Roger Federer retired in 2022 as one of the three greatest tennis players the sport has ever seen.
Having made his ATP Tour debut in 1998, the Swiss legend played for 24 incredible years before retiring two years ago.
Federer won 20 Major titles during his career, a number only bettered by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the Open Era.
He enjoyed once in a generation rivalries with the pair of them, sharing the court with Nadal and Djokovic for several huge Grand Slam encounters.
Federer’s final match came at the 2022 Laver Cup, a competition which he helped create, as he played alongside rival and friend Nadal, in a loss to the American duo of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.
It was a tough loss, but one that wasn’t nearly as shocking as his second-round defeat at Wimbledon back in 2013.
Sergiy Stakhovsky: The man who beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon whilst ranked 116th in the world
Heading into the 2013 Wimbledon tournament, Federer had reached a remarkable 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals, winning 15 Majors in that time.
Having won the tournament in 2012, the Swiss was a big favorite to come away with the title at SW19 once more.
His first-round match was a breeze, as Federer took down Romania’s Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-2, 6-0.
But whilst Federer was dominating Hanescu, his second-round opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky was making light work of Rogerio Dutra da Silva.
The Ukrainian had won just one match at Wimbledon before 2013 but had set up a blockbuster encounter with the defending champion.
There couldn’t have been many more cards stacked against Stakhovsky, who was ranked 116th at the time, and beating his Swiss opponent looked a formidable task.
- Federer had not lost before the third round at Wimbledon in 11 years
- Federer had not lost to an opponent ranked outside the top 100 in 8 years
- Federer had won more Grand Slam titles than Stakhovsky had won Grand Slam matches
- Stakhovsky hadn’t beaten a top-ten opponent in his career to date (0-19)
It looked as though things would go as expected when Federer won the first set tiebreaker against Stakhovsky before the unthinkable happened.
The world number 116 battled back to take the second set in a tiebreaker, before winning the third set 7-5.
With all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, he clinched the biggest win of his career as he took home the fourth set 7-6 (7-5).
Stakhovsky had shocked the defending champion against all odds, securing his place in the Wimbledon third round for the first time.
He could hardly believe what he’d just done after the match, as he couldn’t stop smiling during his post-match interview.
“Beating Roger [Federer] on this court, where he is a legend, is a special place in my career,” he said.
“You’re playing the guy and you’re playing the legend which is following him, who won it seven times.
“You’re playing two of them, when you’re beating one you still have the other who is pressing you, you keep thinking am I really beating him?
“I can tell my grandkids that I kicked the butt of Roger Federer.”
The Ukrainian no doubt dreamt of the fairy tale continuing, but things came to an abrupt end against Austria’s Jurgen Melzer who sent Stakhovsky packing in the next round.
A defeat that didn’t dampen the spirits of the now 38-year-old who had pulled off one of the greatest shocks in the history of Wimbledon.
Stakhovsky had already picked up four ATP titles during his time on tour, having made history when he took home his maiden title in Zagreb five years earlier.
The Ukrainian lost in the third and final round of qualifying, but received a second chance as he entered the main draw as a lucky loser.
He then went on an impressive run to the title that saw him take down Ivo Karlovic, Viktor Troicki, Simone Bolelli, and Ivan Ljubicic.
Doing so he became just the fifth player to win an ATP Tour-level title as a lucky loser.
Another piece of history in a great career that finally came to an end in 2022 upon the conclusion of the Australian Open.
Stakhovsky never qualified for the fourth round of a Grand Slam or broke into the world’s top 30, but will always have that special day on Centre Court against Federer.
He didn’t relax for long, however, as Stakhovsky returned to his native Ukraine just one month after retirement to defend against the Russian invasion.
Stakhovsky joined a unit of the special forces of Ukraine and has been fighting to protect his two sons, who live in the nearby country of Hungary.
Did Roger Federer ever win Wimbledon again after 2013?
A seven-time champion at SW19 prior to his shock defeat in 2013, it seemed inevitable that the Swiss star would soon get back to winning ways on the grass.
Level with Pete Sampras on seven Wimbledon titles, he was eager to stretch out in front by any means necessary.
Unfortunately for Federer, he had more heartbreak to come before he would do so, as he fell in two consecutive Wimbledon finals in 2014, and 2015.
In 2014 he lost an absolute war to Djokovic, 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 4-6.
Things were just as tough the year after as he lost once more to his Serbian rival in four-sets in the final.
He did finally get his hands back on the trophy in 2017, when he met Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the final after Djokovic had retired injured in his quarter-final match.
The big Croat was no match for Federer as he won in straight sets to take home a record-breaking eighth title on the grass.
It was to be the Swiss’ final triumph at Wimbledon, although he did come painfully close to a ninth in 2019, as he scuppered two match points to Djokovic in yet another thrilling five-set final.
Federer lost his final match at Wimbledon in 2022 but had carved out a legacy at the tournament that will likely never be topped.
A legacy that is perhaps even more meaningful thanks to his shock defeat to Stakhovsky 11 years ago.
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