3 Years Ago Today.....

[Entername]

....40-15 happened on July 14, 2019. I remember coming home when this match was 5-2 Fed in the fourth set and I kept thinking to myself, there's no way Fed's actually gonna win this is he? I posted this elsewhere but I still can't fathom that Fed lost this.

"40-15, two championship points, he's on serve (he's hit over 10,000 aces in his lifetime and even more unreturned serves), his favourite surface, his favourite court, whole stadium on his side rooting for him, history on the line to solidify GOAThood, fairly subpar Djokovic given their standards (he was the better player most of the match), yet somehow he lost it."

Credit to Djokovic obviously, this dude has no quit in his brain even if all odds were stacked against him when it was 8-7, 40-15, he still believed he could comeback to win and he did. I disagree with many of Novak's views but his belief and resistance is something all of us can learn from.

 

[Third Serve]

has it really been three years?

 

[MichaelNadal]

Still don’t know how he messed that up smh

 

[DSH]

It would have been interesting if instead of playing the tie-break in the 12 all they would have done it in the more traditional 6 all but to the best of 10 points, different from the definition of the past.
Would something have changed?

 

[helterskelter]

It would have been interesting if instead of playing the tie-break in the 12 all they would have done it in the more traditional 6 all but to the best of 10 points, different from the definition of the past.
Would something have changed?

Djokovic would have won 10-4. The tiebreaks were all pretty easy for him.

 

[Deleted member 792641]

note: never approach Djokovic in the fifth set of a Wimbledon match

 

[TheNachoMan]

has it really been three years?

Time is scary. My first day of high school was just last week.

 

[pj80]

....40-15 happened on July 14, 2019. I remember coming home when this match was 5-2 Fed in the fourth set and I kept thinking to myself, there's no way Fed's actually gonna win this is he? I posted this elsewhere but I still can't fathom that Fed lost this.

"40-15, two championship points, he's on serve (he's hit over 10,000 aces in his lifetime and even more unreturned serves), his favourite surface, his favourite court, whole stadium on his side rooting for him, history on the line to solidify GOAThood, fairly subpar Djokovic given their standards (he was the better player most of the match), yet somehow he lost it."

Credit to Djokovic obviously, this dude has no quit in his brain even if all odds were stacked against him when it was 8-7, 40-15, he still believed he could comeback to win and he did.

Classic

 

[Entername]

It would have been interesting if instead of playing the tie-break in the 12 all they would have done it in the more traditional 6 all but to the best of 10 points, different from the definition of the past.
Would something have changed?

I wonder what would've happened if they had the old-school version of let them keep playing (like in 2008 WI where Rafa won 9-7 and 2009 WI where Fed won 16-14 or something crazy like that)

 

[juanparty]

Only Feddy can do this

 

[Mainad]

note: never approach Djokovic in the fifth set of a Wimbledon match

Only one man never bothered.

 

[MeatTornado]

has it really been three years?

Not if you realize this is all just a simulation

 

[Mainad]

It will surely go down as Roger's last hurrah as a Slam contender.

 

[BGod]

I have at least my close friend confirming we were standing at the bar watching and at 40-15 I kept saying "It's Novak, he's trolling".

The 40-15 Trilogy is one of the greatest in sport. Right up there with Ali-Frazier, Boys vs. 49ers, etc. But I love it for how truly progressive it was. A recap:

2010 USO: It's 15-40 on Novak's serve in the 5th, Fed has beaten him three consecutive years prior but they were close sets if only one went to 4. Everyone expects Fed to break but Novak holds serve and breaks Fed shortly after. It's shocking as Fed's Slam SF streak was broken that year by Soderling and 7 consecutive Finals at Wimbledon by Berdych.

2011 USO: After having a resurgence at the French largely choking at least first 2 sets to Nadal then blowing 2-0 lead to Tsonga at Wimbledon, Fed blows a 2-0 lead to Novak having an ATG season. But in the 5th set Fed appears again in control up 40-15 on serve to end it, then Novak smirks and nods. Denied. Novak goes on to beat Rafa in 4 for his first USO crown. He finishes the YE at 3rd.

2019 WMB: After a late career resurgence he is seemingly in form at near 38 now no longer faced with prime Djokovic on grass like 14-15. And the match has seen him play better with Novak only winning sets in tiebreaks. And on serve he holds not just 2 MPs but CP. Only once in 70 years has a men's final seen CPs squandered. Not Federer? Yes.

It would have been interesting if instead of playing the tie-break in the 12 all they would have done it in the more traditional 6 all but to the best of 10 points, different from the definition of the past.
Would something have changed?

Novak almost certainly wins.

 

[Mustard]

Federer also had break points at 11-11 in the fifth set.

 

[Lauren_Girl']

I wonder what would've happened if they had the old-school version of let them keep playing (like in 2008 WI where Rafa won 9-7 and 2009 WI where Fed won 16-14 or something crazy like that)

If the 2008 final had the tie-break at 6-6 in the 5th, Federer might've won this. He won the 2 previous tie-break in this match. We'll never know unfortunately.

 

[duaneeo]

40-15 has been talked about nearly every day since it happened, so it really didn't need a 3rd-anniversary thread.

 

[Bilders]

Ah yes. The net cord to haunt us all!

 

[Bilders]

Federer also had break points at 11-11 in the fifth set.

The most tense game of the set. Roger put a LOT of pressure on Novak there.

 

[Ombelibable]

 

[DSH]

Does anyone know what happened to the lady after becoming "famous" for a few seconds?

 

[Standaa]

I'm old

 

[Cortana]

Damn. This will haunt Federer fans for decades.

 

[TheNachoMan]

 

[joekapa]

The greatest smirk in sporting history. Will never forget it.

 

[mike danny]

Still don’t know how he messed that up smh

0 confidence vs Novak. No prior wins. And that made him tight as a goldfish.

 

[Third Serve]

that style of animation and the pose of the lady makes it look like she's flipping him off

 

[TheNachoMan]

The greatest smirk in sporting history. Will never forget it.

The way he just stands there soaking all the salt in. Beautiful.

 

[joekapa]

The way he just stands there soaking all the salt in. Beautiful.

Machiavellian . Better to be respected than loved.

 

[Azure]

The greatest smirk in sporting history. Will never forget it.

LOL

 

[Cortana]

The way he just stands there soaking all the salt in. Beautiful.

Luckily he didn't die as a result of salt overdosage.

 

[DSH]

Great and valuable discovery, pal.

 

[junior74]

That's a lot of threads reminding us of something we have been reminded every day for three years

We shall never forget.

 

[Thriller]

It is the greatest choke since Jana Novotna. 2 aces to get to championship point then tamely loses the next 7 points in a row. With that serve. Hilarious.

You can't be a GOAT without guts. And so it came to be.

22 > 21 > 20. No happy ending.

 

[hoodjem]

 

[juanparty]

Poor Feddy

 

[Biotic]

has it really been three years?

There was a strong era when we had annual 40-15 fests. Nowdays it's a rare occurrence.

 

[The Fedfather]

Amazing performance from Federer at such age. One of those losses where luck was just on the other player's side.

 

[Thriller]

Amazing performance from Federer at such age. One of those losses where luck was just on the other player's side.

oh-kay .....

 

[Entername]

The way he just stands there soaking all the salt in. Beautiful.

You can even see it in the background how there are more people in the crowd looking shocked/dejected rather than people genuinely clapping for Novak's win. If Roger had won, the scenes would've been full of euphoria similar to what is was for Rafa in Melbourne this year but it just wasn't meant to be for Fed