Roger Federer's 2017 Hat-Trick: ATP's Comeback, Sportsmanship, and Fans' Favorite
In the 2016 Wimbledon semi-final, Roger Federer was defeated by Milos Raonic, leading to his absence from the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. This injury caused him to drop out of the top-10 rankings for the first time in several years. However, in 2017, Roger staged a remarkable return to the tennis scene, winning 54 out of 59 matches and ultimately reclaiming his position as the world’s top-ranked player.
2 behind Rafael Nadal after seven ATP titles. Those great results secured three notable awards for Rogers, winning the Comeback Player of the Year, the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite Award!
Tennis fans worldwide had a chance to choose their favorite players from the ATP Tour in different categories, and Roger’s success was no surprise. The Swiss claimed two Major titles for the first time in eight years, battling against Rafael Nadal for the year-end no.
1 honor. Federer entered the season ranked 17th, which was hardly an obstacle for him. Roger prevailed over Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka en route to the final, toppling Rafa after an epic duel for his first Major crown in five years.
Roger Federer secured three ATP awards following a notable 2017 season.
Federer conquered Indian Wells without losing a set before lifting another trophy in Miami after a couple of thrilling triumphs. Roger took a break, missing the clay swing and returning to action on his beloved grass.
The Swiss won titles in Halle and Wimbledon, never dropping a set in 12 encounters! Federer lost the Montreal final to Alexander Zverev before falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the US Open quarter-final. Roger became world no.
2 and played at a high level in Shanghai, conquering his third Masters 1000 title of the season over Rafa. Federer’s seventh and last ATP title of the season came at home in Basel, beating Juan Martin del Potro in three sets.
The Swiss experienced his fifth loss of the year in the ATP Finals semi-final, falling to David Goffin in three sets and wrapping up a notable season at 36. It was easy to vote for Roger in the Comeback Player of the Year category, leaving Rafael Nadal, Filip Krajinovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe behind.
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award ended in Roger’s hands for the 13th time in the past 14 years (Nadal earned it in 2010). Also, there were no doubts about who would be the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite. Since its establishment in 2000, only three players had received this award by 2017.
Gustavo Kuerten won the first, followed by Marat Safin in 2001 and 2002. Since 2003 and his first prominent season, Roger had never lost this award by 2017, clinching it for the 15th time in a row, a true testimony of respect and admiration from the army of his fans around the globe.
