Roger Federer only lost Grand Slam finals to three players in his entire career.
Federer reached 31 Grand Slam finals in his career, and is one of only three ATP players to win at least 20 major titles.
The other two ATP players to have won at least 20 major titles are Novak Djokovic (24) and Rafael Nadal (22).
Djokovic and Nadal are two of the three players to have beaten Federer in a Grand Slam final, with the other coming at the 2009 US Open.
Juan Martin del Potro is one of three ATP players to beat Roger Federer in a Grand Slam final
Federer won the first seven Grand Slam finals of his career before Roland Garros in 2006, when he was beaten by Nadal.
Nadal would go on to inflict the first four major finals of Federer’s career before the 2009 US Open.
Federer had won five consecutive US Open titles prior to the 2009 tournament, and looked on track to make it six after reaching the final again.
This is where he would play first-time Grand Slam finalist Juan Martin del Potro, who Federer had won all six of his previous matches against.
Federer was on track to beat Del Potro after taking a two-set-to-one lead, before his opponent fought back to beat him 3-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.
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After losing the 2009 US Open final, Federer was asked if he was surprised by Del Potro’s composure in his first Grand Slam final.
“Well, I mean, I guess, yeah,” Federer responded in his post-match press conference. “It’s always an amazing effort coming through and winning your first in your first final.
“Got to give him all the credit because it’s not an easy thing to do, especially coming out against someone like me with so much experience. I think it’s not easy to have a steel racquet.
“Towards the end, of course, up 5-2 in the fifth. That was easy. But he had to live through some really tough moments earlier on in both breakers throughout those sets to come back.
“So his effort was fantastic. I thought himself he went through quite a few ups and downs. This is the one I should have used to make a difference, but I couldn’t. In the end, was really good.”
Federer has since claimed that he should have beaten Del Potro when asked to choose a match to replay from his career.
However, after losing to Del Potro, Federer would never win another US Open title, losing his only other final to Djokovic in 2015.
| Grand Slam tournament where Roger Federer lost in the final | Final Result |
| Roland Garros 2006 | Rafael Nadal beat Federer, 1-6 6-4 6-4 7-6(4) |
| Roland Garros 2007 | Rafael Nadal beat Federer, 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4 |
| Roland Garros 2008 | Rafael Nadal beat Federer, 6-1 6-3 6-0 |
| Wimbledon 2008 | Rafael Nadal beat Federer, 6-4 6-4 6(5)-7 6(8)-10 9-7 |
| Australian Open 2009 | Rafael Nadal beat Federer, 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2 |
| US Open 2009 | Juan Martin del Potro beat Federer, 3-6 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(4) 6-2 |
| Roland Garros 2011 | Rafael Nadal beat Federer, 7-5 7-6(3) 5-7 6-1 |
| Wimbledon 2014 | Novak Djokovic beat Federer, 6(7)-7 6-4 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4 |
| Wimbledon 2015 | Novak Djokovic beat Federer, 7-6(1) 6(10)-7 6-4 6-3 |
| US Open 2015 | Novak Djokovic beat Federer, 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4 |
| Wimbledon 2019 | Novak Djokovic beat Federer, 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(4) 4-6 13-12(3) |
What Roger Federer said after Juan Martin del Potro officially retired from tennis
While Federer did not win another US Open title, Del Potro was also never able to lift another Grand Slam trophy.
Del Potro dealt with many injuries in his career, and after several attempts at trying to return to the ATP Tour he officially confirmed his retirement in 2024.
After playing an exhibition match with Djokovic in Buenos Aires, Del Potro actually received a message from Federer, who congratulated him on his career.
“You’re a special player and a special person,” Federer said about Del Potro.
“I hope this moment is one that you’re celebrating. You shouldn’t be sad. We all need to move on in life. The best is yet to come for you.”
Del Potro would only reach one Grand Slam final after beating Federer in the 2009 US Open final, losing to Djokovic in the championship match in New York in 2018.
Since retiring from tennis, Del Potro has been nominated and rejected from entering the Tennis Hall of Fame.
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