He set to work on improving all aspects of his game, with defence and consistency just as important as flamboyant attack.

'People used to tell me how easy I made it look, so I kind of felt I had to live up to this and play miracle shots, the crowd-pleasing stuff,' he said.

'But I decided what I wanted was to win the match, not hit the best shot of the tournament. That was a big step for me mentally.'

One year later, Federer beat Mark Philippoussis in the Wimbledon final for his first Grand Slam title, and he was on his way.

Five more Wimbledon trophies have followed, as have five US Opens, three Australian Open titles and a French Open.

Federer has been keen to credit wife Mirka for helping him end his youthful, on-court tantrums.

The couple, who met at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, married in April and are expecting their first child later this summer.

As Ms Mirka Vavrinec, Federer's wife was a regular player on the women's tour until serious injury pushed her out of the game.

In the long term, that's been to the Swiss star's benefit.

'She helped me considerably, as a person. I developed faster, grew faster with her. Thanks to her I was very calm in the important moments in my career. She is always supportive. I owe her a lot,' said Federer.