An 18-year-old Roger Federer played his first ATP Tour match on grass at the 1999 Fever-Tree Championships. Byron Black, who never won a title on the surface, defeated him 6-3, 6-0. Little did anyone know that Federer would become the greatest on grass.

The Swiss’ first big breakthrough on the surface came two years later at Wimbledon, where he shocked former World No. 1 Pete Sampras in the fourth round. Sampras had won six of the previous seven editions of The Championships. A player who had not won a match at SW19 entering the tournament dethroned that generation’s grass-court king.

“I lost to a talented player that’s a great shot-maker, similar to the way I was when I was younger, and still today. He’s got a great grass-court game. He’s got all the tools,” Sampras said. “He’s got a good all-around court game. Doesn’t have any holes… His serve, I couldn’t really get a hold of.”

The future looked bright for Federer. The next year, he made an interesting statement: “Grass court is a tough surface.”

In the 18 years since, the Swiss has made competing on grass look anything but difficult.

Federer lifted his first tour-level grass-court trophy in Halle in 2003, and just weeks later he captured his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. The 22-year-old didn’t take his maiden major for granted.

“You don’t know if you’re ever going to win anything again after that because you could just be a one-Slam wonder or all of a sudden you have an injury and you can never play again,” Federer said. “Your life as a tennis player is complete if you can win Wimbledon.”

Most Tour-Level Titles On Grass (Open Era)

Federer has earned virtually every grass-court record you could think of: 19 tour-level titles on the surface, eight Wimbledon trophies and an 87.4 grass-court winning percentage (compared to 83.5 per cent on hard), for example. Federer won 65 consecutive grass-court matches — 50 of which came in straight sets — from the start of 2003 Halle until his loss against Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final.

“Grass comes so natural to me,” he said after his 2017 Wimbledon semi-final.

The 103-time tour-level titlist is known for his aesthetically pleasing game. Everything flows smoothly, from his reliable serve to his ballet-like footwork and forays into the net. His aggressive game has long matched up well with the surface.

“His anticipation and timing is something that only a few players in the world have,” Rod Laver said.

Best Career Winning Percentage On Grass (Open Era)

Even in his latter years, Federer has proven a force on grass. In 2017, the Swiss won his 19th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. It was his eighth title at SW19, breaking a tie with Sampras for the Open Era record.

Federer won that event convincingly, emerging victorious without dropping a set. At 35 years, 11 months, Federer became the oldest champion in Wimbledon history.

“I didn’t think I was going to be this successful after beating Pete here [in 2001]. I hoped to have a chance maybe one day to be in a Wimbledon finals and have a chance to win the tournament,” Federer said. “Winning eight is not something you can ever aim for, in my opinion.”

Federer has won as many titles in Halle (10), as anyone else has won total on grass. Last season, 16 years on from winning the German event for the first time, Federer earned Halle trophy No. 10 at age 37.

“It’s amazing. For some reason I didn’t think I was going to make it anymore,” Federer said. “[It’s the] first time ever I could win a title 10 times in one place, so it’s obviously a very special moment in my career.”

ATP Platinum Partner FedEx is playing a crucial role in the fight against COVID-19, leveraging its unique air and road networks and infrastructure to help communities and frontline healthcare workers.

Being at the heart of efforts to keep trade flowing across Europe and around the world, FedEx continues to deliver goods, including personal protection equipment (PPE), clinical trials, medical supplies and medical equipment. Since 1 Feb 2020, FedEx Express has globally transported more than 27.8 kilotons of PPE to help combat the COVID-19 virus, with masks accounting for 47 per cent (or 13 kilotons) of those shipments.

“In these unprecedented times, we have collaborated with governments, charities and NGOs to bring critical supplies where they are most needed,” said Karen Reddington, President FedEx Express Europe and CEO of TNT. “We are keenly aware of the role we play, and we view it as our duty to support our customers and communities safely and effectively.”

FedEx activations in Europe include:

• Poland: In collaboration with IKEA, FedEx team members in Poland delivered 231 beds with mattresses, bedding, pillows and towels. In total, over 2,500 items have been transported to 34 Regional Quarantine Centers across the country;
• France: FedEx Express responded to the call from the French authorities to ship medical equipment and materials to France, including 9 million masks for French SMEs activities.
• The COVID-19 situation has generated an unprecedented demand for air freight transport from Asia to Europe. In April 2020, FedEx increased flights between Asia and Europe by almost 50 per cent with its Charles de Gaulle hub in Paris playing a vital part.
• Spain: FedEx team members worked with the Spanish army to deliver 300,000 face masks to a temporary field hospital in Madrid.
• Italy: FedEx Express delivered breathing equipment from the Netherlands to eight hospitals in Northern Italy.
• FedEx delivered 5 million face masks from China to Belgium to support those in urgent need.
• UK: Across the country, FedEx team members delivered ventilators, testing kits, respiratory parts and PPE gowns from China. They also shipped protective screens to stores and delivered urgent medical supplies to temporary field hospitals.

FedEx continues to support customers in Europe and around the world who are relying on the flow of goods and commerce.

The ATP editorial team had another fun time reading the entries that were sent to us for the third installment of our Fan Essay Contest.

Writers aged 18 and under were challenged to write an essay of 500 words or less on the topic: ‘What is the best ATP Tour match you have seen (either in person or on TV)? Describe why the match was so compelling and why it had a big impact on you.’ The winning entries are featured below.

Check Out The Emirates ATP Kids Hub

Thiem Over Chaos
By Ryan Canton, 18, Canton, Connecticut

I root for chaos when I have nothing to lose. Give me David over Goliath every single time. And on 4 September 2018, I once again found myself rooting for chaos.

It was on that night that I found myself glued to my television screen, heart pounding while watching the US Open quarter-final between Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal. Of course, I knew Rafa, but what truly impressed me was the man I knew nothing about.

As the match roared on, I found my jaw constantly gaping open and was dumbfounded by just how hard these two warriors were striking the ball. I had seen enough matches in my life to know that this was special. And before I could even wrap my head around the power in their groundstrokes, Thiem won the first set 6-0.

That set hooked me in for the long haul. To call what was to come a classic would be a massive understatement. The match was a complete and utter war, in the stifling New York humidity, with so much sweat pouring from both players that their bodies were glistening. I was completely hooked.

Two amazing sets of brutal, demanding and enthralling rallies later, Nadal was back in the driver’s seat. Up two-sets-to-one, I considered my hope of watching chaos to be nothing more than a pipe dream. Knowing that I had school in the morning and with the fourth set starting well after midnight, I considered heading to bed. My decision not to was one I’m forever grateful for.

Somehow, Thiem won that fourth set, and in the process he forever won himself a fan in me. He may have lost in the end, but that didn’t seem to matter anymore. Finally, after the clock had struck 2:00am and five of the most amazing sets I will ever have the pleasure of watching concluded, it was all over. But for me personally, the journey had just begun.

This match stuck with me and does to this day. It genuinely lit a fire in me and I am thrilled to say it got me onto the tennis court again. My one-hander has quite a bit to go before it reaches the level of Thiem’s. But it’s thanks to that night, where I simply wanted to root for chaos, that I found a new love in the sport of tennis. When “The Dominator” takes the court, I’ll be pulling for the man that made me fall back in love with this great sport.

See what happened when Aussie John Millman read this fan essay from Melbourne’s Connor Joyce…

The Resilience Of Del Potro
By Eluwole Timothy, 17, Ibadan, Nigeria

Scheduled at a late afternoon hour on 4 September 2017, the last fourth-round match at that year’s US Open between Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem drew tennis fans from around the world into the Grandstand. I watched the match on TV after a training session in my hometown stadium in Ibadan. I had no idea that I was about to watch one of the best tennis matches ever.

The ‘Dominator’ dominated the first two sets and del Potro trailed 1-6, 2-6 after just 72 minutes. The Argentine struggled with a fever and looked feeble and weak. He lacked rhythm, missed routine shots and struggled with his mobility during rallies. Thiem had liberty to fire winners from all angles of the court and had little resistance from his tired opponent. It almost seemed as if del Potro was going to retire and call it quits.

With del Potro’s back against the wall, he inspired hope and found his way into the match by grabbing the third set. His sudden charge changed the atmosphere and gave the match a new vibe.

Both players gave it their all in the fourth set, but it seemed as though Thiem was on his way to victory when he won four straight games to take the lead 5-2. Once again, del Potro found strength from within and fought back tenaciously. He saved two match points by landing two aces and eventually pushed the set into a tie-break. On set point, del Potro leveled the match with a thunderous 116mph forehand.

In the fifth set, the comeback was completed as del Potro broke Thiem in the final game. The victory sent the Grandstand crowd into a frenzy as they erupted in wild celebration. Del Potro spread his hands in joy as he soaked himself in the chants of “Ole Delpo” ringing from the crowd. I could hardly believe what I had just watched. I was so thrilled that I had goosebumps.

The resilience displayed in this match has always been a source of inspiration for me as a tennis player. It reminds me that I can fight illness, low moments and injuries as long as I remain resilient and focused.

There have been moments where I felt very weak and down at tournaments, matches where I had almost lost hope of winning, and this match served as a source of hope for me to get back into games and win them. It still inspires me today and even motivates me in other areas of life to tackle challenges and not lose hope even when the odds are against me.

The 2020 Davis Cup finals will be postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers announced Friday. The event’s next edition will begin on 22 November 2021.

The 18 teams that have already qualified for this year’s Finals will compete at the rescheduled Finals in 2021, with the draw remaining as published.

“This is a tough decision to have to make, but delivering an international team event on this scale while guaranteeing the health and safety of all involved ultimately poses too great a risk,” ITF President David Haggerty said. “It is a complex undertaking and we have made the decision now to provide certainty for players, national associations and fans.”

Rafael Nadal led Spain to the 2019 title, clinching the trophy with a victory against Canadian Denis Shapovalov.