10 most painful Grand Slam defeats for Roger Federer

Modified Jul 16, 2019 10:40 GMT

Day Thirteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2019

#6 2011 Wimbledon quarter finals: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Federer 3-6 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4 6-4

Tsonga became the first player to beat Federer in a Grand Slam, from a two-set deficit

After a fourth French Open final reverse against Nadal in 2011, Federer, in his ninth consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal, was up against the big serving Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The Swiss rode a lone break en route to the first set and won a 7-3 tiebreak in the second to take a two-set lead. Thoughts of a defeat looked remote as Federer, after taking a two-set lead, was undefeated in his previous 178 Grand Slam matches.

Tsonga, on the day, had other ideas though. Federer saw no more break points in the remainder of the match as the Frenchman won three consecutive 6-4 sets to stun the Swiss, in the process becoming the first player to defeat Federer at a major after overhauling a two-set deficit.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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