Best and worst GS Fs played by the Big 3 at each venue?

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
Lately I’ve been watching older matches from when the Big 3 were in their primes/peaks and it got me thinking. What were the best and worst GS Fs they played at each of the schlems? Feel free to chime in, obviously this is all opinion based on my viewing and also comparing match stats. I’ll go ahead and kick things off.

Ol’ Rog

Best:
AO - 07
RG - 09 (Granted I rate 07 RAFA way higher than 09 Sod. The way he played in sets 3-4 were 08 like in far more favorable conditions the following year. Switch the opponents and I think 07 comes out ahead).
WB - 03
USO - 04

Worst:
AO - 18
RG - 08
WB - 19
USO - Edit * Completely forgot how meh 15 @Breakpointerer was.

RAFA

Best:
AO - 09
RG - 08 (Even with Ol’ Rog’s terrible showing inflating his stats this is easily the best RAFA has played at RG).
WB - 08
USO - 10

Worst:
AO - 19
RG - 22
WB - 11 (I just rate 06 Fred over 11 Joker)
USO - 19 (Should have closed the Mad Lad out in straights).

Joker

Best:
AO - 11
RG - 13 (I don’t think his 2016 form fairs as well vs an opponent of 2013 RAFA’s caliber).
WB - 15
USO -11

Worst:
AO - 20
RG - 20
WB - 21
USO - 21
 
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StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
You think Federer was better in USO 2015 than in USO 2009? Not sure I've ever seen such an opinion. IMO Wimbledon 2015 was also worse than 2019 because he was pretty much done after 2 sets, but some might think otherwise. USO 2009 and 2015 are not really close to even compare.

Nadal's worst USO final was clearly 2011 for me. I don't care who his opponent was, there are no excuses to getting broken 11 times, especially when Djokovic was injured at the end. He lost that match before stepping on court.
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
You think Federer was better in USO 2015 than in USO 2009? Not sure I've ever seen such an opinion. IMO Wimbledon 2015 was also worse than 2019 because he was pretty much done after 2 sets, but some might think otherwise. USO 2009 and 2015 are not really close to even compare.

Nadal's worst USO final was clearly 2011 for me. I don't care who his opponent was, there are no excuses to getting broken 11 times, especially when Djokovic was injured at the end. He lost that match before stepping on court.
I actually completely forgot about Fraud in 2015 went ahead and changed it in the OP.
 

geromino

New User
Djokovic:
Best
AO 2019
RG 2016
Wim 2011
USO 2011

Worst
AO 2020
RG 2020
Wim 2013
USO 2021


Nadal:
Best
AO 2009
RG 2008
Wim 2008
USO 2013

Worst
AO 2014
RG 2011
Wim 2006
USO 2019


Federer:
Best
AO 2007
RG 2011
Wim 2006
USO 2004

Worst
AO 2018
RG 2008
Wim 2009
USO 2009
 
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Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
I’ll throw in the YEC too.

Fed:

Best:

AO 2007
RG 2009
W 2003 (or 2005)
USO 2004

YEC 2003 (2004 and 2006 also great contenders)

Worst:

AO 2018
RG 2008
W 2019 (the hot take here is rating this lower than 2015)
USO 2015

YEC 2015

Nadal:

Best:

AO 2009
RG 2008
W 2008
USO 2010

YEC 2010

Worst:

AO 2019
RG 2022 (by observed level it’d be 2019 or 2018 but 2022’s shortcomings were masked a lot by facing Ruud)
W 2011
USO 2019

YEC 2013 (I mean there’s only two)

Djokovic

Best:

AO 2019 (most of Djokovic’s best AO performances were in semifinals or quarterfinals; this was the one truly clinical final)
RG 2016
W 2015
USO 2015

YEC 2013

Worst:

AO 2020
RG 2020
W 2023
USO 2021

YEC 2018

Edit: Wasn’t thinking right and made a few weird picks. I’ve smoothened out the list now.
 
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fedfan24

Hall of Fame
Federer
Best
AO - 07
RG - 06
W - 03
USO - 06

Worst
AO - 18
RG - 08
W - 15
USO - 15


Nadal
Best
AO - 09
RG - 08
W - 08
USO - 10

Worst
AO - 19
RG - 22
W - 11
USO - 17

Djokovic
Best
AO - 16
RG - 12
W - 15
USO - 15

Worst
AO - 23
RG - 20
W - 13
USO - 21
 
Federer
Best:
AO - 2007
RG - 2009
W - 2003
USO - 2004

Worst:
AO - 2018
RG - 2008
W - 2019
USO - 2015

Nadal
Best:
AO - 2009
RG - 2008
W - 2008
USO - 2010

Worst:
AO - 2019
RG - 2022( slightly over 2018/2019)
W - 2011
USO - 2019

Djokovic
Best:
AO - 2019
RG - 2016
W - 2015
USO - 2011

Worst:
AO - 2020
RG - 2020
W - 2013/2023
USO - 2021
 
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Lately I’ve been watching older matches from when the Big 3 were in their primes/peaks and it got me thinking. What were the best and worst GS Fs they played at each of the schlems? Feel free to chime in, obviously this is all opinion based on my viewing and also comparing match stats. I’ll go ahead and kick things off.

Ol’ Rog

Best:
AO - 07
RG - 09 (Granted I rate 07 RAFA way higher than 09 Sod. The way he played in sets 3-4 were 08 like in far more favorable conditions the following year. Switch the opponents and I think 07 comes out ahead).
WB - 03 (05 is a good choice too, especially since he was more centered around power baselining)
USO - 04

Worst:
AO - 18
RG - 08
WB - 19
USO - Edit * Completely forgot how meh 15 @Breakpointerer was.

RAFA

Best:
AO - 09
RG - 08 (Even with Ol’ Rog’s terrible showing inflating his stats this is easily the best RAFA has played at RG).
WB - 08
USO - 10

Worst:
AO - 19
RG - 22 (18 Nadal >> 22 Nadal, Ruud even made 23 Joker look like a monster).
WB - 11 (debatable with 06, either pick is fine)
USO - 19 (Should have closed the Mad Lad out in straights).

Joker

Best:
AO - 11
RG - 16 (2012 was kinda off the whole clay season and RG, not just the RG final)
WB - 15
USO -11 (seriously, 3/4 posters who responded picked 15?, who was significantly less ferocious from the baseline)

Worst:
AO - 20
RG - 20 (21/23 close)
WB - 13 (13/21/23 are close)
USO - 21
Honestly, not picking 2011 for AO and USO for Novak should be a crime. That was his peak year on HCs and played his best at both HC Slams. Maybe he didn't play his best match of the tournament in the F of either, but was still very sharp.
 

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Both funny and sad how many users try to claim Nadal was better in USO 2011 final than in 2017 or 2019. At the same time they can't stop bashing Djokovic's USO 2013 performance, even though he wasn't broken 11 times there.
 
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mike danny

Bionic Poster
I cannot possibly see how Nadal was worse in the 2006 Wimb F than in the 2011 one. He had no business losing as easily as he did in 2011 even accounting for the fact that Djoker is a tougher match-up than Fed.

Nadal by that point had been by far the better and more experienced grass player than Djoker and hadn't lost to him in a slam yet so there was no reason to give up as easily as he did. No set played in that one was as good as the 3rd set in the 2006 F.
 

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
I cannot possibly see how Nadal was worse in the 2006 Wimb F than in the 2011 one. He had no business losing as easily as he did in 2011 even accounting for the fact that Djoker is a tougher match-up than Fed.

Nadal by that point had been by far the better and more experienced grass player than Djoker and hadn't lost to him in a slam yet so there was no reason to give up as easily as he did. No set played in that one was as good as the 3rd set in the 2006 F.
Loses to Djokovic are never considered bad losses on this forum.
 

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
I’ll throw in the YEC too.

Fed:

Best:

AO 2007
RG 2009
W 2003 (or 2005)
USO 2004

YEC 2003 (2004 and 2006 also great contenders)

Worst:

AO 2018
RG 2008
W 2019 (the hot take here is rating this lower than 2015)
USO 2015

YEC 2015

Nadal:

Best:

AO 2012
RG 2008
W 2008
USO 2010

YEC 2010

Worst:

AO 2019
RG 2022 (by observed level it’d be 2019 or 2018 but 2022’s shortcomings were masked a lot by facing Ruud)
W 2011
USO 2019

YEC 2013 (I mean there’s only two)

Djokovic

Best:

AO 2019 (most of Djokovic’s best AO performances were in semifinals or quarterfinals; this was the one truly clinical final)
RG 2016
W 2015
USO 2015

YEC 2013

Worst:

AO 2020
RG 2020
W 2023
USO 2021

YEC 2018
Nadal's AO 2012 better than AO 2009 final? :unsure:
 
Last edited:
Lately I’ve been watching older matches from when the Big 3 were in their primes/peaks and it got me thinking. What were the best and worst GS Fs they played at each of the schlems? Feel free to chime in, obviously this is all opinion based on my viewing and also comparing match stats. I’ll go ahead and kick things off.

Ol’ Rog

Best:
AO - 07
RG - 09 (Granted I rate 07 RAFA way higher than 09 Sod. The way he played in sets 3-4 were 08 like in far more favorable conditions the following year. Switch the opponents and I think 07 comes out ahead).
WB - 03
USO - 04

Worst:
AO - 18
RG - 08
WB - 19
USO - Edit * Completely forgot how meh 15 @Breakpointerer was.

RAFA

Best:
AO - 09
RG - 08 (Even with Ol’ Rog’s terrible showing inflating his stats this is easily the best RAFA has played at RG).
WB - 08
USO - 10

Worst:
AO - 19
RG - 18 (Not really bad he just didn’t have to do a whole lot to win. Timmy was disappointing in his game. *Insert Ken Rosewall’s face*).
WB - 11 (I just rate 06 Fred over 11 Joker)
USO - 19 (Should have closed the Mad Lad out in straights).

Joker

Best:
AO - 19 (Similar story with RAFA in RG 08, I think the opponent made the winner look better than they were. Otherwise I’d go with 2016).
RG - 12 (I don’t think his 2016 form fairs as well vs an opponent of 2012 RAFA’s caliber).
WB - 15
USO -15 (Served significantly better than in 2011).

Worst:
AO - 20
RG - 20
WB - 13 (I think 2013 MurrayGOAT probably beats the Joker from this year even easier but it went to 5 sets so I’ll lean 2013).
USO - 21
Agree with most of these. The one I would change for Djokovic is RG. I think his worst final possibly was 2014. He was absolutely horrible for a lot of that final, and quite clearly physically unwell / injured. Probably his worst performance in any major final imo.

2020 RG final is an interesting one. He was almost invisible for the first set, but hard to tell how much of that was due to his level. The conditions certainly suited him and he wasn’t making many errors but Nadal was just going nuclear.
 

McGradey

Hall of Fame
Honestly, not picking 2011 for AO and USO for Novak should be a crime. That was his peak year on HCs and played his best at both HC Slams. Maybe he didn't play his best match of the tournament in the F of either, but was still very sharp.
Totally agree, 2011 AO especially was and is a standout. Insane level.
 

RS

Bionic Poster
Federer
Best:
AO - 2007
RG - 2009
W - 2003
USO - 2004

Worst:
AO - 2018
RG - 2008
W - 2019
USO - 2015

Nadal
Best:
AO - 2009
RG - 2008
W - 2008
USO - 2010

Worst:
AO - 2019
RG - 2022( slightly over 2018/2019)
W - 2011
USO - 2019

Djokovic
Best:
AO - 2019
RG - 2016
W - 2015
USO - 2011

Worst:
AO - 2020
RG - 2020
W - 2013/2023
USO - 2013
Worse than 2021?
 

CoolCoolCool

Hall of Fame
Djoker's best final at RG seems pretty polarizing. I'd give the edge to RG 12 over RG 16, given he faced a considerably tougher opponent in the former final. Troubling prime Rafa like he did in an RG final the year that ranks among his best RG years is no small feat.
 

mike danny

Bionic Poster
Djoker's best final at RG seems pretty polarizing. I'd give the edge to RG 12 over RG 16, given he faced a considerably tougher opponent in the former final. Troubling prime Rafa like he did in an RG final the year that ranks among his best RG years is no small feat.
Although the weather did have a say in that since otherwise he was getting clapped.
 

CoolCoolCool

Hall of Fame
Although the weather did have a say in that since otherwise he was getting clapped.
He ended Rafa's streak at MC in hotter conditions. Not that Rafa wouldn't have won more comfortably in hotter conditions, he probably would have, but "getting clapped" sounds like a wishful exaggeration.

Edit: my bad, he ended Rafa's streak at MC the following year, not in 2012. 2012 Claydal was something else, but I think Djoker would still have troubled him a little in hotter conditions.
 
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StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Djoker's best final at RG seems pretty polarizing. I'd give the edge to RG 12 over RG 16, given he faced a considerably tougher opponent in the former final. Troubling prime Rafa like he did in an RG final the year that ranks among his best RG years is no small feat.
Don't know what level was better, but good to see a Djokovic fan not overrating 2016 Murray for once. It's pretty hard to find a version of Djokovic in RG that would have lost to this Murray.
 

Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
2012 was a fine match but Djokovic wasn’t really that special outside of the stretch where he won eight games in a row, and that was partly due to a change in playing conditions. Certainly a solid performance all in all but I don’t know if I would rate it over 2016.

Certainly, Murray was pretty bad in those last three sets but Djokovic delivered a clinical performance after an iffy first set.
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
Agree with most of these. The one I would change for Djokovic is RG. I think his worst final possibly was 2014. He was absolutely horrible for a lot of that final, and quite clearly physically unwell / injured. Probably his worst performance in any major final imo.

2020 RG final is an interesting one. He was almost invisible for the first set, but hard to tell how much of that was due to his level. The conditions certainly suited him and he wasn’t making many errors but Nadal was just going nuclear.
He did at least win a set in 14 before RAFA unleashed the FHDTL. After that there was little to nothing Joker could do. RG 14 was a candidate for worst. I also thought about putting 15 as the worst since he did play very passive which allowed Stan to dominate him.
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
Honestly, not picking 2011 for AO and USO for Novak should be a crime. That was his peak year on HCs and played his best at both HC Slams. Maybe he didn't play his best match of the tournament in the F of either, but was still very sharp.
I originally had 2011 as the best Fs for him at those venues. But upon further reflection I had to pick other years simply for consistency sake. If I was going to have USO 04 for Ol’ Rog and RG 08 for RAFA then I had to have AO 19 for Joker. I think if he played a better opponent he wouldn’t look as good as he statistically was but I’m just basing them on how the actual match played out. AO 2011 F vs 2016 F was essentially a slightly more dominant win vs the same opponent. Looks like I accidentally had 2016 as the backup candidate there in my OP.

As for the USO, I agree that ROS and off the ground he was better than he was in 2015, but his serve was so bad in 2011 that I couldn’t pick that as his best F. He also got injured and I think a player who wasn’t reeling as bad mentally like RAFA was would have taken far greater advantage of that opportunity.
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
2012 was a fine match but Djokovic wasn’t really that special outside of the stretch where he won eight games in a row, and that was partly due to a change in playing conditions. Certainly a solid performance all in all but I don’t know if I would rate it over 2016.

Certainly, Murray was pretty bad in those last three sets but Djokovic delivered a clinical performance after an iffy first set.
I figured RG 2012 vs RG 2016 would be one of the more polarizing choices for Joker’s best performances. That’s part of the reason I made the thread was to get other people’s takes. Personally for me the level of opponent was too big to ignore. That said the change in conditions mid match did play a big role in that 8 game run Joker had. Either way I think both answers are acceptable. Now had 2013 the Nadavic match taken place in the F I’d think that rightfully would be considered his best run there.
 

SonnyT

Legend
To me, a great match wasn't a great player nearly ambushed another great, but two evenly matched players battling it out.

Therefore, no '19 AO nor '20 RG. But '12 AO and '14 WB.
 

SonnyT

Legend
Best - Federer
AO - 2017
RG - 2006
WB - 2012
UO - 2007

Best - Nadal
AO - 2012
RG - 2013
WB - 2008
UO - 2011
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
Not sure I can agree that 2019 Wimbledon was one of Fed's worst performances. He served for the title and held 2 match points after all!

He may have been woefully unclutch at the crucial moments but he still got there!!
I mean it’s either that or one of 2014-2015. I just think the Joker he played that year was significantly worse than the one that showed up in 2019.
 

Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
I figured RG 2012 vs RG 2016 would be one of the more polarizing choices for Joker’s best performances. That’s part of the reason I made the thread was to get other people’s takes. Personally for me the level of opponent was too big to ignore. That said the change in conditions mid match did play a big role in that 8 game run Joker had. Either way I think both answers are acceptable. Now had 2013 the Nadavic match taken place in the F I’d think that rightfully would be considered his best run there.
Yeah definitely.
 

Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
Not sure I can agree that 2019 Wimbledon was one of Fed's worst performances. He served for the title and held 2 match points after all!

He may have been woefully unclutch at the crucial moments but he still got there!!
That only goes to show how good Fed is at Wimbledon that his weakest final version was still that close to the title (although it was helped significantly by 2019 also being one of Djokovic's worst Wimbledon finals).

It's obviously worse than any of 2003-2009 as well as 2012, so the only finals left are 2014 and 2015. I think 2019 Fed returned better than 2014 Fed and served better than 2015 Fed but his overall game wasn't as good as in either of those finals.
 

mike danny

Bionic Poster
Not sure I can agree that 2019 Wimbledon was one of Fed's worst performances. He served for the title and held 2 match points after all!

He may have been woefully unclutch at the crucial moments but he still got there!!
The fact that he couldn't put away Djoker in that match in such an uncharacteristic manner definitely soils it.
 
I originally had 2011 as the best Fs for him at those venues. But upon further reflection I had to pick other years simply for consistency sake. If I was going to have USO 04 for Ol’ Rog and RG 08 for RAFA then I had to have AO 19 for Joker. I think if he played a better opponent he wouldn’t look as good as he statistically was but I’m just basing them on how the actual match played out. AO 2011 F vs 2016 F was essentially a slightly more dominant win vs the same opponent. Looks like I accidentally had 2016 as the backup candidate there in my OP.

As for the USO, I agree that ROS and off the ground he was better than he was in 2015, but his serve was so bad in 2011 that I couldn’t pick that as his best F. He also got injured and I think a player who wasn’t reeling as bad mentally like RAFA was would have taken far greater advantage of that opportunity.
The AO 2019 final was more of a show-off performance if you may. A lot of meaning for a performance is lost in the shotmaking/highlight reel aspect of it, but the true substance is really in the average quality of your ball while managing to stay error free.
Tiny Carl is the poster boy of highlight reel vs. actual quality in the average ball issue.

As a side-note, RG 2020 and AO 2019 only stand to highlight how natural they are on their best surfaces that once both lost the physical age of their prime game, their raw talent made a huge gap between them on HCs/clay.

USO 04 and RG 08 are not quite the same, because they were exceptional highlight reel performances and also amazing physical and ballstriking performances (quickness and weight of shot from Fed vs. relentless grinding and speed from Nadal)

The 2011 court was much slower and for all his flaws, 2011 Murray put more on his ball than 2019 Nadal, making it an actual grinding and physical contest, not a shotmaking one in conditions that were polar opposites for the players' liking.
Or just take it differently, what would 2019 Djoko do against 2012 Nadal on that uber-slow court and now think of 2011 Djoko as 2012 who could play his A game for longer.

For 2011 vs. 2015 Djoko at USO, I would simply take his level in sets 1, 3 and 4 over his 2015 counterpart even considering the serving difference. The only way I see 2015 being better is because of the clutch factor because 2011 final was a break-fest, so Djoko both threw and received punches in that match.
But the difference in both weight of shot and shotmaking is quite visible between the 2 vesrions and that closes it for me, so happy to disagree here.
Also his shoulder injury fueled him to go for more from the baseline.
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
The AO 2019 final was more of a show-off performance if you may. A lot of meaning for a performance is lost in the shotmaking/highlight reel aspect of it, but the true substance is really in the average quality of your ball while managing to stay error free.
Tiny Carl is the poster boy of highlight reel vs. actual quality in the average ball issue.

As a side-note, RG 2020 and AO 2019 only stand to highlight how natural they are on their best surfaces that once both lost the physical age of their prime game, their raw talent made a huge gap between them on HCs/clay.

USO 04 and RG 08 are not quite the same, because they were exceptional highlight reel performances and also amazing physical and ballstriking performances (quickness and weight of shot from Fed vs. relentless grinding and speed from Nadal)

The 2011 court was much slower and for all his flaws, 2011 Murray put more on his ball than 2019 Nadal, making it an actual grinding and physical contest, not a shotmaking one in conditions that were polar opposites for the players' liking.
Or just take it differently, what would 2019 Djoko do against 2012 Nadal on that uber-slow court and now think of 2011 Djoko as 2012 who could play his A game for longer.

For 2011 vs. 2015 Djoko at USO, I would simply take his level in sets 1, 3 and 4 over his 2015 counterpart even considering the serving difference. The only way I see 2015 being better is because of the clutch factor because 2011 final was a break-fest, so Djoko both threw and received punches in that match.
But the difference in both weight of shot and shotmaking is quite visible between the 2 vesrions and that closes it for me, so happy to disagree here.
Also his shoulder injury fueled him to go for more from the baseline.
I definitely don’t disagree with AO 19 and RG 2020 being different enough from USO 04 and RG 08 (especially since those were actually peak Fedal vs post-prime Nadavic). I also see where you’re coming from with the highlight reel vs average ball statement. The only thing I’d push back on is that AO 19 Joker and RG 20 RAFA did play very error free tennis. Joker made 9 UFEs and RAFA made 14 if the stats I’m looking at are right. I agree 100% that the opponent’s level had a lot to do with how the winner’s stats turned out.

USO 2011 vs 2015 was another contentious pick to go along with RG 2012 vs 2016 and AO 2011 vs 2019. Granted I have watched Joker far less than the other 2 mostly because I don’t like to go back and watch his old matches. But that’s also why I started this thread to get other people’s takes who watch his matches old and current fat more frequently than I do.
 

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
2012 was a fine match but Djokovic wasn’t really that special outside of the stretch where he won eight games in a row, and that was partly due to a change in playing conditions. Certainly a solid performance all in all but I don’t know if I would rate it over 2016.

Certainly, Murray was pretty bad in those last three sets but Djokovic delivered a clinical performance after an iffy first set.
Truth is, Djokovic never looked unbeatable in RG/DO. He was at his absolute peak on clay in 2011, and even then he got outplayed by Federer. I don't see much difference between his level of play in his other "good" years. For example, it's not a crazy thing to say the 2012 final was a higher quality match than the 2013 semifinal.

There was a very big difference in competition though. Having two years with Murray and Ruud as main competition is really something. Very hard to find a version of Djokovic that would not have won the title with such competition.
 

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
The AO 2019 final was more of a show-off performance if you may. A lot of meaning for a performance is lost in the shotmaking/highlight reel aspect of it, but the true substance is really in the average quality of your ball while managing to stay error free.
Tiny Carl is the poster boy of highlight reel vs. actual quality in the average ball issue.

As a side-note, RG 2020 and AO 2019 only stand to highlight how natural they are on their best surfaces that once both lost the physical age of their prime game, their raw talent made a huge gap between them on HCs/clay.

USO 04 and RG 08 are not quite the same, because they were exceptional highlight reel performances and also amazing physical and ballstriking performances (quickness and weight of shot from Fed vs. relentless grinding and speed from Nadal)

The 2011 court was much slower and for all his flaws, 2011 Murray put more on his ball than 2019 Nadal, making it an actual grinding and physical contest, not a shotmaking one in conditions that were polar opposites for the players' liking.
Or just take it differently, what would 2019 Djoko do against 2012 Nadal on that uber-slow court and now think of 2011 Djoko as 2012 who could play his A game for longer.

For 2011 vs. 2015 Djoko at USO, I would simply take his level in sets 1, 3 and 4 over his 2015 counterpart even considering the serving difference. The only way I see 2015 being better is because of the clutch factor because 2011 final was a break-fest, so Djoko both threw and received punches in that match.
But the difference in both weight of shot and shotmaking is quite visible between the 2 vesrions and that closes it for me, so happy to disagree here.
Also his shoulder injury fueled him to go for more from the baseline.
I agree. Djokovic was at his absolute peak in 2011. It's not a crazy thing to say that he had his best performance in every slam that year. (though for Wimbledon that is just because of the final)
 

Pheasant

Legend
Federer's best and worst slam finals:

Best:
AO: 2004-Fed won 44.3% of his return points. I think that Fed was at his very best on hard courts in 2004. Unpopular take: this is Fed's best year level-wise against the best players on tour.
FO: 2009-40 winners vs 18 unforced erors for somebody like Federer on an extremely slow court is as good as he will ever get. This is Fed's 2nd best slam final ever.
WI: 2005- 45 winners vs 20 unforced errors is incredible. Federer's ground game was at his best here, as was his return game. Winning 38.9% of your return points against a guy slamming 140-145 mph serves is incredible with a crummy 90 inch stick.
USO: 2004- easy pick. bageling a guy ranked #100 is very hard to do on a fast hard court. Double-bageling a guy in the top-5 that's currently on a 16 match winning streak makes this Fed's best slam final ever.


Worst
AO: 2018- I honestly don't have a good reason to pick this one, other than the fact that Fed was very unclutch. When you win 80% of your first serves and 58% of your second serves, you should win in straight sets.
FO: 2008- This one is too obvious
WI: 2015- 60 UFE and a paltry 1/7 on break points seals it. Fed was far better in 2014; even though he lost that match to the same player.
USO: 2015- 4/23 on break points is horrendous.
 

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
If the guy you are facing is truly playing his best chances are you are going to look like you are playing your worst. And vice versa
 

RS

Bionic Poster
If the guy you are facing is truly playing his best chances are you are going to look like you are playing your worst. And vice versa
Not trying to poke but is this directed towards 2015 Federer?
 
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