Ranking Roger Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles

Every word written to describe Roger Federer‘s incredible game was true, every misguided attempt at prose forgivable. He glided around the court, feet seemingly leaving the ground at his serve and not touching again until the point was over. He boasted the game’s best and most precise serve for nearly 20 years. He hit winners at angles his opponents never saw coming, leaving announcers — often former tennis greats themselves — to utter syllables like “guh” or simply chuckle.

In 2001, at age 19, Federer famously announced his presence and intent with a five-set upset of 14-time Grand Slam champion (and seven-time Wimbledon winner) Pete Sampras in the fourth round at Wimbledon. By age 27, he had surpassed Sampras’ Slam total, and at age 36, he became the first man to win 20.

At age 41, he is officially calling it quits. Unable to come back properly from a series of knee issues that have sidelined him since Wimbledon 2021, Federer announced last week that he will retire after this weekend’s Laver Cup.

Read more: The transcendent, history-making legacy of Roger Federer

Federer’s impact on the game has never been more clear. In this year’s US Open, a tournament Federer won five times, both 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz and 23-year-old Casper Ruud reached the final with their own attempts at combining Federer’s offense and angles with the movement and defense of a Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal. Tennis’ new generation is aggressive and athletic. If it features half the grace that Federer himself developed through the years, the game will be in great shape moving forward.

Before we say goodbye to Federer, however, we should take a look back. Let’s rank his 20 Slam titles, celebrating each of them one last time.

20. 2007 Australian Open

Result: def. Fernando Gonzalez 7-6, 6-4, 6-4

Big-swinging Gonzalez put together a lovely career. He won three Olympic medals and 11 tour titles, reached the quarterfinals of every Slam at least once, and peaked at No. 5 in the ATP rankings in 2007. When the stars aligned and Gonzalez took down Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro, Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake on the way to the 2007 Australian Open final, Federer, at the peak of his powers, was waiting for him.

To his credit, Gonzalez threw some haymakers. He created a pair of set points in the first set but couldn’t close it out, and Federer put him away in two hours and 20 minutes. It was his 36th win in a row, and Federer became the fourth man to win a Slam without dropping a set. It…