If you could remove one loss from your favorite player's resume, which one would it be?

[StrongRule]

That's how I felt about the 2017 AO. I didn't get to watch that match live since I was competing in a track meet. I was more surprised by the outcome, but the loss didn't bother me. I was more happy for Ol' Rog than I was sad for RAFA. I honestly thought he was done winning slems after 2015-2016 so I saw just making the final as a positive. The EPIC moments he's had since then have more than made up for it. RAFA has always been good at finding something positive in just about any situation

Lol, nice Stoned Fox avatar.

 

[skaj]

I don't have a favorite player, but I always loved Date's playing style and I think she's an underachiever. Kimiko could have won the 1996 Wimbledon semis, had an answer for Graf's game but lost in the end(2 days match). That's my pick.

 

[Third Serve]

can we also add losses to our 'least favorite'?...

I wonder which one you’d add on to the Nadal...

 

[The Blond Blur]

can we also add losses to our 'least favorite'?...

Tomic doesn't need help in that department

 

[Deleted member 744633]

Which one?

Slice ... just answering this questions pains me. The one where he had a big lead and just needed to win a single frame I think it was, to clinch the championship ... but proceeded to lose I was so distraught I couldn't sleep properly for days.

 

[Adv. Edberg]

Nr 1. Edberg losing FO final to Chang in 1989 I think. Would’ve given Edberg career slam junior and senior. Nobody has done that afaik.

Nr 2. Nadal losing AO final to Wawr in 2015 I think. Would’ve given him a double career slam.

 

[Breakpointerer]

RG 2006(beating Rafa on his turf, 4 in a row, potential CYGS) or Wimbledon 2019(epic win at age 38) for Fedr.

 

[Wynter]

Hewitt wins the Aus Open vs Safin

Del Potro beats Djokovic in the Wimbledon Semi-Final 2013(?)

 

[ForumMember]

Are we going to talk about matches those were close or matches where my fav faced outright drubbing? I am assuming first and we need to mention only the ones where my fav had some chance

For Nadal, if i have to change result of a match I'll go with AO 17. If Nadal wins that much, we would be sitting at 20-19 in GS race with Nadal comfortably ahead in H2H to nearest slam competitor. That loss not only hurts him in GS race but also allowed his piegon Federer to grow wings and come out of his grip which eventually allowed 23-11 to become 24-16, clearly not as imposing.

For me second would be AO 12. A victory over Djok in AO final. What else you can ask for?

 

[Sabrina]

AO 12 F, AO 17 F, Wimbledon 2018 SF, in that order for Nadal
Of course Wimbledon 2009 for Roddick.

 

[ForumMember]

Nadal fans talking about AO 14, just because they never expected Nadal to lose that match and had kind of assured themselves celebrations for 14th GS. It is for that emotional reason they want to change the result of that match. Otherwise no reason why one would not choose AO 2017 or AO 2012 which would have given him very strong wins against his strongest rivals, Federer and Djokovic.

 

[zep]

AO 2014 Final Without a shadow of doubt. It was the biggest loss of Nadal's career:

• He missed the opportunity to do a double career grand slam. Something that his rivals had never achieved. And that would have been a very historical achievement for Nadal.
  • It would have been a record that Fed will likely never achieve. Again Novak might eventually get another F.O - but even that is not certain.
• The loss caused a crisis of confidence for Nadal and put him into a downward spiral which resulted in SEVERELY underperforming in 2015-2016.

For Djokovic it would be F.O 2011 SF. He almost certainly would have beaten Nadal in the final. He somehow lost the plot against Fed. Djokovic seemed a little off after a long break between matches. Had he won that match, he would have likely got his first F.O eleven years ago. On top of that - he would have achieved the elusive CYGS. That would put Novak in the HOF as the GOAT.

I'd take AO 2017 over 2014. Nadal would have 20 slams now, 1 more than Federer. Plus if Nadal had won that I am sure he would have won a few of their subsequent matches, especially Miami 2017 where Federer beat him by playing just average tennis. Nadal checked out mentally, the AO final was still on his mind. Even at IW you don't know if Federer would have played the same way if he had lost the AO final. AO final was the turning point in their late career rivalry.

 

[ForumMember]

I'd take AO 2017 over 2014. Nadal would have 20 slams now, 1 more than Federer. Plus if Nadal had won that I am sure he would have won a few of their subsequent matches, especially Miami 2017 where Federer beat him by playing just average tennis. Nadal checked out mentally, the AO final was still on his mind. Even at IW you don't know if Federer would have played the same way if he had lost the AO final. AO final was the turning point in their late career rivalry.

Agree more than 100%. That loss at AO 17 final changed dynamics of his rivalry at least for the ensuing period.

 

[Wurm]

Wimbledon final 1987.

 

[Linelicker]

Australian Open 2017.

A really big match, that changed the dynamics of the Fedal rivalry.

Nadal lost 5 games in a row after being up a break. Federer is superb when he is truly inspired.

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

This has probably been done before, but more matches have been played and more losses come with time.

For me it still has to be the 2014 AO final loss to Stanimal. In their previous 12 matches, he had not even taken a set from RAFA. Stanimal did great to take the first set (although RAFA did manage to flub up 3 BP's on 3 straight 2nd serves). But, had it not been for the back injury early in the 2nd set I think RAFA would have worked his way back into the match and won.

A close 2nd has to be the 2012 AO final. RAFA had to fight and claw his way back into the match, was up a break in the 5th, and then missed the easiest backhand of the night after Joker already gave up on the point.

Then of course there's the historical ramifications of these losses. If wins just one of the matches he has the Double Career Slem.

Disgust.

Rome 2006...
The cascade failures will be stopped..
It's effects were hugeeeeee

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

Australian Open 2017.

A really big match, that changed the dynamics of the Fedal rivalry.

Nadal lost 5 games in a row after being up a break. Federer is superb when he is truly inspired.

Naah, that's reserved for novak.
Inspired Novak is ombeeteble

 

[dellealpi10]

AU2017 without doubt.

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

1. RG 2006
2. Wimbledon 2008
3. RG 2011

If we include butterfly effect, then RG 2006 for potential future implications of his match up with Rafa. Wimbledon 2008 for potential 7 in a row.

For butterfly effect, I'd rather go for Rome 2006.
It's the biggest potential butterfly

 

[NatF]

Fed: Wimby 2019, legacy stuff aside the manner of loss just stings more than any other
Arod: Wimby 2009, nuff said
Hewitt: AO 2005, what a run that would have been if he pulled it off. Would have been on of the most epic slam victories ever IMO

 

[NatF]

For butterfly effect, I'd rather go for Rome 2006.
It's the biggest potential butterfly

Nah. If Fed wins the FO that year over Rafa it surely has a bigger impact on their rivalry then Rome. Likewise defending his yard at Wimby in 2008 would have been huge.

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

Nah. If Fed wins the FO that year over Rafa it surely has a bigger impact on their rivalry then Rome. Likewise defending his yard at Wimby in 2008 would have been huge.

Wasn't anywhere near close to winning rg06 though.
Whereas he had 2 friggin match points in the greatest clay court match of 2000s. (one of which was an easy sitter to the FearHand)

 

[Chadalina]

2009 french open loss to solderling. He could of surpassed borg's accomplishments on clay by a wide margin. Instead, equaled

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

2009 french open loss to solderling. He could of surpassed borg's accomplishments on clay by a wide margin. Instead, equaled

12RGs laugh at you

 

[NatF]

Wasn't anywhere near close to winning rg06 though.
Whereas he had 2 friggin match points in the greatest clay court match of 2000s. (one of which was an easy sitter to the FearHand)

Yeah but thread doesn't specify close losses. Like you said he wasn't close at the FO in 2006, so why should Rome have made that much difference? Anyone that would choose to overturn a masters loss rather than a slam isn't thinking straight lol

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

Yeah but thread doesn't specify close losses. Like you said he wasn't close at the FO in 2006, so why should Rome have made that much difference? Anyone that would choose to overturn a masters loss rather than a slam isn't thinking straight lol

That match took away roger's confidence against rafa in BO5 clay..
Remember, BO5 win against rafa on clay...
On clay...

 

[Chadalina]

12RGs laugh at you

Consequative. Nadal has one more than borg, the break in the middle hurts nadal, like 2015.

Even fed has won 5 straight grandslams. Had his shot at wimb and the us open. Nadal finally defended a non clay title this year...

Im just saying the loss ruined one of the most dominate surface streaks of all time, now its +1 over borg. The same place fed sat at two others.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

*Sifts through the hard back encyclopedia of crushing Fed losses.*

 

[NatF]

That match took away roger's confidence against rafa in BO5 clay..
Remember, BO5 win against rafa on clay...
On clay...

I mean, the guy was MP away from winning - should be able to take confidence from that as well? He took the first set 6-1 in the FO final.

I think too much stock is put in the Rome loss, maybe it was a factor but I doubt it added more pressure than going for 4 in a row or trying to win the FO for the first time.

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

I mean, the guy was MP away from winning - should be able to take confidence from that as well? He took the first set 6-1 in the FO final.

I think too much stock is put in the Rome loss, maybe it was a factor but I doubt it added more pressure than going for 4 in a row or trying to win the FO for the first time.

The strategical difference was the biggest takeaway from rome2006 final.
After 3 straight clay losses, fed finally came up with the best possible gameplan to take down peak nadal in a BO5 clay match; and still ended up blowing it.
That affected the whole thing and he ditched that plan, tried foolish strategies in following clay meetings like more loopy FH & s&v and whatnot...

 

[NatF]

The strategical difference was the biggest takeaway from rome2006 final.
After 3 straight clay losses, fed finally came up with the best possible gameplan to take down peak nadal in a BO5 clay match; and still ended up blowing it.
That affected the whole thing and he ditched that plan, tried foolish strategies in following clay meetings like more loopy FH & s&v and whatnot...

But he tried the strategy in the first set of the FO and won it easily, he then abandoned it for the rest of the match...

 

[UnderratedSlam]

One of Nadal's defeats to Dustbin Brown, obviously.

For RF, the defeat to Henman so we can check out the result vs Ivanisevic at W01.

For Novak, the defeat to Murray Wimby 2013.

For Delpo, the defeat to Novak USO18.

For Rafter, the defeat to Sampras W00.

For Courier, the defeat to ball-pushing troll, Bruguera FO93.

For Lendl, the defeat at Wimby 86 to Becker.

 

[BGod]

Still 09 USO for Fed because he'd break the tie there with 6 and break the OE record with 6 consecutive titles at a Slam too.

2019 Wimbledon is a cataclysmic choke that may well cement Novak ahead of him but he already has 8 Wimbledons.

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

Easy: Nadal's losing the Australian open in 2017 ): My least favorite ending to any match ever. I was depressed for weeks and still haven't gotten over it! (and never will!) (;

 

[kevaninho]

Wimbledon 18 SF for Nadal, as I feel if he beats Djokovic, he wins the final.

3 Wimbledon titles would've been massive. Its definitely a sore one, as it was a winnable match that I feel was in his hands.

AO 2012 and 2014 I don't feel too bad about. Djokovic was a beast in 2012, and had a mental hold on Rafa. He played great but it was always Novaks to lose.
In 2014 Stan deserved it, and Nadal was never good enough on the day, injured or not.

 

[RelentlessAttack]

From a legacy POV -

Soderling RG09. Imagine winning 10 RGs in a row, that record would have stood for the ages.

Also W18 semi to Djokovic. Djokovic was still shaky making his comeback and Nadal played the best he’s played on grass since probably 08. Probably would have changed the trajectory of the next two years by a lot if the match went the other way. But kudos to Nole, he served really well down the stretch and held stronger mentally.

 

[TennisFan3]

I'd take AO 2017 over 2014. Nadal would have 20 slams now, 1 more than Federer. Plus if Nadal had won that I am sure he would have won a few of their subsequent matches, especially Miami 2017 where Federer beat him by playing just average tennis. Nadal checked out mentally, the AO final was still on his mind. Even at IW you don't know if Federer would have played the same way if he had lost the AO final. AO final was the turning point in their late career rivalry.

That's actually a very good post. AO 2017 final would be a close second. It turned around the Fedal rivalry. Fed beat Nadal 5 times without losing a set. It gave Fed a new spark.
If Nadal had won AO 2017, maybe Fed doesn't RISE in confidence and win AO 2018, Wimb 2018 etc.

That being said there is a reason that AO 2014 Final has been said by Moya, Toni and the Nadal camp as the WORST loss of his career. He was a SOLID SOLID favorite in that match, so the loss is hard to accept.
In a way, Nadal never FULLY recovered from that loss. Even now. I don't think he will EVER be the player he was in 2013/early 2014.
It also caused a downward spiral for Nadal and he lost 2 years of prime tennis. He was so bad in 2015 - that he was thrashed by Novak in Paris - in Rafa's own backyard. In straight sets, no less. Proceeded to lose to Fog after leading 2 sets in the UsOpen.
Then in 2016, Rafa got injured at the F.O and couldn't do anything there.

What would have happened had Nadal won AO 2014 Final? He would have a double career slam - which Novak/Fed do NOT have (and might never have).
He would have won more slams in 2015/2016. He would generally have been more confident of his game, his body etc etc. He would have likely crossed 20 slams by now.

 

[daggerman]

2013 RG Semis. It's the closest Djokovic got to beating an in-form Nadal at RG, and he got damn close. Would've beaten Ferrer in the finals and have 2 RGs to his name. Easy call for me.

 

[Flint]

As a Murray fan I would go for the 2016 French Open final loss to Djokovic.

He had always been big 4 on Grass, big 4 on Hardcourt and weak on clay pre 2014. He was always a real contender to win the other 3 Slams but no one ever thought he would win the French.
Had Andy Murray won the French Open, it would have been epic! Especially given he would have beaten Djokovic in the final to do it.

That would also make 2016 a multi slam year (over 2 surfaces) for him along with the OSG, WTF and number 1 ranking - just awesome!


I might go for Wimbledon 2012 as 2nd favourite to reverse. A win against prime Federer in the Wimbledon final would also be awesome! He would be unbeaten in Wimbledon finals and again, have a multi slam year. He also beats Federer a month later on the same court for Olympic gold to prove it wasn't a fluke.

 

[Enceladus]

Men's tennis:
RG 2013 SF - Novak would have achieved a spectacular victory over Rafa in form, sooner achieving a career Grand Slam, and his mental strength would not be damaged at this time (the consequence of the loss on RG 2013, which was corrected thanks by the triumph in Wimbledon 2014).

Women's tennis:
Wimbledon 1994 F - If Martina Navratilova won this final, she would have profit the jubilee 10th Wimbledon singles title. She lost to Conchita Martinez for which it was the only GS triumph in her career and the only title on the grass.

 

[guitarra]

Easy for me: Roland Garros final 2019.

 

[TennisFan3]

Back then I thought Nadal on clay was almost unbeatable, and I never repeated that mistake again. To be honest I expected him to come back and win during the whole match, until he was 4-1 down in the tie break of the fourth set. Then I suddenly realized he was losing it.

I had thought Nadal would lose the match at mid of set 2. He was constantly getting outplayed and wasn't playing aggressively.
It was clear that if Soderling didn't choke, Nadal would not win the match playing the way he was. He retooled his game (with heavier racquet) with more depth next year.
I don't think anyone is unbeatable - even though Nadal at RG is as close as you can get.

 

[FiReFTW]

W19

Fed has +2 GS lead from Nadal and +6 GS lead from Djokovic instead of +1 and +4

Beats Nadal and Djokovic back to back at slam

Beats Nadal and Djokovic back to back to win a slam at age 37

Gets to 9 wimbledon titles and still has some chance to make a decima there (now theres no chance)

I cant believe what a golden thing he managed to screw up..

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Slice ... just answering this questions pains me. The one where he had a big lead and just needed to win a single frame I think it was, to clinch the championship ... but proceeded to lose I was so distraught I couldn't sleep properly for days.

That would be 1994. One frame away and in the balls before a routine black is missed. Hendry once again denies Jimmy. His sixth final defeat and the last time he would get into the final.

 

[lud]

Here we again...

From historical POV I would choose 2009 AO simply to cut Nadal's only win.

But from every other facts, I would easily choose WIM 2019

 

[dropshotlikeitshot]

RG 2017 Final
4-0 in slam finals

 

[Rebel-I.N.S]

Murray wins FO against Djokovic, 2016.

 

[Deleted member 744633]

That would be 1994. One frame away and in the balls before a routine black is missed. Hendry once again denies Jimmy. His sixth final defeat and the last time he would get into the final.

Slice ... though not a Federer fan, I can say with certainty I suffered more in the days after Jimmy's loss than the Federer fans did after Wimbledon 2019. That's how bad it was for me. I was still a young adult and barely equipped to deal with a sport setback like that.

You're pulling out these years and details like it's second nature. Are you a snooker fan?

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Slice ... though not a Federer fan, I can say with certainty I suffered more in the days after Jimmy's loss than the Federer fans did after Wimbledon 2019. That's how bad it was for me. I was still a young adult and barely equipped to deal with a sport setback like that.

You're pulling out these years and details like it's second nature. Are you a snooker fan?

I used to watch more when I was growing up. Always have the world championship on in the house. The 90s is just so memorable to me. I only really watch O'Sullivan matches now.

 

[jimjam]

1. 2019 Wimbledon - Seals goathood forever

2. 2008 Wimbledon - Wins the greatest match of all time + Beats Nadal 3 straight times there.

3. 2011 French Open - Finally beats Nadal at the French Open.

You read my mind 3 times over.