First match of roger federer biography

The Australian Open marks the 25th anniversary of Roger Federer&#;s debut appearance in Melbourne &#; and the anniversary of his first-ever Grand Slam match win.

January 18th will mark two and a half decades since the tennis icon sealed the first of major match wins and, to mark the occasion, we look back on one of Federer&#;s landmark career moments.

Early Pro Career

A junior Wimbledon champion in and widely recognised as one of the brightest prospects in the game, Federer first attempted to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open.

He was beaten by Olivier Delaître in straight sets in the first round of qualifying, though he did not have to wait too much longer to make his Grand Slam debut.

Federer was handed a main draw wildcard into the French Open that summer, pushing third seed and reigning US Open champion Pat Rafter to four sets in an opening-round defeat.

The Swiss