Roger Federer: The best ever?

2006 Tournament Results

1. Qatar Exxon Mobil Open, January. Defeated Gael Monfils. Sets lost in the tournament: 0.
2. Australian Open, January. Marko Baghdatis picked up a set before Federer took him down in four sets. Sets lost: 5.
3. Dubai Tennis Championship, February/March. Lost to Nadal 62-4-6, 4-6. Sets lost: 2.
4. Pacific Life, March. Defeated James Blake 7-5, 6-3, 6-0. Sets lost: 2.
5. NASDAQ-100 Open, March/April. Defeated Ivan Ljubicic in three intense tie-breakers. Sets lost: 1.
6. Monte Carlo, April -- Federer's second loss in 2006 came once again to Nadal in the championship.
7. Rome, May -- Federer and Nadal battled in a classic duel, five-setter with 3 tiebreakers. Both played unbelievable tennis. The French Open now lies ahead for yet another rematch. So far, the Spaniard has Federer's number, winning all 3 matches this year against Federer.
8. French Open, June -- Nadal proved why he is so dangerous on clay. Despite an overpowering first set (6-1), Federer couldn't pull away. The master from Mallorca took him down in 4 sets, thus ending Federer's attempts at the Slam.
9. Halle, Germany, June -- For the fourth time, Federer emerged victorious at the Gerry Weber Open. This warm-up to Wimbledon saw Federer win in three sets against Tomas Berdych.
10. Wimbledon, June, July -- The third slam of the season, Federer defended his title, finally defeating Nadal in four sets. Sporting a new blazer from his sponsor, Federer showed why he is the king of grass (not that kind!) by winning his fourth consecutive title at the All-England Club.
11. Toronto -- Roger finally got to face someone different in a final for once -- defeating Gasquet in three sets in Canada. His toughest match of the week was with the Belgian Xavier Malisse -- who took him through two tiebreakers before running out of gas in the third set.
12. Cincinnati -- Roger failed to repeat as a champion in the land of WKRP. Perhaps surprising to everyone but Andy Murray, the young Scot took Roger down in two sets with a ferocious, unrelenting attack.
    
    I'm sure this will only help Federer sharpen his game even more, as even the best needs a bit of a wake up call once in a while.
13. U.S. Open New York -- Although Roddick put up a good fight for one of the sets, he was no match for Federer's drive to win his third U.S. Open in a row. Federer handled every aspect of Roddick's game in a dominating afternoon of tennis at Arther Ashe Stadium.