Best ever match your favourite played and lost

[Phenomenal]

We always hear how good the player played in the matches they won. This one discussed too but less.

So to you in which BO5 match your favourite played best but still end up losing. By best i mean in which one he/she showed very high level to you.

I go with 2007 Wimbledon F and 2018 Wimbledon SF.

Edit: Sorry Nadal fans i didn't leave you many options.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Henman vs Ivanisevic Wimbledon semi-final 2001.

 

[basil J]

Fed's loss to joker 2019 Wimbledon. Heart breaker. Both played at a high level.

 

[weakera]

Those are pretty quintessential Rafa answers, I would throw in the 2012 AO Final.

 

[RS]

Enjoyed AO 17 final a lot even though Nadal lost. That tournament was real fun.

Aside from the obvious answers the losses against Thiem in 2020 as well.

 

[Phenomenal]

Those are pretty quintessential Rafa answers, I would throw in the 2012 AO Final.

I should have said one of them. Tell the most obvious ones.

 

[DSH]

The 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals still hurt.

 

[dropshotlikeitshot]

AO13 fourth round is an easy answer as a Stan fan.

 

[BeatlesFan]

2006 Rome final for Fed. Also 2018 Paris final against Novak and 2019 Wimbledon.

 

[GloW]

2022 semifinal Zverev. Played amazing but ended sadly ;(

 

[dking68]

Sinner 2023 AO 4R Tsitsipas. Was the better player but lost

 

[GloW]

.

 

[dking68]

Djokovic Nadal RG 2013 SF

 

[ND-13]

Djokovic Tabilo Rome 3Rd ?

 

[StrongRule]

Fed's loss to joker 2019 Wimbledon. Heart breaker. Both played at a high level.

Can't believe a Federer fan can honestly think this is the best he played at a match he lost. Truth is, this one is probably not even in the top-10.

 

[mike danny]

Fed's loss to joker 2019 Wimbledon. Heart breaker. Both played at a high level.

Not even close. Horrible tiebreaks from Fed which is totally not his style.

 

[ND-13]

I think 2019 YEC - Djok vs 39 year old Fed. Djok did not do anything wrong at all.

 

[GRASScaraz]

Rune vs Alcaraz at Wimbledon

 

[DSH]

I think 2019 YEC - Djok vs 39 year old Fed. Djok did not do anything wrong at all.

38 years old Federer.

 

[mahatma]

Djokovic Nadal RG 2013 SF

Djokovic is your fav? Didn’t know.

 

[mahatma]

My favourite never lost while playing great. He is that good. Yes!

 

[dking68]

Rune vs Alcaraz at Wimbledon

Lol it was not a close match at all. I think a better one would be Rune vs Rublev AO 4R 2023

 

[Otacon]

Safin beating Fed at the AO'05, was an extraordinary match, wasn't even mad when he lost, Safin deserved his moment of glory.

 

[fedfan24]

Enjoyed USO 15 by Federer. Outsider in the final to win so could enjoy it freely. other losses such as ao09/12, rg11, uso11 were travesties so couldn’t take any enjoyment from them. Occasionally watch some of the highlights.

 

[UnforcedTerror]

USO 2019 final

 

[The Blond Blur]

USO 2019 final

You can add the AO 2022 final to the list

 

[MeatTornado]

They were both in 2009 for my two favorites

Fed - AO final

Roddick - Wim final

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

2007 Wimbledon F

 

[Nadal15thslam]

Wimbledon semi 2018 and AO 2012 final

 

[kevin qmto]

Agassi v Sampras 2001 USO. Andre played a fantastic match. Never dropped serve the whole time. 4 tiebreaks. Hit some amazing shots, just couldn’t net enough breakers.

 

[DSH]

Wimbledon semi 2018 and AO 2012 final

 

[Phenomenal]

Thats why i said best level not a drama or close match i meant. Wimbledon 2019 for this reason shouldn't be an opinion. As it's not Fed's best match that he lost.

 

[abmk]

Can't believe a Federer fan can honestly think this is the best he played at a match he lost. Truth is, this one is probably not even in the top-10.

not even top 20 I'd guess.

 

[Hitman]

They were both in 2009 for my two favorites

Fed - AO final

Roddick - Wim final

Dang, 2009 was a tough year for you.

 

[MeatTornado]

Dang, 2009 was a tough year for you.

The good news is that I wasn't really a full Fed fan at the time. I would mainly just root for him against Nadal back then.

So that AO loss annoyed me at the time more than it hurt.

 

[Hitman]

The good news is that I wasn't really a full Fed fan at the time. I would mainly just root for him against Nadal back then.

So that AO loss annoyed me at the time more than it hurt.

How did you feel about the USO 2009 final?

 

[MeatTornado]

How did you feel about the USO 2009 final?

I was thrilled. By September I was still pissed at him for beating Andy in the Wimby final lol

 

[Kralingen]

Agassi v Sampras 2001 USO. Andre played a fantastic match. Never dropped serve the whole time. 4 tiebreaks. Hit some amazing shots, just couldn’t net enough breakers.

Maybe the best anyone has ever played in a US Open loss, period. I can’t think of another that approaches it.

 

[Hitman]

I was thrilled. By September I was still pissed at him for beating Andy in the Wimby final lol

LOL - Fair enough.

 

[MeatTornado]

LOL - Fair enough.

Having become a much bigger fan in the decade following that, I now wish he had won to get the 6 in a row, and potential NCYGS.

But at the time he was the man who already had everything. Never imagined he would actually need more things on his résumé.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

I came here for Agassi vs Sampras US Open 2001. I did not leave disappointed.

 

[Hitman]

Having become a much bigger fan in the decade following that, I now wish he had won to get the 6 in a row, and potential NCYGS.

But at the time he was the man who already had everything. Never imagined he would actually need more things on his résumé.

I get your point, when did you decide to back Federer more?

 

[MeatTornado]

I get your point, when did you decide to back Federer more?

Around 2012-ish. In 2010-12 I wasn't watching as much tennis because I wasn't enjoying the direction the sport was going with Nadal/Djoker/Murray taking over and turning everything into a defensive grind. I latched onto Fed because he was at least still waving the flag for offense at the top of the game.

I also thought his retirement might be imminent, so I wanted to watch as much of him as I could before he was gone, because I thought we might not see that kind of tennis ever again with the way things were headed.

 

[Hitman]

Around 2012-ish. In 2010-12 I wasn't watching as much tennis because I wasn't enjoying the direction the sport was going with Nadal/Djoker/Murray taking over and turning everything into a defensive grind. I latched onto Fed because he was at least still waving the flag for offense at the top of the game.

I also thought his retirement might be imminent, so I wanted to watch as much of him as I could before he was gone, because I thought we might not see that kind of tennis ever again with the way things were headed.

So you became a fan post prime of Federer. Many fans actually became his fan when he sort of started to look mortal.

 

[dking68]

Berrettini vs Djokovic Wimbledon 2022 F

 

[MeatTornado]

So you became a fan post prime of Federer. Many fans actually became his fan when he sort of started to look mortal.

That was a big part of it too. I couldn't stand that he was winning everything in those 04-07 years. I actually thought he was bad for tennis.

I always liked his style of play though, so once he was losing more I could root for him without feeling like a front runner. Losing is more endearing than dominating.

 

[abmk]

Maybe the best anyone has ever played in a US Open loss, period. I can’t think of another that approaches it.

only one is USO 84 Connors vs JMac I guess.

 

[Pheasant]

Fed's loss to joker 2019 Wimbledon. Heart breaker. Both played at a high level.

You can’t be serious?!

I’d go with that 2021 Wimbledon match when peak Fed faced a cyborg named Hurkacz. That version of Fed was more evolved and he played the best match of his life. He was clicking on all 8 cylinders. However, he wasn’t tall enough to match up against the more evolved Hurkacz. However, I think that version of Fed would have stood a decent chance against Benoit Paire. That’s how good he was.

 

[Hitman]

That was a big part of it too. I couldn't stand that he was winning everything in those 04-07 years. I actually thought he was bad for tennis.

I always liked his style of play though, so once he was losing more I could root for him without feeling like a front runner. Losing is more endearing than dominating.

People see the vulnerability and they sometimes feel the natural need to support.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Safin beating Fed at the AO'05, was an extraordinary match, wasn't even mad when he lost, Safin deserved his moment of glory.

When it's a combined level that dumps on almost anything thereafter, hard to be mad. The only disappointment would be the price paid to finals streak, no. slams etc. i.e. vapid stuff anyway.