Jannik Sinner completed a brilliant season, winning 73 of 79 matches and lifting eight titlesand the Davis Cup trophy. TennisTV compared Jannik's season with the finest accomplishments by three legends, and Taylor Fritz felt stunned by Roger Federer's 2006 run.
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The Swiss maestro produced stellar numbers in his best professional season, winning 92 of 97 matches! Federer conquered 12 ATP titles and left Nadal and other rivals far behind. Roger suffered four defeats to his nemesis Rafael Nadal and one to Andy Murray.
Federer added three Majors, four Masters 1000 shields and the Masters Cup to his tally. He matched Thomas Muster's 12 ATP titles from 1995 and failed to take a set only against Murray in Cincinnati.
Roger produced incredible consistency, reaching the title match in 16 of 17 tournaments! Thus, he became the first player to reach 16 finals in a single season since Ivan Lendl in 1982.
In addition, Taylor Fritz highlighted the number of matches Federer played during the season and the fact Masters 1000 finals were best-of-five duels. Roger's season could have been even more productive since he lost three notable clay-court finals to Rafael Nadal.
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Roger Federer's 2006 mastery
Roger embraced his second year-end no. 1 season in 2005, winning two Major titles and suffering only four losses. He reached even higher bars in 2006, playing at a high level throughout the year and writing history books. The Swiss started the season in Doha.
He prevailed over Fabrice Santoro in the second round and ousted Gael Monfils in the title clash to lift a trophy. A year after losing the Australian Open final to Marat Safin, Federer restored the order in Melbourne and secured his second Major crown Down Under.
The Swiss prevailed over Tommy Haas in a five-setter. He defeated Nikolay Davydenko after a massive battle and overpowered Nicolas Kiefer and Marcos Baghdatis en route to the title. A month later, Roger entered Dubai and reached the final in style.
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World no. 1 faced world no. 2 Rafael Nadal and claimed the opener in style. However, the Spaniard bounced back and delivered Roger's first defeat of the season. Federer bounced back in Indian Wells and Miami. The world's best player ousted 12 rivals and earned two notable titles.
Roger defeated James Blake in the desert and prevailed over Ivan Ljubicic in Miami after a thriller to complete the 'Sunshine Double.'
Federer bested Novak Djokovic in their first duel in Monte Carlo and advanced to another final. He challenged the king of clay for nearly four hours before Rafasealed the deal in four sets, providing Roger's second loss of the season.
The Swiss worked hard to arrange another title clash against Nadal at Foro Italico. Two great rivals turned it into one of the greatest matches of all time, with the Spaniard prevailing in the deciding tie break after over five hours of atomic tennis!
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Like in Monte Carlo and Rome, Federer chased the Roland Garros title over Nadal. The defending champion ousted the Swiss in four sets, extending his streak against the world's best player and costing him four titles! Roger needed four three-setters to win the Halle title.
He played better at his beloved Wimbledon, defeating six rivals in straight sets and arranging another title clash versus Nadal. Federer started with a bagel and sealed the deal in four sets, earning his third consecutive Wimbledon crown.
The Swiss celebrated another notable title in Canada before suffering his worst loss of the season to Andy Murray in Cincinnati. Roger bounced back at the US Open. He toppled James Blake, Nikolay Davydenko and Andy Roddick and secured the third Major crown of the season.
Federer led Switzerland against Serbia and extended the winning streak in Tokyo, Madrid and Basel. Roger was the favorite at the Masters Cup in Shanghai, hoping to regain the title after losing it to David Nalbandian a year earlier in a thriller.
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World no. 1 came from a set down in the opening two matches and defeated Rafael Nadal in the semi-final. Hestood too strong for James Blake in the title clash, sealing the deal in straight sets and lifting his 12th trophy of the season.
