Roger Federer retired from tennis in 2022 at the Laver Cup, but played his final year on tour in 2021.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion played five ATP Tour events in 2021: the Qatar Open, Geneva Open, French Open, Halle Open, and Wimbledon.
Federer didn’t win any titles during his final year on tour, losing four matches in total.
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The US Open is right around the corner…
But who were the last four players to beat Federer in singles competition?
Roger Federer’s last four ATP Tour defeats
Nikoloz Basilashvili – 2021 Qatar Open
Returning from knee surgery, Federer began his 2021 season in Doha at the Qatar Open ATP 250 event.
Entering the event as the number-two seed, the Swiss legend received a bye into the second round, where he defeated Dan Evans in three sets, 7-6, 3-6, 7-5.
Advancing to the quarter-finals, he took on Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Federer had won their one previous meeting, at the 2016 Australian Open, but wasn’t so fortunate when they met with a place in the Qatar Open semi-finals up for grabs.
Basilashvili fought back from a set down to defeat Federer, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
In doing so, he became the first Georgian player to beat Federer, making history for his country.
The result was a surprise; however, the defeat aged well for Federer, as Basilashvili continued to win the Qatar Open and reached his maiden Masters 1000 final at Indian Wells later in the year.
Pablo Andujar – 2021 Geneva Open
Federer never played another singles match on hard courts, as he instead returned to action on clay in Geneva.
He was the top seed for his home tournament, looking to win the title for the first time in his career.
Spain’s Pablo Andujar had something to say about that, though, as he proved too tough an obstacle for Federer to overcome.
The world number 75 battled to a thrilling three-set win, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to stun the Swiss in Switzerland.
It was Federer’s 51st and final defeat to a player ranked outside the world’s top 50.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – 2021 Halle Open
Federer played one more clay-court event in 2021, reaching the fourth round of the French Open.
However, the veteran was unable to play his fourth-round match against Matteo Berrettini as his knee flared up again.
Returning in time for the grass-court season, Federer played the Halle Open, an event he’d won 10 times previously.
Searching for title number 11, he made a strong start, beating Ilya Ivashka in straight sets to reach the second round.
However, that was as far as he would go.
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime overturned a one-set deficit to beat Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The 19-year age difference was the biggest of Federer’s career, as youth prevailed in Germany.
Hubert Hurkacz – 2021 Wimbledon
Federer played his final official singles tournament at Wimbledon in 2021.
Taking down Adrian Mannarino, Richard Gasquet, Cameron Norrie, and Lorenzo Sonego, he reached his 58th career Grand Slam quarter-final.
Despite all the talk of his knee, Federer suddenly looked like a genuine Wimbledon contender.
Unfortunately for Federer and his millions of fans, the dream was shattered in his quarter-final match.
Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz dominated the eight-time champion 6-3, 7-6, 6-0.
Federer never played another singles match before retiring from tennis after a doubles defeat at the Laver Cup alongside Rafael Nadal a year later.
Roger Federer’s full 2021 ATP Tour record (9-4)
| Tournament | Tier | Performance | Wins | Defeat |
| Qatar Open | ATP 250 | Quarter-final | 1 (Dan Evans) | Nikoloz Basilashvili |
| Geneva Open | ATP 250 | Second round | 0 | Pablo Andujar |
| French Open | Grand Slam | Fourth round | 3 (Denis Istomin, Marin Cilic, Dominik Koepfer) | (Withdrew) |
| Halle Open | ATP 500 | Second round | 1 (Ilya Ivashka) | Felix Auger-Aliassime |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Quarter-final | 4 (Adrian Mannarino, Richard Gasquet, Cameron Norrie, Lorenzo Sonego) | Hubert Hurkacz |
He retired as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with a legacy few can match.
