Roger Federer is the greatest player in the history of the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Federer was the home favourite at the Swiss Indoors, and he used that to his full advantage by winning a record 10 titles at the event.
This is seven more titles than Stefan Edberg, who has won the second highest number of singles titles that any player has won at the Swiss Indoors.
Despite Federer’s dominance at the Swiss Indoors, he did also lose to seven players at the ATP tournament.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Roger Federer won the title in 10 of his 19 appearances in Basel
Federer made his debut at the Swiss Indoors in 1998, when he was just 17 years old. A teenage Federer was not handed a kind draw, as he was drawn to face multiple-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi.
This was the first time Federer had ever faced Agassi, and experience showed as he was beaten in straight sets to lose in the first round of his first-ever appearance at the Swiss Indoors.
Federer would have a more successful appearance at the Swiss Indoors in 1999, as he would obtain his first two wins at the tournament. This run would come to an end for Federer in the quarter-finals, where he would be beaten by defending champion and eventual runner-up Tim Henman.
The 2000 Swiss Indoors would see Federer reach just the second ATP Tour final of his career, which he achieved after beating Lleyton Hewitt. Federer was unable to lift the winner’s trophy at the end of the week, as he was beaten in that final, which was then held over five sets, by Thomas Enqvist.
Federer would return to the Swiss Indoors final in 2001, where he would lose again to Tim Henman, and in subsequent years he would lose to David Nalbandian in the 2002 semi-finals and his future coach Ivan Ljubicic in the 2003 second round.
It would not be until 2006 where Federer would win the Swiss Indoors title for the first time, having missed the tournament in both 2004 and 2005.
Federer would then dominate the Swiss Indoors for the next 13 years, as he won the title in 10 of his next 13 appearances at the tournament. The only two players to beat Federer at the Swiss Indoors during this time were his rival Novak Djokovic, who beat him in the 2009 final, and Juan Martin del Potro.
Del Potro stunned Federer in the 2012 Swiss Indoors final, and then the following year he would do so again to defend his title.
| Year | Roger Federer’s result at the Swiss Indoors |
| 1998 | First round – Lost to Andre Agassi |
| 1999 | Quarter-final – Lost to Tim Henman |
| 2000 | Final – Lost to Thomas Enqvist |
| 2001 | Final – Lost to Tim Henman |
| 2002 | Semi-final – Lost to David Nalbandian |
| 2003 | Second Round – Lost to Ivan Ljubicic |
| 2006 | Won the title |
| 2007 | Won the title |
| 2008 | Won the title |
| 2009 | Final – Lost to Novak Djokovic |
| 2010 | Won the title |
| 2011 | Won the title |
| 2012 | Final – Lost to Juan Martin del Potro |
| 2013 | Final – Lost to Juan Martin del Potro |
| 2014 | Won the title |
| 2015 | Won the title |
| 2017 | Won the title |
| 2018 | Won the title |
| 2019 | Won the title |
What an emotional Roger Federer said after winning his final Swiss Indoors title in 2019
Federer’s final appearance at the Swiss Indoors came in 2019, when he won his 10th title at the tournament after beating Alex de Minaur in the final. In the trophy ceremony after this final, Federer was clearly very emotional and he explained why that was after the match.
“You saw it hit me again hard winning here in Basel,” Federer said at the time. “I don’t take these tournament victories as a normal thing. I take them as something quite unique and special, even though it’s been a lot by now. Everyone has a different flavour and I try to enjoy them as much as I can in the moment.
“I think it might be partially reminiscing back at everything that went on this week. Definitely the family, the thought of the team aspect, the family aspect, everything that goes into me still being able to do it today.
“People think I just go out there and just do it and have these types of weeks or these types of matches at will. But there’s so much more that goes into it, let alone managing four children, [which] is a challenge, but a good one.
“Obviously when I stand there and look back at everything that I had to go through, it really touches me. Along with just the music and the thought of all the ball kids running in already gets me going.”
The Swiss Indoors is one of two tournaments where Federer has won 10 titles, as well as on the grass of the Halle Open, and he was aware of how special it was to have been able to achieve this.
“You don’t get a chance to win 10 titles at the same event many times in your career ever, so I couldn’t be more happy that it also happened here in Basel, in Halle also,” Federer added.
“It’s been a great week, a wonderful time. The fans were unreal again, like so many other years. I played great tennis and was able to pull it all the way through until the very end.”
