10 match victories that changed the winner’s career

It was a result that well and truly released the shackles. Federer went on to win five consecutive Wimbledon titles, and eight overall, among his staggering eventual haul of 20 Grand Slam singles titles.

Before winning Wimbledon 2003, the Swiss' win-loss record in his first 16 Grand Slam main draws was 29-16 (64.44%).

His next 16, after Wimbledon 2003? He won 10 of them and built a win-loss record of 95-6 (94.06%).

Rafael Nadal d Roger Federer

Miami 2004 final

Like Federer, Nadal was a prodigious talent but was especially formidable on clay. So when he met Federer in the third round at Miami in 2004, aged 17, few expected him to beat the world No.1 – the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion – on a quick hard court.

Instead, Nadal completely outplayed Federer, surprising the Swiss 6-3 6-3 in their first professional meeting.

“I played almost perfect tennis today because I was playing inside the court, dominating the exchanges and pressing him so he couldn’t play his game,” Nadal said. “I served extremely well today, probably I never served like this in my life.

“I’m very happy because I played one of the best matches in my life.”

The result also meant Nadal had created a blueprint for approaching matches against Federer, one he steadfastly and successfully followed to win six of their first seven meetings.

Little more than a year after that result, Nadal hoisted his first Grand Slam singles trophy at Roland Garros, having beaten Federer again, en route in the semifinals.

Novak Djokovic d Gael Monfils

Davis Cup 2010 final

Novak Djokovic’s two singles victories in the Davis Cup final of 2010 helped deliver Serbia a 3-2 victory over France, and its first Davis Cup title.

Roared on by a passionate crowd at Belgrade Arena, Djokovic described the triumph as the “number one” moment in his career at the time. “It was two days and two nights celebration,” he said. “It was an historical win, maybe once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play and win the Davis Cup at home in front of almost 20,000 people.”

TWO DECADES OF AO DOMINANCE: Novak down the years

It was a result that buoyed him. Those victories in Belgrade were the first two in an outstanding 43-match winning streak, which delivered seven straight titles (Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome).

“The Davis Cup win may have a big role in my great performance here in this tournament,” Djokovic said after his AO 2011 triumph. “After we won Davis Cup title I was feeling great on the court, just eager to compete.”

Djokovic’s 41-0 start in 2011 remains the best start to a season since John McEnroe in 1984.

Andy Murray d Roger Federer

2012 Olympic gold medal match

Entering the London 2012 Olympic Games gold medal match, Andy Murray had several negative records to overcome.

He’d lost his past three finals, and six of his past eight meetings with Roger Federer, his opponent in the Olympic final. Just three weeks earlier, Federer had beaten Murray on the same court for the 2012 Wimbledon title, his third straight win over the Brit.

With the backing of a parochial crowd at Centre Court this time around, Murray overwhelmed the Swiss 6-2 6-1 6-4.

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