The body language of a man who has given it his all and is left with nothing to show for it
Given that Roger has never beaten Rafa Nadal and Djokovic back to back in a slam I went into this match with low expectations, but because I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to Federer I had a tiny spark of hope.
That hope was dashed the moment Roger lost the first set tie-break knowing it would be an uphill battle against one of the great returners in the sport.
But than things got weird, Djokovic had no energy and seemed to completely tank the 2nd set. Won the 3rd in yet another tie-break, than kind of went away in the fourth.
And I begun to wonder if it was going to be that kind of match. One where neither guy is playing well, and the winner will be whoever just scrapes by.
Throughout it Roger remained the steadier of the 2 players on serve (having twice as many aces as his opponent). He was also returning better and won more total points in the match overall. And that kept giving me hope as we went into the 5th. The set that turned this match from an ordinary one to something otherworldly.
The final set is when both players picked up their level and stated playing better overall, this after 4 hours of play. When Roger finally broke at 8-7 in the 5th I thought 'Oh My God he's actually gong to defy the odds and beat Novak Djokovic in 5 sets'.
At this point my hands were shaking as I tried to live tweet my reaction, at 8-7 40-15 (2 championship points) I was ready to crawl out of my skin while at the same time trying to not hyperventilate.
The rest of the (internet) world held it's collective breath. What happened next is something that I'm sure will haunt not only Roger but all his loyal fans for some time. Serving for it in that split second Roger blinked, he had just beaten Nadal in the semis finally solving the puzzle of that rivalry and reversing their H2H over the past few years.
And than the fact that he had never beaten 2 of his greatest rivals in one tournament got into his head and Djokovic leveled it at 8 a piece.
Despite set backs Roger was consistently the better player throughout the match and in that final set.
Until we got to the newly introduced 12-all tie-break. In that dreaded final set tiebreak is where his great tie-break record for the year just fell apart and he lost his 3rd one in a row and the match with it.
He continued hanging with Djokovic in the last tie-break until the very last ball and that one last shot that proved to be too much. At the flip of a coin that final set went from exhilarating to a repeat of a nightmare no Federer fan ever wanted to relive. The 2011 U.S. Open Final. Or the 2009 U.S. Open against Del Potro, take your pick.
Just like in those finals, one shot turned everything on it's head, and morphed into a nearly 5 hour tussle that left me feeling emotionally spent. And hating the invention of tiebreaks.
The intensity of that final set tiebreaker rendered me unable to eat until the last ball was struck.
Honestly the immense stress of this one took about 5 years off my life.
I'm left with a feeling of de ja vu when it comes to gut-wrenching losses like this, but this bares repeating nonetheless. What hurts the most is not knowing how many of these missed chances Roger has left with time not being on his side.
How much longer can he sustain this type of incredible level, the level required to reach Grand Slams. And perhaps most importantly how much longer will he stay motivated to contend for them.
With all that said while I'm left quoting my fave sci-fi characters lines of misery (a qoute from Willow Rosenberg from Buffy) in my head and lamenting and agonizing over it. Roger is probably thinking life goes on, and will as always bounce back a lot sooner than it'll take me and all his fans to come to terms with how it all unfolded.
Or maybe I'm being a bit too optimistic again on his behalf, because realistically I know that this one will sting. A lot. There's no doubt about it in my mind.
He give it his all. Literally. And it all came down to one final hit of the racket, one final ball he was unable to put passed his opponent. Just thinking about it fills me with so much sadness and rage (even as I write this almost 12 hours later).
He will agonize over those 2 match points for some time as will the rest of the tennis world. But I also know without a shadow of a doubt, he will move past it, because he's done just that countless times in his career.
And I know he'll move on to the American hard courts where he will once again try his hardest to capture another U.S. Open in September.
And we'll all be left revisiting all the same emotions I've been describing all over again. I'm hoping he'll maybe finally have a bit of luck in terms of his draw. The tennis gods have not been kind in that regard when it comes to NYC in recent years.
If there are any positives to take away from it all it's that Roger is walking away uninjured and healthy. That at almost 38 years of age he stood toe to toe with a much younger opponent and matched him physically for almost 5 hours. A feat that has to be commended. And may never again be repeated.
That despite the outcome this display created yet another historic match full of moments that rival Wimbledon 2008, (considered by most as the best in the sport). Thus adding another glorious chapter to his already storied career.
If nothing else this performance solidified why he's continuously considered the greatest of all time, and for me the reason I love watching him play tennis as well as my love for the sport itself.
And while this match will undoubtedly be regarded by all as one no tennis fan will ever forget (as it should). I on the other hand choose to follow what Roger himself jokingly said in one of his post-match interviews. "I will try to forget".
What I will remember above all however are the words he uttered towards the end, that even at 37 "it's not over yet".
And knowing Roger he means it.
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