are so special.”
Djokovic went on to lose in the final, falling at the hands of Karen Khachanov.
The Serbian star, who is still one of the best players on the ATP Tour, recently surpassed one of Federer’s historic records at the Shanghai Masters.
