Roger Federer is a Wimbledon legend. The Swiss Maestro holds a record eight singles titles and is one of only four men to have won both the Junior and senior titles, alongside Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, and Stefan Edberg. However, not many remember that Federer also won the Wimbledon Junior doubles title, partnering with Belgian Olivier Rochus, who was known for being the shortest player on tour. Despite his short stature, Rochus reached the Top 30 and became a Grand Slam champion.
Born in 1981, Rochus was known as the shortest player on the ATP Tour at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 meters). However, that didn’t stop him from challenging some of the biggest names in the sport, including Federer (whom he never defeated), Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Against Nadal, he won once in five encounters, at the 2002 Mallorca Open, while he held a 3-3 record against Djokovic, including a surprising upset at the 2012 Miami Open.
“Beating the World No. 2 doesn’t happen every day,” said Rochus after that victory. Despite standing at a physical disadvantage, he had a respectable record against some of the top players of his era, including Marat Safin (3-6), whom he beat in the second round of Wimbledon when the Russian was World No. 2, and Lleyton Hewitt (1-3). His success extended to both singles and doubles.
Rochus’ career highlights
Rochus turned professional in 1999 and won two ATP singles titles. His first came at the Palermo Open in 2000, where he defeated Diego Nargiso in the final. Six years later, he won the Munich Open, beating Kristof Vliegen in an all-Belgian final.
He was known for relying on shot variety and smart court positioning rather than excessive power or risk-taking. However, his biggest achievements came in doubles, where he won five ATP titles, including the 2004 French Open men’s doubles title with Xavier Malisse.
In singles, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 24, becoming the top-ranked Belgian player at the time. Apart from his wins over Nadal, Djokovic, and Safin, he also claimed victories over several Top 10 players, such as Magnus Norman, Albert Costa, Guillermo Coria, Carlos Moyá, Nikolay Davydenko, and Mark Philippoussis.
His relationship with Federer
Rochus and Federer faced each other eight times on the professional tour. While the Belgian never managed to beat his former doubles partner, he pushed him to the limit on several occasions. One of their most memorable encounters came in the 2006 Halle quarter-finals, where Federer won 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.
In 2019, Federer reflected on his connection with Belgian players when asked about Kim Clijsters during the US Open. “The Swiss were always very close to the people from Belgium. I had a Belgian doubles partner in Olivier Rochus, and I grew up with him and Xavier Malisse throughout my entire junior career, from under-12 all the way to under-18,” Federer told the tournament’s official website.
In 2021, seven years after Rochus retired, they reunited at the French Open, where the Belgian interviewed Federer. When asked about his time in Belgium in 1998, Federer recalled:
“If I think of Charleroi, I remember the only match I ever retired from in my career. I was playing a Dane and had fallen on my coccyx—it was so painful that it became a bad experience for me. But it was cool to have played that junior tournament, with you too,” he told Rochus.
Retirement and life after tennis
After a long career on the ATP Tour, Rochus retired in 2014. “I adored playing matches—the tension, the adrenaline, playing in front of 10,000, 15,000 people at 5-5 in a set,” he told RTBF.
“My career was long and beautiful, despite my size,” he said after his final match at the Mons Challenger. “I played at a high level for many years, and not many players can say that.”
Like many athletes, he considered retirement after struggling with a shoulder injury. Although he initially planned to continue playing recreationally, he later admitted in 2023 that he had barely picked up a racket. “I started playing tennis at six, then attended boarding school and the AFT center in Mons for twelve years. For more than twenty years, from morning to night, every day, I hit the ball. At some point, when you end your career, you say no,” he told DH Network in 2023.
Now, he has found a new passion in golf. “First of all, it’s an environment that I know much less about and that I’m discovering. You’re outside, in the middle of nature, and all the courses are different. I mean, in tennis, the surfaces change. But it’s always the same lines, you always send the ball to the left or to the right. No, frankly, it’s no longer for me.“
“With golf, I found an activity that gives me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. That said, I still enjoy watching a good tennis match,” he added.