![\"Roger](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/federer-madrid-2006-trophy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n No 1 Club
\n Federer on fire! Swiss great\u2019s maiden Madrid crown, 20 years on<\/p>\n
Then-World No. 1 won personal-best 12 trophies in 2006 season<\/p>\n
April 21, 2026<\/p>\n
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Julian Finney\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Roger Federer wins the Madrid title for the first time in October 2006.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Roger Federer<\/a> was unstoppable for most of the 2006 ATP Tour season, and that year\u2019s Mutua Madrid Open<\/a> did not prove to be one of the exceptions. <\/p>\n The then-25-year-old arrived at the ATP Masters 1000 event, at the time held in October and on indoor hard courts, having already racked up nine tour-level trophies in what would go on to be considered one of the greatest seasons in tennis history. Federer did not disappoint in Madrid, where he dropped just one set and lost his serve only once en route to the trophy. <\/p>\n Federer had by that point been entrenched as the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings for the best part of three years. He was 77-5 for the season entering Madrid, with four of his five defeats coming against his recently emerged rival Rafael Nadal<\/a> (and three of those coming on the Spaniard\u2019s favoured clay). Yet even then, there was something special about the way the Swiss barged his way to the finish line in the Spanish capital. <\/p>\n You May Also Like: Federer On No. 1: ‘I Decided I Would Like To Stay There’<\/a><\/p>\n After earning straight-sets wins against Nicolas Massu<\/a>, Robin Soderling<\/a> (in two tie-breaks) and Robby Ginepri<\/a>, Federer set a semi-final showdown with World No. 4 David Nalbandian<\/a>. He needed just 59 minutes to register a 6-4, 6-0 win against the Argentine and, after Tomas Berdych<\/a> upset Nadal in the quarter-finals, Federer\u2019s final opponent was ultimately Fernando Gonzalez<\/a> (the Chilean saw off 19-year-old Novak Djokovic<\/a> in the semi-finals). <\/p>\n For the second time in two days, the Swiss proved to be on a different level to one of his Top-10 rivals. Federer powered past World No. 10 Gonzalez 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 in the best-of-five-sets championship match to claim his 12th Masters 1000 title, and his first indoors. <\/p>\n \u201cObviously excellent,\u201d Federer said when asked to reflect on his semi-final and final performances. \u201cTwo 6-0s against players of that calibre is always a bit surprising. I played well the entire tournament, didn’t drop a set. Only got broken once. There’s not much I can say about that. I really turned it on when I had to from the semis on. So I’m really, really happy.\u201d <\/p>\n Given he had by that point established an exhilarating Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with Nadal, Federer admitted to being slightly caught off guard by the reception of the Spanish fans across the week in Madrid, where he had not played since 2003 (Federer that year lost to then-World No. 1 and home favourite Juan Carlos Ferrero<\/a> in the semi-finals). <\/p>\n \u201cI was curious myself to see how they were going to react when seeing me,\u201d Federer said. \u201cAfter all the matches I’ve had with all the Spaniards, not only Rafa, but especially not having been here for a few years. The reception was great on Tuesday when I played Massu. That kind of calmed me down and I thought, okay, this is actually going to be a fun week, an enjoyable week. <\/p>\n \u201cIn the final I actually expected them to be obviously 50\/50 because [Gonzalez] had a great match yesterday as well. Obviously, he’s also Spanish speaking, so that helps. But people here took my win very nicely, and I appreciate that very much. It’s not always the usual. To have so many fans around the world, now I can count definitely the Spaniards in that as well. It’s a nice thing for me.\u201d<\/p>\nRoger Federer” style=”width: 100%;” src=”https:\/\/www.atptour.com\/-\/media\/images\/news\/2026\/04\/21\/11\/42\/federer-madrid-2006-forehand.jpg”>
\nRoger Federer<\/a> in action on the indoor hard courts of Madrid. Photo Credit: Julian Finney\/Getty Images <\/p>\nFernando Gonzalez\/Roger Federer<\/a>” style=”width: 100%;” src=”https:\/\/www.atptour.com\/-\/media\/images\/news\/2026\/04\/21\/11\/38\/gonzalez-federer-madrid-2006-trophies.jpg”>
\nFernando Gonzalez<\/a> and Roger Federer<\/a> at the 2006 Madrid trophy ceremony. Photo Credit: Javier Soriano\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n