Swiss tennis player Roger Federer's main accomplishments as a junior player came at Wimbledon, where, in 1998, he won both the singles tournament over Irakli Labadze, in straight sets,[1] and the doubles with Olivier Rochus, over the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram, also in straight sets.
[2] In addition, Federer was a runner-up at the US Open Junior tournament in 1998, losing the final to David Nalbandian.
As a junior, Federer was also known as a "hot head" on court which is distinct from his adult image of cool and calm, and being a great on-court role model.
[5] They quickly became friends, playing squash, table tennis, and football together, but were soon the 'black sheep' of the group, with one or the other often forced to sit on the sidelines for disciplinary reasons.
[8] At age 10, Federer began being taught at the club by Australian former tennis player Peter Carter.
[8] Federer joined the ITF junior tennis circuit in mid-1996, at the age of 14, and played his first match there at a grade-2 tournament in Switzerland.
[12] In May 1997, Federer won his first-ever ITF junior title in a second category tournament in Prato, defeating Luka Kutanjac in the final.
[13] Federer began the 1998 season by winning a second-category tournament in Victoria, defeating Julien Jeanpierre in the final.
[13] This victory saw him become one of the favorites for the Australian Open junior event, but Federer was stopped in the semifinals by Jeanpierre.
[3] In November, Federer went on a tour in the United States, where he participated in the under 18s category at the prestigious Eddie Herr International Junior Championships in Florida, and in the Junior Orange Bowl in Miami, winning the later after beating Nalbandian in the semiinals and Guillermo Coria in the final.