Why does Roger Federer's US Open defeat to Novak Djokovic hurt most?

The last time Roger Federer reached the US Open finals it was 2009. He was the World No 1, five-time defending champion, riding on the back of French Open and Wimbledon wins and was faced with first-time finalist Juan Martin del Potro. Federer ended up losing that match in five sets and his cool, yelling “I don’t give a sh*t what he said. Don’t f***ng tell me the rules,” during the game at the umpire. That’s how much he hated being down. Six years later, he earned a spot in the US Open finals again. He hadn’t won a Grand Slam in three years and was faced with the World No 1 Novak Djokovic, who had beaten him in the last two major finals he played in. Federer lost in four sets and was mellow… some might even say mature… when he said, “I’m very pleased with where my game is at.” [caption id=“attachment_2432784” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after the US Open finals. Reuters[/caption] The 17-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to Djokovic who claimed his second US open and 10th major title overall. The result was not as unexpected as 2009 because Djokovic did reach all the four Slam finals this year and is clearly the undisputed No.1 in world tennis. Yet, as unlikely as it sounds, this was probably Federer’s best chance of capturing the elusive 18th Grand Slam. Yes, I was one of the few who believed that Federer could beat Djokovic, the ones who tweet with #Bel18ve. Because this wasn’t the slightly-rusty, dropping to No 8 Federer we had seen in the last few years; the one who lost titles more often than he won, the one who didn’t look like he could last five sets, the one who stopped crying after major losses because he almost expected them. This wasn’t even the Federer we saw at this year’s Wimbledon where he lost the final to Djokovic in four sets and stomped off sulking in the locker room. This was an almost new-look, new-attitude, energetic-looking Federer who seemed fresh and fit at 34. At a time when most players want to hang their boots, he  mastered a cheeky, new shot . After his Indian Wells and Wimbledon losses to Djokovic, he went on to beat him in straight sets at Cinncinnati. It was almost like the return of the no-nonsense, aggressive Federer of 2009 which was evident when he reached the US Open finals without dropping a set. And this is why the US Open finals loss hurt the most; more than losing to 14-ranked ranked Marin Cilic in the semis last year; more than the fourth round loss to Tommy Roberdo in 2013; more than even the two consecutive-losses at Wimbledon finals to Djokovic. It hurt because after a long time Roger Federer looked like the lean, mean Slam-winning machine of old. It hurt because you could see how much he yearned for the win, one final hurrah, for the graceful tennis of old against the best players of today. It hurt because both he and we knew that he gave it his everything - started anew, innovated his game, fought it out on court, trained hard off it and looked capable of pulling of a historic win… till he ran into the wall named ‘Djokovic’ at least. In the final , Federer made 54 unforced errors, 17 more than Djokovic, lost six of his service games and converted only four of the 23 break points as opposed to his opponent’s six of 13. The break-point conversion, or rather the lack of it, was probably the most crucial factor as after taking the second set, Federer managed to convert only one from five break-points in the third, breaking his winning momentum and sealing his fate. This was very unlike the Federer who beat Wawrinka in straight sets a few days back and much different from the one that played Djokovic at Cincinnati. It was almost as if Federer’s mental block (the same one that used to weigh him down against Nadal) had returned; the one that, in the past, has often pulls him back from doing all that he is capable of. We saw glimpses of that potential in the match, in the second set and late in the third. But against Djokovic, a glimpse isn’t going to win you a match. For those who watched him in back in 2008 and 2010, when his rivalry with Rafa was at its peak, would remember how this block worked. He would play fantastic throughout but when faced with Nadal, would visibly wilt from the pressure, especially at the Roland Garros. In fact Federer’s only French Open title came in 2009, the year Nadal was knocked out. And despite Federer’s longer and fitter career, Nadal still remain his arch nemesis with their career head-to-head at 23-10 in Nadal’s favor with a 9-2 ratio in Grand Slams. In contrast, the Federer-Djokovic head-to-head is tied at 21-21. Federer was the one that broke Djokovic’s phenomenal 41-0 record in 2011 at the French Open, he then defeated the No 1 en route his Wimbledon win in 2012 and has beaten him twice at ATP events this year itself. Just another reason why this was his best shot at breaking his Slam drought and precisely why the final should have seen more fight from Federer. More reason why he should have been able to capitalise on the chances he himself created. More reason why this loss stings. But, despite the disappointing defeat, if there’s one thing that Federer fans like me can take solace in, it’s his performance in the last two weeks. If we conveniently ignore the finals,  Federer played some of his best tennis in years and you could see the difference in his game and attitude from the Australian pen earlier this year. Be it the SABR (sneak-attack-by-Roger), not as cheeky as the tweener lob but just was entertaining, or his game at the net, his coverage of the court or his trusty forehand. And then, like every year, Federer has promised to be back. “One last thing — I’ll see you guys next year,” he signed off. He will be 35 when he returns to New York again but because he is Roger Federer, we don’t doubt that he will be there but will he ever be able to reach this far again? Will he be so well placed to beat the best in the world? Will the 18th ever come? For someone who loves the game as much as Federer, maybe he will keep looking to win another Slam, or beat Djokovic once again at a major at least. But even if he doesn’t get to the 18th trophy, there will at least be the 11th runner up plate and a few weeks of enthralling tennis to look forward to.