Roger Federer 2011 French Open Finals Match Used & Signed Racquet

Over the last 15 years, the Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer debate has been one of the most talked about rivalries in tennis history.  

Roger Federer, who started as a ball boy, is one of the greatest tennis players in the world (many would argue the greatest). Known for his unique single-handed backhand and 20 Grand Slam titles, Federer dominated the sport in the early 2000s with his exceptional all-around game. 

This racquet has been photomatched to the Final of the French Open on June 5th, 2011 – a Grand Slam Finals meeting between Nadal and Federer featuring one of the greatest rivalries in the sport. Federer was in contention for the world number one ranking and after over three and a half hours, Nadal won in 4 sets (7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1). The racquet is accompanied by a letter from Resolution Photomatching and also by a letter from James Spence Authentication in regards to the signature.

Going Deeper | Roger Federer

Born in 1981 in Basel, Switzerland, Roger Federer began playing tennis at eight years old. By eleven he was among the top three junior tennis players in Switzerland. After winning two national titles at twelve, he decided to devote himself to becoming number one in the world. At fourteen, he moved away from his friends and family to join the National Tennis Center in Ecublens on Lake Geneva. Despite being the youngest player in the program, he won Switzerland’s 1998 junior champion title at sixteen. After winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, Federer was on a fast track to becoming one of the greatest tennis players the world had ever seen.

By 2004, Federer was on the path to utter domination - he had just won three of the four major Grand Slam tournaments, (a feat he would accomplish again in 2006 and 2007), and he was ranked the number one tennis player in the world. On March 28 of that year, Federer faced his soon-to-be ultimate competitor: Rafael Nadal, a 17-year old Spaniard. Federer lost the match, which would set the tone for the rivalry for years to come.

Before Nadal no tennis player seemed to come close to him, but with Nadal's strength on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Federer's standing as the best player in the world was in contention.

Federer, powerful on grass, had four consecutive Wimbledon titles under his belt, but despite his incredible form and unrelenting stamina, clay seemed to be his achilles heel. So much so that, in 2007, the duo of Federer and Nadal competed in a ‘Battle of the Surfaces’ exhibition match which featured a court specially made of 50% clay and 50% grass.

Grass courts, unlike clay, are the fastest surface in tennis and due to the texture of the grass, the ball often has a lower bounce, staying closer to the ground. The court favors players like Federer who play close to the net and use topspin to force the ball to bend over the net. Clay courts are the slowest surface of the three and have higher bounce, making it suited to players who use a lot of spin on the ball and play at the baseline, like Nadal.

After three trying years at the French Open, in 2009, Federer overcame his reputation as a weaker clay player. Facing off against Robin Söderling, who had beaten Nadal earlier in the tournament, Federer won his first (and only) French Open.  The long awaited victory proved to Federer and the world his ability to be a champion in all four Grand Slam tournaments.

The following month he returned to Wimbledon to capture his 15th Grand Slam against Andy Roddick, closing out the year at number one in the world for the 5th time. By 2010, he had won 16 Grand Slam titles. 

Today, Federer is recognized as one of the game’s greats and has reached the Grand Slam Finals 31 times, winning 20 titles, behind only Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Despite not having the most Grand Slam titles, many consider him the greatest to ever play.