Roger Federer was a dominant force at his home tournament in Basel at the Swiss Indoors, but he did face defeat a handful of times.
Federer won the Swiss Indoors a record 10 times, which is seven more than any other player on the ATP Tour managed.
The Swiss superstar was only defeated by three different players at the tournament since his debut in 2003.
Novak Djokovic’s win over the star in 2009 ended an incredible 19-match winning streak at the Basel tournament.
Novak Djokovic said beating Roger Federer in Switzerland was ‘extra special’
Only Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, and Ivan Ljubičić managed to overcome the 20-time Grand Slam winner at his home tournament.
Djokovic’s win in the final of the Swiss Indoors in 2009 came after Federer had won the last three tournaments.
The Serbian ousted Federer in three sets to win his only Swiss Indoors crown and he was typically delighted after the match.
“I played the best match of the week when I really needed it,” said Djokovic, who had just won his first indoor trophy since the Masters Cup in Shanghai the year prior.
“The form came at the right moment,” said the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Winning in Basel makes my success even more special.
“We all know how well Roger plays at home – he has won here three times. I’m extremely happy with how I approached the match and my strategy.”
Djokovic played the tournament a handful of times more, but he never captured the trophy again. Federer beat him the next year in the final to get his revenge.
The history of the Swiss Indoors
The Swiss Indoors is one of the few tournaments that have not been won by all of the ‘big four’, as Rafael Nadal failed to win the tournament.
Nadal reached the final in 2015, but he was beaten by Federer who claimed his seventh trophy at the tournament.
Outside of Federer, there have been multiple players who have won the trophy on more than one occasion.
British stars Andy Murray and Tim Henman have won the tournament twice, while Stefan Edberg is behind Federer with three wins.
