Roger, over and out for Federer rivals

Federer won three of the four Grand Slams, clinched eight other titles and finished the year having lost just six times in 80 matches.

It was a record-breaking odyssey which began in the steamy heat of Melbourne and ended deep in the heart of Texas, 10 months later.

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Along the way, Roger Federer won three of the four Grand Slams, clinched eight other titles, finished the year having lost just six times in 80 matches and boosted his bank account by a further $six million to swell his fortune to $14 million.

Not bad for a 23-year-old.

Federer never looked back from the time he demolished weary Russian Marat Safin in the final of the Australian Open as he went on to defend his Wimbledon title and pick up the US Open.

In London, he put down a brief rebellion in the final by Andy Roddick while, in New York, he humiliated Lleyton Hewitt.

Significantly, Roddick, Hewitt and Safin are the three men seen as his closest challengers in 2005, but they struggled even to keep pace in 2004 - Roddick and Hewitt taking home four titles each, Safin three.