Roger Federer wins his first ITF title: This day, that year

Roger Federer, who has had a successful 22-year career on the ATP Tour, won his first ITF title on the clay courts of Prato (Italy) on 11 May 1997. It is particularly remarkable that his first piece of significant silverware came on clay, a surface where he has famously endured plenty of heartbreak at the hands of Rafael Nadal.

Having turned professional in 1998, the now 38-year-old Federer is the only player apart from Jimmy Connors to win over 100 singles titles (103) and over 1200 singles matches (1243). But he had a decent junior career too, highlighted by several memorable triumphs.

Weeks before he turned 15, Roger Federer made his ITF Junior debut in 1996 as a wildcard at the G2 Swiss Indoor Tournament. Federer won his opening two matches on the clay of Davos before losing in the Round of 16 to Nathan Healy of Australia.

A year later, Roger Federer won his first ITF singles title at the 1997 Prato International Junior Tournament. The then 16-year-old Swiss prodigy won six matches in a row without dropping a set, beating Luka Kutanjac of Croatia 6-4 6-0 in the final.

23 years ago, on 11 May 1997 15-year-old @rogerfederer captured his first ITF world junior title winning the tournament in Prato, Italy. #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/FkRpvk4vK4

— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) May 10, 2020

When Roger Federer scored his first ATP ranking points

Roger Federer

Four months after his triumph on the red dirt in the Italian city, Roger Federer scored 12 points at Switzerland 1 Masters Satellites in Bossonnens. That marked his debut in the ATP rankings, at number 803, from the week starting 22 September 1997.

Among active players on the tour, only Ivo Karlovic and Feliciano Lopez have had an ATP ranking for a longer period than Roger Federer.

Roger Federer (#803) makes his ATP rankings debut.

What else did Roger Federer accomplish in his junior career?

Roger Federer won his only junior Grand Slam title at 1998 Wimbledon

Roger Federer's next success on the junior tour came in early 1998. The then 16-year-old beat Julien Jeanpierre of France to win the Victorian Junior Championships.

However, in his first junior Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open that year, the 705th-ranked Federer fell to Sweden's Andrea Vinciguerra in a three-set semifinal.

The Swiss teenage prodigy tasted his next success on the junior tour on Italian soil again. He beat local hope Filippo Volandri on the clay of Florence at the City of Florence International Tennis Tournament.

Roger Federer followed his Florence triumph with his first and only junior Grand Slam title. The right-hander, who had broken into the top 700 by then, did not lose a set in six matches on the grass of Wimbledon. He beating Irakli Labadze of Georgia 6-4 6-4 in the final to lift the trophy.

Five years later, Roger Federer would join the illustrious trio of Bjorn Borg (1972), Pat Cash (1982) and Stefan Edberg (1983) as the only singles playerss to win both the junior and senior titles at the grasscourt Major.

After his junior Wimbledon success, Roger Federer entered the GB1 category European Closed Junior Championships on home soil too, where he lost to Feliciano Lopez in the semifinals. Incidentally, Federer has a perfect record 13-0 over the Spanish left-hander on the ATP tour.

In his last junior Grand Slam tournament, Roger Federer lost to Argentine David Nalbandian in straight sets in the final. That marked the only occasion Federer lost a final on the junior circuit.

Roger Federer's last junior tournament

Roger Federer poses with his 1998 Orange Bowl Title

Following early exits at the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships and the Sunshine Cup, Roger Federer brought his junior career to an end at the prestigious Orange Bowl Tennis Championships.

The 17-year-old Federer beat his US Open final conqueror Nalbandian in the semifinal and overwhelmed another Argentine, Guillermo Coria, in the title match.

With the win, Roger Federer ended the year as the world's top-ranked junior player. That also turned out to be the Swiss teenager's final match as a junior.

During a three-year stint in the circuit, Federer racked up an impressive 144-19 (88.3%) win-loss record.