A flashback to Federer’s Doha dynasty

There weren’t many tournaments at which Roger Federer did not do his fair share of winning during his illustrious career. The Qatar ExxonMobil Open was no exception.

Federer won the hard-court event in Doha a record three times across eight appearances between 2002 and 2021. His tally of 27 match wins also remains a tournament record.

This year, Federer’s fellow former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Roberto Bautista Agut will compete in Doha as two-time champions with a chance of equalling Federer’s record Doha title haul. Ahead of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which in 2025 is to be held as an ATP 500 for the first time, ATPTour.com reflects on Federer’s Doha dynasty.

2005: A Masterful Maiden Title
After a quarter-final run on event debut in 2002, Federer arrived for his second appearance in Doha three years later as a different beast altogether. He had dominated the 2004 ATP Tour season, during which he lifted 11 titles including three Grand Slam trophies. With the Qatar ExxonMobil Open then a season-opening event held in the first week of January, Federer kick-started his 2005 by lifting the Doha crown without dropping a set.

Competing as the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Federer dropped just 23 games across his five matches and capped his run by easing past his future coach Ivan Ljubicic in the championship match. It was the first success in a stellar 2005 for the Swiss, who went on to secure another 11-title season.

2006: Red-Hot Roger’s Doha Double
Federer lost just four matches between his 2005 Doha triumph and his return to the hard-court event at the start of the 2006 season, yet he would still have been eager to bounce back quickly from the most recent of those defeats: against David Nalbandian while struggling with an ankle injury in the final of the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup. The then-24-year-old Federer certainly showed few signs of any hangover from that disappointment upon his return to action in early January in the Gulf nation.

He was given an early test in his title defence, when Fabrice Santoro pushed him to two tie-breaks in the second round. After pulling through against the Frenchman, however, it was normal service resumed for Federer. He defeated Marcos Baghdatis, Tommy Haas and a teenage Gael Monfils, all in straight sets, to ease to his second consecutive Doha crown.

"It's a beautiful start to the year, winning a tournament without dropping a set," said Federer. "It also shows that the ankle problem I had toward the end of the last season is behind me."

As it turned out, the World No. 1's title run launched the most successful season of his career: Federer ultimately won a career-best 12 titles, including major crowns at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, in 2006.

2011: Heating Up For A Hat-trick
After back-to-back semi-final defeats in Doha in 2009 and 2010, Federer again lifted the trophy, and again without dropping a set, through a rock-solid set of performances to begin his 2011 season.

The then-World No. 2 defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nikolay Davydenko to cap his third and final Qatar ExxonMobil Open title run. It would prove to be his only tour-level crown in the opening 10 months of that year, before he summoned a strong finish to triumph in Basel, Paris and at the 2011 Nitto ATP Finals.

Federer competed in Doha twice more, in 2012 and 2021, but did not reach another championship match. He nonetheless ended his career with a 27-4 record at an event where he frequently spoke about feeling comfortable enough to produce some of his best tennis.

“This is a pleasure coming to this part of the world where I actually do spend quite a bit of time, and I've always had good friends here in Qatar,” said Federer after his 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Davydenko in the 2011 final. “I love playing here, been successful here in the past. That's the reason why I come here.”

This story is courtesy of ATPTour.com