Revisiting the five trademark shots by Roger Federer that changed the landscape of tennis

Roger Federer brought down curtains on his decorated tennis career after playing his final match in the Laver Cup 2022 event. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had announced his retirement last week taking everybody by surprise. In his final ATP tournament, Federer teamed up with his long-time rival Rafael Nadal in the doubles match taking on American duo Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.

However, there was no fairytale ending for the tennis great as he not only lost the final match of his career, but Team Europe lost the Laver Cup title to Team World for the very first time. As the entire tennis world bid adieu to the Swiss great, let's take a look at some of his shots which have been implemented by modern players in their game.

A look back at Federer's greatest tennis shots, how many do you know?

Sneak attack: The first trademark shot reinvented by Roger Federer is called Sneak attack by Roger (SABR). In this shot, Federer catches his opponents off guard by trying to get closer to the net following the opponent's serve forcing them to commit errors. At times Federer would wait at the net to hit a smash if his opponents end up trying to lob the ball over his head.

Fale forehand drop shot: Federer also had the quality to surprise his opponents by using misdirection to win a point. The shot we are talking about is called a fake forehand drop shot. In this shot, Federer pretends to go for a forehand but ends up slicing the ball. Opponents to stand behind the service line expecting a strong return find it difficult to reach the ball courtesy of this shot.

No-look shot: Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho is well known for producing no-look passes on the football field and Federer looked to have taken the cue from him and implemented a no-look shot on the tennis court. The no-look shot from Federer is the one where he looks to hit the shot one way but surprises his opponents by sending the ball in the other direction.

Backhand slice disguise: Another shot with which the 41-year-old has surprised his opponents is known as the backhand slice disguise. The shot resembles to the fake forehand drop shot, but with his backhand.

Tweener: The final shot and the most popular shot amongst Roger Federer fans is the tweener. The shot has won points for the swiss ace numerous times. The shot is hitting the ball between the legs and is considered the toughest shot in tennis which the legend mastered during his career.