Roger Federer; If you know tennis you probably know him. He is arguably the greatest tennis players of all time. Roger Federer is known for his beautiful and grateful attitude towards his opponents and with a racquet in hand, he is as dangerous as ever. But he is as effective off the field, donating hundreds of millions of dollars towards charity, even founding his own. He has inspired millions of children or adults worldwide to play tennis or just enjoy themselves. He is in not only my eyes but many others, notable. He is a beautiful character and is never thinking of himself, always of the others surrounding him. He has never made a bad or controversial decision in the public, always having a real and bright smile. He is never afraid of challenges stepping towards them without hesitation. 

 

The research I put into this Notables Task has really helped me a lot. A few times when I hadn't got the information when needed I googled it and look for a recent, reliable source. If I were to search up how many majors has Federer won, the sources I would use would be Brittanica's list of titles won at each ground, or a very reliable piece of information from the ATP website, which holds all records of players and is very commonly updated. Even the research I did at home would've helped drastically for something like The Big Question. The research went through all smoothly with close to none problems.  I really enjoyed doing this task and the research took a massive part in every word I used.  The research aspect was extremely enjoyable, because I was always on the lookout for the right website to use. It was relatively easy to find facts about his early life. But lots of them had lies about his childhood, which was a challenge to find out the real truth. His career was pretty easy to find, but there were a few different opinions. And that is a summarizer on research. 

 

His build up to supremacy of a great person, charity founder and a tennis player. Federer was born in the magnificent town of Basel in Switzerland to an overjoyed Lynette and Roger Federer. A week later he first saw his older sister, Diana. Tennis was a popular sport throughout the Federer family and Roger was skilled enough to enter Basels Junior Tennis Program at the age of eight. Three years later, at the age of eleven he was rated among the top three junior tennis players. He began to give up on other sports to focus more on tennis. By fourteen he was fully contributed to the game, playing a few tournaments per month. He often liked to imitate his heroes, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker. The same year he became the national junior champion of Switzerland. He thought he had a career in tennis, which his parents unconditionally supported. He was chosen to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center and earned his first sponsor. In 1998 Federer won the Junior Wimbledon Title and the ITF World Junior Tennis Champion Of The Year. After claiming the award, he went straight into his professional career.  

 

 

Without confidence Federer's early pro years were rough, as Federer slowly built his way into the Top 100 in the world.  Then after two years, Roger Federer arrived at Wimbledon in 2001. He made himself a name, heading all the way to the fifth round, beating the world champion.  After a strong 2003 year at the World No.2 spot with no titles he headed to the 2004 Wimbledon to create success and win his first Grand Slam. He had the No.1 ranking now. No one would know how long he would stay there. This was his breakthrough year and he already wrote himself in the history books. From 2004-2009 he kept the No.1 spot firm in his grasp. According to Brittanica Federer won three Australian Open Singles, five straight US Open wins, winning all Wimbledon's from 2003-07, before regaining his prized championship a year later, and one French Open Title. And this was a time were both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were both at their peak. 

 

 This was his greatest peak of his career not only on the court but off it as well. In 2004 Federer won an entire three Grand Slams for the first time in his career, as well as the ATP Fans Favorite, Sports Illustrated Tennis Player Of The Year, The ITWA Tennis Player Of The Year, BBC Sports Personality Of The Year and the ATP European Player Of The Year. Now that’s a lot of awards and aspects for one year. Also, his Foundation he had built up was starting to grow as well... 

Heading in with a fresh new attitude towards the clay court. He had struggled in the French Open the previous year on the famous French Courts, but this time he had a positive outlook on the tournament. And so, he went to work. His year of practicing on clay surfaces seemed to have paid off. Soon he was in the final without a struggle. But this one game started a fierce rivalry that would be soon known throughout history... 

 

 As Federer confidently approached the court he glared at one of his future friends off the court, but on the court it was a whole lot different. His opponent strode on to the court, looking very convinced that he was going to win this with one swift stroke of a racquet. He was young and flashy, but the look in his eyes had a fiery determination in them. They both stared each other down with as much intent as possible. Federer immediately knew that this match would not be an easy one. This match also established the famous Ferderer-Nadal rivalry. Federer suffered a heartbreaking loss but overcame Nadal on the grass courts of Wimbledon. The exact result kept happening up until 2006 where Federer won the French open but faced Nadal in the Wimbledon, hell bent on revenge, Nadal won the Wimbledon for the first time. This was an era of dominance for both players, but against each other they struggled to new heights that were thought impossible. This was the hardest challenge of Federer's tennis life. But there was always no winner between them, it was always the hard chase for tough, grueling dominance. But even up to the day of writing they still fight it out in back-breaking, punishing and arduous. They have cemented each other into history. 

 

Roger Federer has inspired me in several ways. I mean, I may not be one of the greatest tennis players in the country, but still he has inspired me to try a variety of sports and even things off the field.  Whenever I feel like giving up on something, or not trying my best, he is one of the few people that I would think, "Would he give up, what would've happened if he had given up or didn’t try, where would he be now? And you never know what could happen if you didn’t give up and kept trying out of my comfort zone. And look where Federer went because of the effort and mindset he used. Even if you don’t make it to where he was, all the more reason to try and enjoy what I'm doing while I still can." Federer didn’t join and start playing sport for the sake of money and fame, he didn’t start a foundation for glory and awards, but for the fact the he believes people should play sport with passion, and work off the field with an extreme enthusiasm for helping others. What makes Federer also stand out is the sheer love of tennis, which can describe me in many forms of sport, or activities in general. He also believes that people should have structured goals, and that they should put trust into any long term goals that they have because nothing is impossible.  

 

"You have to put in a lot of sacrifice and effort for sometimes little reward but you have to know that if you put in the right effort the reward will come." - Roger Federer 

This quote inspires me greatly as most rewards do not come at ease, sometimes you might not even get a reward. I always try to be motivated to achieve my goals and enjoy overcoming the challenge. Sometimes I get little to no reward, but that’s life in itself. You can't always get something you want. Did Roger Federer just magically become one the greatest tennis players of all time? Did he dominate as soon as he set foot on the pro courts? Was he always unbeatable, did he earn a prize after pushing himself to his limits but still losing. This just isn't a connection of my personal life to Federer's life but in fact, every human that has taken a breath on this planet has experienced this. But at least most of them tried. And that is what matters. Federer has put so much effort into his life and lots of the time, has been rewarded. But he hasn’t always been awarded which perfectly links to me. That is another way he connects or inspires me.  

 

Roger Federer is a notable person. He suits every description for a notable person. He has done something that has changed the world several times. He has influenced most pro sporting personalities lives. He has helped change millions of children worldwide by giving them education and helped the economy in doing so. He has been rated the second most trusted person in South African History. He has had a personal effect that links with me. There is no question whether Federer is a notable person, there is only an answer. And that answer is yes. 

 

Harper Whiteley