Name Roger Federer Calendar prize money $1,527,269 Calendar titles 0 | Country Switzerland Season record 21–7 (75%) Ranking change from previous year 13 | |
The 2016 Roger Federer tennis season officially commenced on 3 January 2016 with the start of the 2016 Brisbane International. This season saw Federer suffer from a knee injury which sidelined him for the majority of the year. After having surgery, Federer returned but was hindered by a back injury which kept him out of the French Open, therefore ending his record of 65 consecutive appearances at Grand Slams. Federer played his last match in the semifinals at Wimbledon. On July 26, Federer shut down his season, not wanting to risk damaging his knee further. Federer would end the year at No. 16, marking the first time that Federer dropped out of the Top 10 since 2002. It also marked the first time since 2000 that Federer did not win a title.
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Brisbane International
Federer opened his season at the Brisbane International for the third consecutive year after winning the title in 2015. He received a bye as the top seed in the first round. Though suffering with the flu, in the second round he beat Tobias Kamke in straight sets. He next defeated Grigor Dimitrov in three sets. In the semifinals, he beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets to advance to his third consecutive final at the tournament. He faced Milos Raonic in a repeat of last year's final and lost in straight sets. Due to contracting the flu, Federer's performance was hindered throughout the tournament.
Australian Open
Federer entered the Australian Open as the third seed. He defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alexandr Dolgopolov, both in straight sets to advance to the third round where he beat Grigor Dimitrov in four sets. The win gave Federer his 300th match win at a Grand Slam, becoming the first man in the Open Era to reach the milestone. It also put him second overall behind Martina Navratilova who won 306 matches. He reached the quarterfinals with an easy straights set win over David Goffin in the fourth round. He then defeated Tomáš Berdych in straight sets to advance to his twelfth Australian Open semifinal where he faced Novak Djokovic in their first match of the year and their 45th meeting overall. Federer lost the match in four sets. The loss put Djokovic ahead in their rivalry for the first time.
Knee injury
The day after his loss to Djokovic, Federer sustained a knee injury. In early February, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and missed both the tournaments in Rotterdam and Dubai in February. Later in the month, Federer announced he would miss the tournament in Indian Wells. In March, it was confirmed that Federer would make his return at the Miami Open.
Miami Open
Federer withdrew after a first round bye due to contracting a stomach virus, thus prolonging his time on the sidelines.
Monte-Carlo Masters
Federer returned after a ten-week hiatus in Monte Carlo. He received a first round bye and won his first match since January by beating Guillermo García-López to advance to the third round. He then beat Roberto Bautista Agut to advance to the quarterfinals where he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets despite being two points away from the win.
Madrid Open
It was announced that Federer would be returning to Madrid, Spain to compete in the Madrid Open, but he withdrew from the tournament citing back problems.
Italian Open
Upon pulling out of Madrid, Federer confirmed that he would participate in the Italian Open. Federer stated that he almost withdrew prior to his opening round due to lingering fitness issues. However, after his Wednesday morning practice he decided to play and beat rising teenage star Alexander Zverev in straight sets. At the last minute, Federer decided to play his 3rd round match against Dominic Thiem, but was beaten in straight sets as the back injury continued to hamper his speed and movement. It cast further doubt on Federer's participation in the upcoming French Open.
French Open
After a disappointing start to the season due to injury, Federer decided to withdraw from the French Open not wanting to further aggravate his recent back injury before the start of the grass season. This ended his all-time record run of 65 consecutive appearances in grand slams, dating back to the 2000 Australian Open.
Stuttgart Open
Federer took advantage of the expanded grass season, first instituted in 2015, by playing the newly minted grass court tournament in Stuttgart. He defeated young American Taylor Fritz in a rainy match played over two days. In the quarterfinals he defeated German veteran Florian Mayer in straight sets. In the semifinals, he fell to Dominic Thiem after holding two match points in the second set tiebreaker; this was the second time in his career that he had lost a grass-court match after having a match point.
Halle Open
Federer entered Halle as the eight-time champion and the three-time defending champion. He defeated Jan-Lennard Struff, Malek Jaziri, and David Goffin to reach the semifinals without the loss of a set. There he lost to 19-year-old Alexander Zverev Jr. in three sets. This marked the first time since 2002 that Federer had been defeated before the final in Halle.
Wimbledon
Federer began the tournament by defeating Guido Pella, home favorite Marcus Willis, Daniel Evans, and Steve Johnson, all in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, he came back from a two-set deficit to win against Marin Čilić in five sets to advance to the semifinals, saving three match points. He lost the semi-final to Milos Raonic in 5 sets.
Out for rest of season
On July 26, Federer announced that he would not play anymore in 2016, due to a knee injury, therefore not being able to defend his titles at Cincinnati and Basel and runner up position at the 2016 US Open. As a result, Federer dropped out of the top 5 for the first time since March 2014. Federer's ranking also dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2002, ending a streak of 14 years. This was also the first time since 2000 that Federer did not win a single title in a calendar year.
Schedule
Per Roger Federer, this is his current 2016 schedule (subject to change).
Head-to-head matchups
Roger Federer has a 21–7 (75% of wins) match win-loss record in the 2016 season. His record against players who were part of the ATP Rankings Top Ten at the time of their meetings was 1–4 (20% of wins). Bold indicates player was ranked top 10 at time of meeting. The following list is ordered by number of wins:
Earnings
Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.