wangs78
Legend
Some ppl have said that McEnroe's loss in 1980 or even Borg's loss in 1981 are comparable to Roger's bc they were both 5-setters. But I think Roger's loss is by far the more painful one. Here is why I think so:
1) Roger was about to break the modern record of 5 straight set by Borg. In contrast, in '80 Borg had already broken the previous record of 4, so losing to JMac in '81 was not so huge, since Borg already owned the record. In contrast, Roger was about to SET a NEW record that could have lasted god knows how long. Could have been just 10 years, but more likely to be 30 years plus.
2) Roger was defeated by his arch-nemisis. The man who has stopped Roger from, very conceivably, having won FOUR FO titles already. Moreover, Nadal STEAMROLLED Roger this year in the FO. For two years running, Roger has gotten his mojo back after losing the FO final by winning Wimby. But this year, that's not the case. Borg and JMac had only met twice in GS finals prior to the '81 Wimby final, with Borg having won the '80 Wimby final and JMac having won the '80 USO. So neither really had anything to prove to anyone.
3) Many, including the media and some players, have been saying Roger is in decline and have questioned his mental fortitude. These criticisms reached a peak right after his defeat at the '08 FO finals. He had a chance to silence the critics, but failed to do so. This was never the case for Borg or JMac.
4) Roger came back from 2 sets to love. I find that those losses are the worst, when you fight back like that and supposedly carry the momentum into the final set. Some may say that it's harder to win the first 2 sets and lose the next 3, but I think it's more painful to lose 2, win 2 and then lose the last set because then all that effort you put in was for nothing (other than a good show for the fans, of course).
I really hope that Roger comes back strong from this. Would hate to see him suffer a permanent loss of confidence in his own game. In another thread today an article was posted about the '81 Wimbledon final and it was noted that John Bromwich was never the same player after blowing the 1948 Wimby final after having a championship point. Given that Federer's loss at the 2008 Wimbledon finals in 5 sets is the most painful in all of tennis history, IMO, I think there's a real risk that he's in a lot of trouble. Look at Borg, who RETIRED shortly after he lost in '81. I really hope he wins the USO to get back on track.
1) Roger was about to break the modern record of 5 straight set by Borg. In contrast, in '80 Borg had already broken the previous record of 4, so losing to JMac in '81 was not so huge, since Borg already owned the record. In contrast, Roger was about to SET a NEW record that could have lasted god knows how long. Could have been just 10 years, but more likely to be 30 years plus.
2) Roger was defeated by his arch-nemisis. The man who has stopped Roger from, very conceivably, having won FOUR FO titles already. Moreover, Nadal STEAMROLLED Roger this year in the FO. For two years running, Roger has gotten his mojo back after losing the FO final by winning Wimby. But this year, that's not the case. Borg and JMac had only met twice in GS finals prior to the '81 Wimby final, with Borg having won the '80 Wimby final and JMac having won the '80 USO. So neither really had anything to prove to anyone.
3) Many, including the media and some players, have been saying Roger is in decline and have questioned his mental fortitude. These criticisms reached a peak right after his defeat at the '08 FO finals. He had a chance to silence the critics, but failed to do so. This was never the case for Borg or JMac.
4) Roger came back from 2 sets to love. I find that those losses are the worst, when you fight back like that and supposedly carry the momentum into the final set. Some may say that it's harder to win the first 2 sets and lose the next 3, but I think it's more painful to lose 2, win 2 and then lose the last set because then all that effort you put in was for nothing (other than a good show for the fans, of course).
I really hope that Roger comes back strong from this. Would hate to see him suffer a permanent loss of confidence in his own game. In another thread today an article was posted about the '81 Wimbledon final and it was noted that John Bromwich was never the same player after blowing the 1948 Wimby final after having a championship point. Given that Federer's loss at the 2008 Wimbledon finals in 5 sets is the most painful in all of tennis history, IMO, I think there's a real risk that he's in a lot of trouble. Look at Borg, who RETIRED shortly after he lost in '81. I really hope he wins the USO to get back on track.
