In the 2000s, Roger Federer dominated on the ATP Tour, clinching 15 of his 20 Grand Slam titles before 2010.
In that time, the Swiss legend enjoyed incredible streaks at Wimbledon and the US Open, winning five crowns in a row at both events.
He emerged victorious at the Australian Open three times, and after three consecutive near-misses in Paris, he finally hoisted the trophy at the 2009 French Open.
Federer fell to his great rival, Rafael Nadal, in every championship match he suffered defeat in that decade, except for one, which he wishes he could have back.
The Grand Slam final Roger Federer wishes he could play again
Ahead of Wimbledon in 2019, Federer appeared in a video with Vogue, where he was asked 72 questions about his career.
He was asked who he loved playing against the most, and who he least looked forward to facing, both to which the answer was ‘Nadal’.
Then, one of the questions put to him was: “Who do you want a rematch with?”
Federer quickly responded: “Maybe [Juan Martin] Del Potro, US Open final in 2009.”
Roger Federer’s defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro at the 2009 US Open
Federer went into the 2009 US Open bidding to become the first man in the Open Era to win six consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows, and the first overall since Bill Tilden in 1925.
En route to the final, he had earned victories over Robin Soderling and fourth seed Novak Djokovic, sweeping aside the Serb in straight sets.
In his way of making history was Juan Martin Del Potro, who was fresh off his semifinal triumph over Nadal.
Their last six meetings on the tour had all gone the way of Federer, with the first seed having beaten him in the Roland Garros semifinal earlier in the season.
| Match | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2009 Roland Garros Semifinal | Federer |
| 2009 Madrid Open Semifinal | Federer |
| 2009 Australian Open Quarterfinal | Federer |
| 2008 Madrid Open Quarterfinal | Federer |
| 2007 Swiss Indoors Roud of 16 | Federer |
| 2007 Wimbledon Round of 64 | Federer |
The favourite drew first blood in the final, taking the first set 6-3, and taking one step closer to six in a row.
Del Potro struck back and levelled things up in the second set after winning a crucial tiebreak 7-5.
They split sets once more to take the match to a decisive fifth set, in which the Argentine broke twice to win the match and secure a maiden Grand Slam title in New York, becoming the first major champion from his country since Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
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