Roger Federer's career has been full of memorable moments and amazing achievements, allowing him to hold several records and become one of the best athletes of all time. However, the former Swiss champion also had to deal with extremely painful disappointments that are part of the experience of any professional player.
The reference is not only to the finals of Wimbledon 2008 and Wimbledon 2019, lost respectively to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but also to the last act of the 2009 US Open. The former world No. 1 had just won Roland Garros and the Wimbledon Championships in sequence that year and had been the champion in New York for five years, which is why he was a clear favorite against Juan Martin del Potro on the eve of the final.
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Although he had many chances in that match and was ahead by two sets to one, the Argentine ace never gave up and took advantage of some gifts from his illustrious opponent to win the first and only Grand Slam title of his career.
King Roger's memories
More than fifteen years later, the Swisslegend recalled that clash in Flushing Meadows during a long interview with 'Tages-Anzeiger': "I should have won the final of the 2009 US Open against del Potro. I suffered a back injury during the warm-up and then I wasted a lot of chances. That was one of the matches I shouldn't have lost, there are definitely a lot of regrets."
The 20-time Grand Slam champion also returned to talk about the iconic final of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships: "For most of my fans, that loss was a shock. However, I never wanted that memory to haunt me because I knew I had played an excellent tournament. I had some flashbacks about that match in the days immediately following, but nothing more. The support of my family and friends helped me get over that disappointment more quickly than expected."
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Yesterday, Federer received notice that he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame next year (during the summer).
