Roger's Road to 18

Roger Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title this weekend, ending a four and a half year drought since winning his last major title at Wimbledon 2012. Aged 35, a father of four, many had questioned Federer’s ability to win an 18th Grand Slam title. Too dominant seemed players like Djokovic, Murray and Nadal, too shaky Federer’s game in the most crucial moments against his younger rivals.

Having spent the past six months recovering from a knee injury, Federer’s triumph at the Australian Open was all the more surprising. The remarkable comeback that saw him beat four Top 10 players over the course of two weeks culminated in the final the world had been waiting for. In a battle that lasted three and a half hours and offered plenty of momentum shifts, Federer overcame Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard who had beaten him so many times in the past.

Federer is now the only male tennis player in history to have won 18 Grand Slam titles. Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras both have 14 major titles; Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson each have 12 titles to their names. Federer is also the first player to have won five times at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments.