Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
by Stephanie Kuzydym • Nov 27, 2011 1:18 AM EST
It was Roger Federer's first year since 2003 he didn't win a Grand Slam. It was the first time the Swiss fell out of the Top 3 world rankings since winning previously mentioned final.
But the Fed still found a way to make history. He'll appear in his 100th final today in the ATP World Tour finals when he faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. So, we decided to take a look back at our Top 10 of Federer's 100 finals.
Deuces, ya'll.
10. The Sixth - We know he hasn't played it yet, but today's final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga comes in at No. 10. Not only is it his 100th final, but Federer will compete for a record sixth-straight Barclays title.
9. Thy Sixteenth Be Thy Name - On January 30, 2010, the Swiss won his 16th Grand Slam title.
8. Fifth Times A Charm - The 2011 French Open marked the fifth time that Federer had reached the finals in every single final. He handed Novak Djokovic his first defeat of the year when he topped Djoko in four sets, but couldn't walk away with the title. Federer lost to Nadal.
7. And Then He Wept - In the 2009 Australian Open final, it took five sets to decide yet another match between Federer and Spaniard Rafael Nadal. When the final ball fell, Federer lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3, 2-6. He broke down crying. Don't worry Fed, it's like what Michael de Montaigne said, "There are some defeats more triumphant than victories."
6. Strawberries And Cream - The first one Grand Slam win: Wimbledon 2003
5. The One That Slipped Away - Federer was the No. 1 seed in the 2009 U.S. Open. It was the fourth-set tiebreaker, but Federer couldn't hold on. He was upset by Juan Del Potro, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
4. Strawberries And Cream Part II - The fifth-straight Wimbledon win was a five-set victory against, who else, Rafael Nadal, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2.
3. Roland Garros At Last - It took six years and hundreds of questions wondering if Roger Federer just wasn't a "clay-kinda-guy." Then he beat fellow countrymen Robin Söderling in three sets for his first, and only, Grand Slam title on the red clay.
2. A 4-hour, 48-minute test - Federer was going for his fifth-straight Wimbledon title. To that point, he hadn't lost a match on grass since 2002, nor had he dropped a set in that tournament. Rafael Nadal changed that all. And July 5, 2008 is where the battle between the Swiss and the Spaniard continues.
1. The Thirty-game Fifth Set - Federer finally broke Andy Roddick's serve in the final set and it gave him the 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 victory that gave him his 15th career Grand Slam. That victory gave him the record for most career Grand Slams, surpassing Pete Sampras' total of 14. Federer also set a record for the most aces in a Grand Slam match with 50. What's that they say? Walk softly and carry a big racket?
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Stephanie Kuzydym:
Roger Federer's Top 10 Finals of his 100 Finals
Nov 27
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