Most versatile player ever? 8 seasons where Roger Federer won a title on every surface

Roger Federer has won an all-time record 20 Major titles, in a career that has spanned more than two decades. Adored by fans and envied by players, Federer has also shown incredible versatility in his career, mastering every single surface.

Having won 19 grasscourt titles and a record eight Wimbledon crowns, the Swiss happens to be the greatest grasscourt player in the history of the sport by some distance. But Roger Federer's success is not restricted to just one surface. Federer had also, at one point, put together a 56-match win streak on hardcourts - which is an all-time record on the surface.

On clay, the Swiss played second fiddle to his rival Rafael Nadal, the greatest claycourter of all time, for years. But he finally triumphed at Paris in 2009, beating Robin Soderling in the final.

Federer's consistency even on clay is remarkable. He has won 11 claycourt titles from 26 finals, and 11 of those final losses came at the hands of the Spanish Matador. Many consider the 38-year-old to be the second greatest claycourt player of the 2000s era.

What makes Federer stand out from the rest is that he possesses qualities to win big on all surfaces. The Swiss is the perfect all-rounder, if there ever could be one in the sport.

So it comes as no surprise when you realize that Roger Federer has won a title on three different surfaces (hardcourt, clay, grass) in a season an impressive eight times in his career. Perhaps more strikingly, none of his contemporaries come close to matching him in this aspect.

Compared to the Swiss Maestro, his Big 3 rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have won a title on every surface in the same season four and two times respectively.

Here is a look at the seasons in which Roger Federer achieved this elusive feat.

Roger Federer's 2003 season: 4 titles on hardcourt, 1 title on clay, 2 titles on grass

Roger Federer won his maiden Slam at Wimbledon 2003

The Swiss Maestro, who was yet to win a Slam at the start of 2003, started the season ranked No. 6 in the world. By the end of the year he would prove himself to be an absolute elite, climbing to a career-high World No. 3.

Roger Federer won his first title of the season at Marseille, and a few weeks later won his first Dubai Open - a tournament he has now won a record eight times.

Federer then won the Munich Open in April in what was a good campaign on clay. He finished runner-up at two more clay events, Rome and Gstaad, later in the season.

The best of Roger Federer came in the grasscourt season as he won the Halle Open and then his maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon. He would go on to have a good fall season too, winning the Vienna Open and then a maiden Tennis Masters Cup, where he beat some of the best players of the early-2000s era.

Roger Federer's 2004 season: 7 titles on hardcourt, 2 titles on clay, 2 titles on grass

Roger Federer poses with the 2004 US Open trophy

No more just a pretender, Roger Federer became the undisputed World No. 1 for the first time in his career when he won the 2004 Australian Open.

The Swiss Maestro would then go on to win the Dubai Open and Indian Wells (on hardcourt), before winning the Hamburg Masters (on clay) for the second time in his career in May.

Federer would repeat the pattern of the previous year as he again comprehensively won Halle and Wimbledon. Subsequent titles at the Gstaad Open, Coupe Rogers and US Open made the Swiss only the third player in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a year.

Federer would finish by winning Bangkok and the Tennis Masters Cup, in what is still one of the best seasons ever by a male player.

Roger Federer's 2005 season: 8 titles on hardcourt, 1 title on clay, 2 titles on grass

Roger Federer kisses the 2005 Wimbledon trophy

Roger Federer started the year playing some scintillating tennis, as he won the Doha Open and Rotterdam. He narrowly lost at 2005 Australian Open to Marat Safin, in what was his only loss in Melbourne from 2004-07.

Tennis fans and commentators all over the world soon started rating Federer as one of the greatest players of all time, as his sovereignty over the rest of the players continued unabated. The Swiss won Indian Wells, Miami and Hamburg, and by then had amassed a huge fan following.

Federer was universally liked and unanimously lauded; the sport had never seen anything like him.

Federer would go on a clinical 34-match win streak after the clay season, flattening apart the competition like butter on bread. He won the Halle Open, Wimbledon, Cincinnati Masters, US Open and the Bangkok Open, before he was stopped by an inspired David Nalbandian in the final of The Tennis Masters Cup.

Roger Federer's 2007 season: 5 titles on hardcourt, 1 title on clay, 1 title on grass

Roger Federer poses with the 2007 Australian Open trophy

2007 was the year in which Roger Federer truly marked his name as the king of kings. He would not only win three Slams in one season for a staggering third time, but also end Rafael Nadal's streak of 81 consecutive match wins on clay.

The Fed Express annihilated the competition in a scary display of tennis at the Australian Open, becoming the first player since Bjorn Borg to win a Slam without dropping a set. Federer would then go through a mid-season drought before winning a record fourth Hamburg Masters title in fine fashion, bagelling Nadal in the final.

The Swiss would restore parity later in the season in terms of the frequency of his title victories, as he won Wimbledon, Cincinnati Masters and the US Open. The Swiss Maestro would end the season on a high note, bullying his opposition to win titles at the Basel Open and the Tennis Masters Cup.

Roger Federer's 2008 season: 2 titles on hardcourt, 1 title on clay, 1 title on grass

Roger Federer poses with the 2008 US Open trophy

After 4 dominant seasons by the Fed Express, something had to give. At the start of 2008 he was struck by glandular fever, and he would suffer from the virus for the rest of the year.

Having failed to win a title in almost four months, Roger Federer finally broke the duck at the Estoril Open. He won Halle again, but the Swiss would suffer losses to Rafael Nadal at the French Open and Wimbledon to surrender his No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2004.

With many fans wondering whether his poor form was a sign that his days at the top were numbered, Roger Federer made a fine comeback at the US Open - where he beat Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to win his first Grand Slam of the year. The ailing Federer would then add one more title to his 2008 tally as he won Basel.

Roger Federer's 2009 season: 1 title on hardcourt, 2 titles on clay, 1 title on grass

Roger Federer finally won the French Open in 2009

After a disappointing previous season, Roger Federer came into 2009 looking for some redemption. No more struggling from glandular fever, Federer played great tennis at the start of the year, finishing runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open.

But an aging Swiss still struggled with a drop in confidence. No longer the unstoppable force he was a few years ago, Federer went through the spring looking listless and vulnerable. He even memorably smashed his racquet during a loss to Novak Djokovic at the Miami Masters.

Just when every fan thought Federer was dead in the water, the Swiss Maestro beat then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at Madrid. He followed that up by winning his first (and so far, only) French Open, to complete the elusive Career Slam.

Having equaled Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams with his triumph in Paris, Roger Federer would then fight his way to a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title as he beat Andy Roddick in a thriller to win Wimbledon. With a new lease on life, the Swiss would then go on to win the Cincinnati Masters too.

The King was not dead after all.

Roger Federer's 2012 season: 4 titles on hardcourt, 1 title on clay, 1 title on grass

Roger Federer turned back the time at Wimbledon 2012

With his younger rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic having fully announced themselves on the big stage, Roger Federer found it tough to win the big events.

The Swiss would not go away quietly though, as he again turned back time by clobbering players left and right to win Rotterdam, Dubai, Indian Wells and Madrid. All eyes were on Federer as he looked to finally vanquish his dry spell at the Slams, having last won one at the 2010 Australian Open.

Finding a rich vein of form, Roger Federer played some devastating shots and delectable drops as he beat Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final to win a record-equaling seventh title there. Perhaps the Swiss was really ageless, as he made a return to the apex of tennis soon after that - and eventually broke Pete Sampras's record of most weeks at No. 1.

Federer would go on to add Cincinnati to his tally a few weeks later.

Roger Federer's 2015 season: 4 titles on hardcourt, 1 title on clay, 1 title on grass

Roger Federer poses with the 2015 Cincinnati Masters trophy

The Swiss Maestro again had a tussle with age after 2012, failing to win a big event for two years until his dry period ended at the 2014 Coupe Rogers. Having ended 2014 at a high level, Federer had high hopes again at the start of 2015.

Roger Federer started the year by winning the title at Brisbane, before a surprise third round exit at the Australian Open. Not one to be bogged down, Federer would then beat World No. 1 Djokovic en route winning the Dubai Open once again.

He would add the Istanbul Open to his 2015 tally a few months later, and follow it up by winning the Halle Open - a tournament he has now won 10 times in his career.

Two months later, Roger Federer would take everyone back to the good old days. He won the Cincinnati Masters without being broken even once, beating Djokovic in the final.

The Swiss Maestro would win the Basel Open a few months later, beating a resurgent Rafael Nadal in the final.