Roger Federer’s maiden Madrid crown, 20 years on

No 1 Club

Federer on fire! Swiss great’s maiden Madrid crown, 20 years on

Then-World No. 1 won personal-best 12 trophies in 2006 season

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Roger Federer wins the Madrid title for the first time in October 2006. By Andy West

Roger Federer was unstoppable for most of the 2006 ATP Tour season, and that year’s Mutua Madrid Open did not prove to be one of the exceptions.

The then-25-year-old arrived at the ATP Masters 1000 event, at the time held in October and on indoor hard courts, having already racked up nine tour-level trophies in what would go on to be considered one of the greatest seasons in tennis history. Federer did not disappoint in Madrid, where he dropped just one set and lost his serve only once en route to the trophy.

Federer had by that point been entrenched as the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings for the best part of three years. He was 77-5 for the season entering Madrid, with four of his five defeats coming against his recently emerged rival Rafael Nadal (and three of those coming on the Spaniard’s favoured clay). Yet even then, there was something special about the way the Swiss barged his way to the finish line in the Spanish capital.

After earning straight-sets wins against Nicolas Massu, Robin Soderling (in two tie-breaks) and Robby Ginepri, Federer set a semi-final showdown with World No. 4 David Nalbandian. He needed just 59 minutes to register a 6-4, 6-0 win against the Argentine and, after Tomas Berdych upset Nadal in the quarter-finals, Federer’s final opponent was ultimately Fernando Gonzalez (the Chilean saw off 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals).

For the second time in two days, the Swiss proved to be on a different level to one of his Top-10 rivals. Federer powered past World No. 10 Gonzalez 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 in the best-of-five-sets championship match to claim his 12th Masters 1000 title, and his first indoors.

“Obviously excellent,” Federer said when asked to reflect on his semi-final and final performances. “Two 6-0s against players of that calibre is always a bit surprising. I played well the entire tournament, didn't drop a set. Only got broken once. There's not much I can say about that. I really turned it on when I had to from the semis on. So I'm really, really happy.”

Roger Federer in action on the indoor hard courts of Madrid. Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Given he had by that point established an exhilarating Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with Nadal, Federer admitted to being slightly caught off guard by the reception of the Spanish fans across the week in Madrid, where he had not played since 2003 (Federer that year lost to then-World No. 1 and home favourite Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semi-finals).

“I was curious myself to see how they were going to react when seeing me,” Federer said. “After all the matches I've had with all the Spaniards, not only Rafa, but especially not having been here for a few years. The reception was great on Tuesday when I played Massu. That kind of calmed me down and I thought, okay, this is actually going to be a fun week, an enjoyable week.

“In the final I actually expected them to be obviously 50/50 because [Gonzalez] had a great match yesterday as well. Obviously, he's also Spanish speaking, so that helps. But people here took my win very nicely, and I appreciate that very much. It's not always the usual. To have so many fans around the world, now I can count definitely the Spaniards in that as well. It's a nice thing for me.”

Fernando Gonzalez and Roger Federer at the 2006 Madrid trophy ceremony. Photo Credit: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images

Federer went on to add titles in Basel and at the Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the Tennis Masters Cup) in Shanghai to finish 2006 with a 12-trophy haul, the most tour-level crowns he would win in a single season.

“If you're not getting tired, I'm definitely not getting tired either,” Federer said in Madrid, when asked if he was somehow getting ‘bored’ of his near-constant success. “I'm also very happy with the progress I'm making. It's bit by bit. I know that eventually you reach a certain level or standard. You're not going to change much in your game. There's little details that in the end make quite a bit difference.

“I really feel over the last couple of years now I've become a much more steady player with more choices in my game. I can vary really great now. I can rely on my serve. That wasn't always the case. And physically I've improved so much that I'm not scared of any five-setters or of any tournament anymore. Also I've really come a long way in the last four or five years. And I hope to stay healthy, to keep winning. Because I like it.”

Federer’s 2006 triumph was certainly not the only winning he did in Madrid, where the tournament changed to become a clay-court event held in May from 2009. That year Federer overcame Nadal in the championship match to lift the trophy, just the second and ultimately final time he defeated his great Spanish rival on clay. In 2012, Federer rallied past Berdych to lift the title in the only year that the tournament was held on blue clay: The Swiss is the only player to have won titles on all three surfaces in Madrid.

Click here to read article