Wimbledon 2018: A look at three memorable bagels from Roger Federer's career

The term 'bagel’ refers to when a player wins a set 6-0 against his opponent. This term is most synonymous with the legendary Roger Federer, who over the years, has dished out bagels to even his greatest rivals. The 6-0 set against France’s Adrian Mannarino was Federer's latest bagel as the 22nd seed won only two points during the entirety of the first set. The second and third sets were much more competitive, as Mannarino raised his game and gave the Centre Court crowd a match to enjoy and show an interest in.

Even some of the greats such as Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have experienced the `bagel’ treatment; something that is incredibly difficult to recover from and deal with during a match. All this generally happens when one competitor is playing their very best tennis and the other checks out of the set completely.

Novak Djokovic’s 6-0 opening set against Tomas Berdych in Beijing 2015 was an example of the Serb’s ruthless efficiency, as he played at a near perfect level. At this year’s Australian Open, Sascha Zverev’s bagel against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung came as a result of the German’s lack of concentration and focus.

The Swiss maestro too has been a victim of the dreaded bagel, with the most notable example being the 2008 French Open final, where Federer won only four games.

The following three slides provide a look at three times Federer bagelled tennis legends.

#3 Federer vs Nadal 2006 Wimbledon final

The scoreboard showing Federer's dominance

Federer went into this match as a three-time Wimbledon champion and the overwhelming favourite. Nadal headed into the final as a double French Open winner and beat his Swiss opponent in the final of Roland Garros a month earlier.

No one, however, could have predicted how the first set would pan out, as Roger took the opener 6-0 in just over half an hour. Nadal, for once, seemed overwhelmed by the big occasion as Federer’s prior experience told early in the match.

This was the Spaniard’s first final at SW19 and his very first Grand Slam final outside of Roland Garros. The nature of the surface also made life incredibly difficult for the Mallorcan, as he failed to handle the pressure.

2006 remains one of Federer’s finest years and one of the most dominant years in tennis history, as the Swiss maestro won three Grand Slams and twelve titles in all. Federer’s dominance in the opening set was a result of his superiority and experience on grass, as well as Nadal’s naivety.

The then 26-year-old went on to win the final in four sets and secure his fourth successive Wimbledon final. The match, however, showed that Federer had finally found a worthy rival and someone who could go toe-to-toe with him on any surface.

#2 Federer vs Murray 2014 World Tour Finals

Andy Murray laughs off the scoreline when greeting Federer at the net

Here is another tennis legend who has fallen victim to the Federer bagel, as the Scot managed only a single game in the entire match. Roger went into the World Tour finals in great form, as he built serious momentum during the second half of 2014.

The former world No.1 generally prefers the indoor hardcourt season above all other surfaces as the conditions favour his fast and aggressive playing style. His victories in Shanghai, Cincinnati and Basel meant that Federer went into the tournament as one of the favourites.

Andy Murray, however, endured a tough 2014 both on and off the court. Murray’s decision that year to replace Ivan Lendl with former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo baffled many, considering the success that his partnership with Lendl had yielded. 2014 was the first time Murray had failed to reach a Grand Slam final in five years, as he struggled to make an impact on the grandest stages.

Roger Federer won the match 6-0, 6-1 in only 56 minutes, as he toyed with Murray for the majority of the match. This result raised further question marks over Andy’s partnership with Mauresmo and left him in a state of disarray.

#1 Federer vs Lleyton Hewitt 2004 US Open final

Federer hitting a vicious forehand in the 2004 US Open final

2004 was a landmark year for the Swiss legend, as he won three Grand Slams and reached the summit of the men’s game for the first time. This was before the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray had risen to prominence, as Federer set about dominating the men’s game. His main rivals in that era included the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin.

Federer’s performance was truly remarkable, as he crushed the Australian 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 and left the tennis world speechless. The first set was over in eighteen minutes, as Hewitt failed to handle the Swiss maestro’s vast array of shots. The third set lasted 21 minutes, as Federer ended the match with a superb forehand.

Hewitt went into the match as a former US Open and Australian Open champion and a former world No. 1. This, therefore, made the defeat surprising but somewhat frightening, as people started to speculate as to what Federer could go on to achieve. During the match, John McEnroe even claimed that Federer could go on to be the greatest player of all time; not a bad prediction at all.