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Roger Federer made a name for himself after reaching the quarter-final at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2001, still at 19. The young Swiss dethroned the seven-time champion Pete Sampras in five sets at the All England Club before losing to Tim Henman in four tight sets.
Those results made Roger a Major contender in the years to come, regardless of the surface. Nonetheless, the results were not that good for the Swiss in the next two years, as he struggled to deliver his best tennis at the most notable tournaments.
Federer failed to reach a Major quarter-final between the US Open 2001 and Roland Garros 2003, despite much better results at the Masters 1000 level.
Roger Federer spoke about Majors in Rome 2003.
Roger suffered the first-round losses at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2002 and was eager to change that a year later after a solid start of the season.
The Swiss spoke about the upcoming Wimbledon after making a winning start in Rome in May, saying it's hard to pick the favorites among ten or 15 contenders. In addition, Federer called Majors a bit overrated after offering too many points and huge prize money, like there are no other events in the sport.
After a slow start of the 2003 season, Roger found his form in February and on clay in April and May. Federer would experience another early Roland Garros loss in June before conquering the first Major crown at Wimbledon a month later.
"It's complicated to pick Wimbledon favorites. I do not know how the Spaniards would perform, especially Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya. Marat Safin is always dangerous; you never know with him. Andy Roddick with his big serve, too; they are all dangerous.
Tim Henman is a threat in front of the home fans every year, but I do not know how his shoulder is doing. There are always ten guys who could win, alongside the favorites. You can expect surprises, like Voltchkov at Wimbledon a couple of years ago or Thomas Johannson in Australia.
I sometimes feel Majors are overrated, with that many points and money involved. It's all about those tournaments, and that should not be the case," Roger Federer said.
