The loss that still bothers Roger Federer most is not the 2019 Wimbledon final where he squandered two championship points against Novak Djokovic. It is a five-set defeat inside the same New York stadium where he returned to play an exhibition this week.
Speaking to ESPN Tennis at Flushing Meadows, Federer went back to September 2009 and Juan Martin del Potro.
“The US Open final in ’09 against Delpo haunts me more.”
“Because it broke an incredible streak of five [Slam wins] and I knew I was never going to get that back.”
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Del Potro’s four-hour win on 14 September 2009 ended one of the great runs in men’s tennis. Federer had lifted the US Open trophy every year from 2004 to 2008.
“I felt I missed out on so many chances throughout the match. That one is a big regret.”
Nadal 2008 is on the same list
Federer put Rafael Nadal’s 2008 Wimbledon final win in the same category, another streak-ending defeat he cannot let go.
“Rafa in ’08, as well.”
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“Funnily, I have more regrets against Rafa and Delpo than I have with the Novak match,” he told reporters at Flushing Meadows.
He said he played close to his best in that Wimbledon final and left the court feeling he had done what he could.
“I think I played very well in the semifinals and also very well in the final.”
His verdict on the match points that shadowed both defeats was blunter.
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“I’m the king of missing match-points, it seems like.”
Djokovic ahead on 24 majors
Djokovic’s 24th Grand Slam, sealed at the 2023 US Open, moved him past Nadal on 22 and Federer on 20. Asked whether the Serbian can add a 25th at Flushing Meadows in the days ahead, Federer said the door was not closed.
“Whenever Novak enters any tournament or major, he’ll have a shot.”
“As long as he is in the draw, there is a chance and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s still playing because he truly must believe he can still do it, and that’s my opinion too.”
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Federer also ruled out any comeback of his own, telling reporters there were “way too many obstacles, and I’m too busy.”
Hall of Fame ceremony this Saturday
The Arthur Ashe exhibition against Andy Roddick was the warm-up for the weekend’s main event. Federer heads the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 alongside American broadcaster Mary Carillo.
The induction ceremony takes place in Newport, Rhode Island at 6:30pm local time on Saturday 29 August. In-person tickets sold out immediately, with Tennis Channel and Sky Sports carrying the ceremony to international audiences.
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