What is the best match each player played but still lost

[Entername]

Pretty self-explanatory.

Federer - is it 2019 Wimbledon? I can't think of another match he played so well from start to finish but didn't win...2008 WI is close but Rafa was ultimately the slightly better player whereas here, he outplayed Novak

Nadal - 2018 Wimbledon vs Djokovic

Djokovic - 2013 French Open vs Nadal. Only thing he did "wrong" was touch the net

Murray - 2012 Australian Open. Closest he ever got to beating Nole down under

Wawrinka - 2013 Australian Open.

Del Potro - 2018 Wimbledon vs Nadal or 2013 Wimbledon vs Djokovic or 2012 Olympics vs Federer (damn CC was not kind to Delpo)

Medvedev - 2022 Australian Open finals vs Nadal. How tf did he not win this lol

Alcaraz - not sure tbh I guess still too early to tell

Roddick - 2009 Wimbledon (duh)

Thiem - 2018 US Open for sure

What are some other ones?

 

[kevin qmto]

Dustin Brown injuring his back (and essentially bringing his singles career to an end) 2 points away from victory comes to mind. He was leading 5-2 in the final set and retired.

 

[Clay lover]

Fed 2009AO and 2019W come to mind...
Rafa 2012, 2017AO and 2018W
Djoke 2008 OG, 2009 Rome and 2013RG

2008OG was such an under-mentioned match. Djokodal were neck and neck till the very end until Djoko decided to pull another Djoko smash MP down during the decider TB despite having the upper hand in the rally.

 

[Dwell]

2008OG was such an under-mentioned match. Djokodal were neck and neck till the very end until Djoko decided to pull another Djoko smash MP down during the decider TB despite having the upper hand in the rally.

oof! I'm glad I only started watching tennis in 2011

 

[dking68]

Zverev vs Thiem 2020 USO F

 

[Kralingen]

Andre Agassi 2001 US Open QF is the answer.

Another one of my favourites, Jo Wilfried Tsonga in RG ‘12 vs Djokovic played probably the best 4 clay sets of his entire career, was MP up, and still lost

 

[Subway Tennis]

Federer - 2006 Rome vs Nadal

Kyrgios - 2017 Miami vs Federer

Nadal - 2021 AO vs Tsitsipas.

Djokovic - 2008 Olympic Games Singles vs Nadal

Murray - 2012 AO vs Djokovic

Wawrinka - 2013 AO vs Djokovic

Del Potro - 2009 Roland Garros vs Federer

Medvedev - 2022 AO vs Nadal

Alcaraz - 2022 Indian Wells vs Nadal

Roddick - 2009 Wimbledon vs Federer

Sinner - US Open 2022 vs Alcaraz (So far, the best match of the 2020s decade - cruel that someone had to lose this match).

 

[DSH]

Federer - 2006 Rome vs Nadal

Kyrgios - 2017 Miami vs Federer

Nadal - 2021 AO vs Tsitsipas.

Djokovic - 2008 Olympic Games Singles vs Nadal

Murray - 2012 AO vs Djokovic

Wawrinka - 2013 AO vs Djokovic

Del Potro - 2009 Roland Garros vs Federer

Medvedev - 2022 AO vs Nadal

Alcaraz - 2022 Indian Wells vs Nadal

Roddick - 2009 Wimbledon vs Federer

Sinner - US Open 2022 vs Alcaraz (So far, the best match of the 2020s decade - cruel that someone had to lose this match).

Sinner's defeat in that match cost Nadal a sixth Year-End number 1.

 

[metsman]

I'm just here to see how many posts it takes...

 

[The Sinner]

Wimbledon 2019 for Fedr? Really!!?
What about Rome F 2006 or AO SF 2005?
Played in his peak, at a FAR higher level, yet still lost.

 

[Underdog]

Nadal - 2012 AO F to Djokovic

Djokovic - 2013 RG SF to Nadal

Federer - 2009 AO F to Nadal

Murray - 2012 AO SF to Djokovic

Wawrinka- 2013 AO 4R to Djokovic

Alcaraz - 2022 IW SF to Nadal

Medvedev - 2022 AO F to Nadal

Thiem - 2018 USO QF to Nadal

Dimitrov - 2017 AO SF to Nadal

Kyrgios - 2017 Miami SF to Federer

Roddick - 2009 WC F to Federer

DelPo - 2013 WC SF to Djokovic

Sinner - 2022 USO QF to Alcaraz

Zverev was done wrong by a hideous injury, but he was playing some of his best tennis I’ve ever seen and losing at 2022 RG SF to Nadal.

 

[Hitman]

Have to add Verdasco AO 2009

 

[RS]

Nadal - Miami 11 final vs Djokovic
Djokovic - RG 13 SF vs Nadal
Federer - Rome 06 F vs Nadal
Del Potro - Wim 13 SF vs Djokovic
Murray - DC 16 vs Del Potro
Wawrinka - AO 13 4R vs Djokovic
Med - USO 19 final or YEC 22 RR vs Djokovic
Roddick - AO 04 QF vs Safin
Thiem - ?

 

[NatF]

I'm just here to see how many posts it takes...

Fed AO 2005 SF. Wimbledon 2019 being mentioned over this is a travesty.

 

[RS]

Good question.

 

[jl809]

GOAT - 2012 AO SF or 2010 WTF SF

Fred - 2005 AO SF

Ned - 2007 Wimb F

Djok - 2013 RG SF

 

[GoatNo1]

Pretty self-explanatory.

Federer - is it 2019 Wimbledon? I can't think of another match he played so well from start to finish but didn't win...2008 WI is close but Rafa was ultimately the slightly better player whereas here, he outplayed Novak

Nadal - 2018 Wimbledon vs Djokovic

Djokovic - 2013 French Open vs Nadal. Only thing he did "wrong" was touch the net

Murray - 2012 Australian Open. Closest he ever got to beating Nole down under

Wawrinka - 2013 Australian Open.

Del Potro - 2018 Wimbledon vs Nadal or 2013 Wimbledon vs Djokovic or 2012 Olympics vs Federer (damn CC was not kind to Delpo)

Medvedev - 2022 Australian Open finals vs Nadal. How tf did he not win this lol

Alcaraz - not sure tbh I guess still too early to tell

Roddick - 2009 Wimbledon (duh)

Thiem - 2018 US Open for sure

What are some other ones?

muzza had 5 MPs opportunity in shanghai F 2012.
nole had 3 MPs vs rafa in SF madrid 09, but i think RG13 was better
med was good in AO22 F just to the point he understood that he is on the way to win. after that he was not the same player.

 

[Biotic]

Another one of my favourites, Jo Wilfried Tsonga in RG ‘12 vs Djokovic played probably the best 4 clay sets of his entire career, was MP up, and still lost

4 MPs. He got 40-15ed and two games later had 2 more non-consecutive MPs. Djokovic saved them all like a boss.

 

[RS]

Fed AO 2005 SF. Wimbledon 2019 being mentioned over this is a travesty.

What's Hewitt's?

 

[StrongRule]

Wimbledon 2019 for Fedr? Really!!?
What about Rome F 2006 or AO SF 2005?
Played in his peak, at a FAR higher level, yet still lost.

Exactly. I'm not sure Wimbledon 2019 even makes it the top-10. Picking it is really not serious.

 

[NatF]

What's Hewitt's?

Was wondering about this. Will come back to you.

 

[StrongRule]

Was wondering about this. Will come back to you.

Wimbledon 2009 vs Roddick maybe?

 

[RS]

Wimbledon 2009 vs Roddick maybe?

Think Hewitt fans would pick a few over that but idk

 

[The Sinner]

Federer - 2006 Rome vs Nadal

Kyrgios - 2017 Miami vs Federer

Nadal - 2021 AO vs Tsitsipas.

Djokovic - 2008 Olympic Games Singles vs Nadal

Murray - 2012 AO vs Djokovic

Wawrinka - 2013 AO vs Djokovic

Del Potro - 2009 Roland Garros vs Federer

Medvedev - 2022 AO vs Nadal

Alcaraz - 2022 Indian Wells vs Nadal

Roddick - 2009 Wimbledon vs Federer

Sinner - US Open 2022 vs Alcaraz (So far, the best match of the 2020s decade - cruel that someone had to lose this match).

It’s a good list, except you left me scratching my head at Nadal AO 2021. You really think he played better then, than say AO 2012 or Wimby 2007?

 

[NatF]

Wimbledon 2009 vs Roddick maybe?

He played well but think some of his slam losses in 04-05 were a bit better.

 

[Third Serve]

Wimbledon 2019 being mentioned for Fed is a travesty and anyone who does so should be strapped to a chair and forced to watch the AO 2005 SF and Rome 2006 F on repeat (I’m threatening you with a good time). Now those two are the good ones. The AO match gets the nod because it’s on a surface Fed is more comfortable with but both are acceptable.

For Nadal it might be the Wimbledon 2007 final with AO 2012 up there or right behind it.

For Djokovic it’s the 2013 RG SF. Also partial to the 2008 Hamburg semifinal.

For Murray the AO 2012 SF stands out, but Wimbledon 2012 and AO 2013 were also pretty good. YEC 2010 SF as well.

For Stan it’s AO 2013 4R. Not really that close.

For Delpo it’s either the RG 2009 SF or the Wimbledon 2013 SF.

For Med it’s the US Open 2019 F. I don’t rate AO 2022.

For Roddick it’s the Wimbledon 2004 final. The returning alone makes it better than 2009 and he was also stronger off the baseline.

Thiem? Maybe the AO 2020 F or one of those YEC finals? US Open 2018 might be worth a shout too.

 

[RS]

Wimbledon 2019 being mentioned for Fed is a travesty and anyone who does so should be strapped to a chair and forced to watch the AO 2005 SF and Rome 2006 F on repeat (I’m threatening you with a good time). Now those two are the good ones. The AO match gets the nod because it’s on a surface Fed is more comfortable with but both are acceptable.

For Nadal it might be the Wimbledon 2007 final with AO 2012 up there or right behind it.

For Djokovic it’s the 2013 RG SF. Also partial to the 2008 Hamburg semifinal.

For Murray the AO 2012 SF stands out, but Wimbledon 2012 and AO 2013 were also pretty good. YEC 2010 SF as well.

For Stan it’s AO 2013 4R. Not really that close.

For Delpo it’s either the RG 2009 SF or the Wimbledon 2013 SF.

For Med it’s the US Open 2019 F. I don’t rate AO 2022.

For Roddick it’s the Wimbledon 2004 final. The returning alone makes it better than 2009 and he was also stronger off the baseline.

Thiem? Maybe the AO 2020 F or one of those YEC finals? US Open 2018 might be worth a shout too.

Forgot the USO 19 F in mine thanks for reminding me

 

[pirhaksar]

Has to W 19 for Fed that sits atop that pile. Djokovic has publicly admitted Fed was the better player. It was on Fed’s serve which he was really in a zone until then and he was 39! Would have been top 3 greatest achievement of his illustrious career. Not so sure about Rafa or Nole, don’t think they have been at the receiving end of such a match in all its context.

 

[aldeayeah]

oof! I'm glad I only started watching tennis in 2011

I highly respect the people who were Djokovic fans before 2011 because of how hard their life was.

 

[Hitman]

Has to W 19 for Fed that sits atop that pile. Djokovic has publicly admitted Fed was the better player. It was on Fed’s serve which he was really in a zone until then and he was 39! Would have been top 3 greatest achievement of his illustrious career. Not so sure about Rafa or Nole, don’t think they have been at the receiving end of such a match in all its context.

Didn't Federer hit like almost 100 winners in that match also?

 

[Hitman]

I highly respect the people who were Djokovic fans before 2011 because of how hard their life was.

My life was fine.

 

[Dwell]

I highly respect the people who were Djokovic fans before 2011 because of how hard their life was.

I knew there was a Serbian no.3 named Djokovic and... that's about it. I used to be a Rafa fan.

 

[Hood_Man]

For Federer it has to Wimbledon 2019. Tennis isn't like other sports where the better team can be winning for 90+ minutes and then suddenly concede a goal/try etc in the dying seconds, in tennis the better player is almost always the one who wins - you have to get yourself to a winning position after all.

Wimbledon 2019 though, Roger was the better player throughout - Novak looked frankly rubbish for long stretches of that match - and I don't think I'll ever forgive Federer for losing that one, lol...

Rome 2006 and and the AO 2005 he was playing against great opponents at the top of their game.

AO was close I'll give you that, it's not the match point he blew in the 4th set so much as the 5-2 lead he had in that tiebreak with both of the next points on his serve.

For Djokovic I'd say it's the French Open semi in 2013, that 5th set was on his racket and he blew it by not concentrating and then having a tantrum (story of his career when not playing next gen pups or previous gen players past their best).

It's difficult to say for Nadal. When things aren't going his way he tends to lose pretty tamely in 3-4 sets.

Then there's Gasquet who has loads.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Wimbledon 2009 final

Both guys playing at peak level but Roddick was better for most of the time. It was a nail biter and everyone was sympathetic to Roddick. It was the best match performance by him.

 

[MichaelNadal]

I'm just here to see how many posts it takes...

Me too and I still don’t see it……
(for Nadal)

 

[Kralingen]

LeBron James G1 2018 NBA Finals

 

[Hitman]

Becker - No Question

Corretja - No Question

 

[BeatlesFan]

2006 Rome final for Fed. Nothing else comes close.

 

[mike danny]

Wimbledon 2019 being mentioned for Fed is a travesty and anyone who does so should be strapped to a chair and forced to watch the AO 2005 SF and Rome 2006 F on repeat (I’m threatening you with a good time). Now those two are the good ones. The AO match gets the nod because it’s on a surface Fed is more comfortable with but both are acceptable.

For Nadal it might be the Wimbledon 2007 final with AO 2012 up there or right behind it.

For Djokovic it’s the 2013 RG SF. Also partial to the 2008 Hamburg semifinal.

For Murray the AO 2012 SF stands out, but Wimbledon 2012 and AO 2013 were also pretty good. YEC 2010 SF as well.

For Stan it’s AO 2013 4R. Not really that close.

For Delpo it’s either the RG 2009 SF or the Wimbledon 2013 SF.

For Med it’s the US Open 2019 F. I don’t rate AO 2022.

For Roddick it’s the Wimbledon 2004 final. The returning alone makes it better than 2009 and he was also stronger off the baseline.

Thiem? Maybe the AO 2020 F or one of those YEC finals? US Open 2018 might be worth a shout too.

Show them the first set tiebreak of the Rome 2006 F and let’s see them still say with a straight dace Wimb 2019 Fed was better

 

[mike danny]

Has to W 19 for Fed that sits atop that pile. Djokovic has publicly admitted Fed was the better player. It was on Fed’s serve which he was really in a zone until then and he was 39! Would have been top 3 greatest achievement of his illustrious career. Not so sure about Rafa or Nole, don’t think they have been at the receiving end of such a match in all its context.

A Fed who can’t win a tiebreak in a Wimb F is definitely not at the top of the pile.

 

[fedfan24]

Federer has to be 2006 Rome or 2009 AO F. W19 was a valiant effort but his level dropped towards the end, and in general it was nowhere near as high level as any of his winning runs there.

 

[dking68]

Wimbledon 2009 final

Both guys playing at peak level but Roddick was better for most of the time. It was a nail biter and everyone was sympathetic to Roddick. It was the best match performance by him.

Roddick would’ve won this years Wimbledon no doubt

 

[nolefam_2024]

Roddick would’ve won this years Wimbledon no doubt

Who cares. Stop

 

[dking68]

Who cares. Stop

How many aces Roddick would serve against Nole?

 

[dking68]

Sinner Tsitsipas AO 2023 is a pick for me.

 

[Third Serve]

Wimbledon 2009 final

Both guys playing at peak level but Roddick was better for most of the time. It was a nail biter and everyone was sympathetic to Roddick. It was the best match performance by him.

This part isn’t true. Fed led the match in almost every metric possible to the point that the numbers more reflect a four-setter than a five-setter. Roddick had to be extremely clutch to even make the match as close as it was. Besides the serve, there wasn’t really anything he did better.

 

[dking68]

Djokovic Alcaraz 2023. That missed volley by Nole

 

[RS]

This part isn’t true. Fed led the match in almost every metric possible to the point that the numbers more reflect a four-setter than a five-setter. Roddick had to be extremely clutch to even make the match as close as it was. Besides the serve, there wasn’t really anything he did better.

Roddick hasn't been better than Fed in anything other than the serve in any match they played tbf

 

[JasonZ]

Wimbledon 2009 final

Both guys playing at peak level but Roddick was better for most of the time. It was a nail biter and everyone was sympathetic to Roddick. It was the best match performance by him.

roddick was not better most of the time. federer was, but it was too close to make a difference.

 

[MichaelNadal]

2006 Rome final for Fed. Nothing else comes close.

He was crispy af