Six near-miss moments
Roger Federer’s loss to Juan Martin del Potro on Wednesday means that he and old rival Rafael Nadal were once again denied a first-ever US Open meeting.
AFP Sports looks at the six near-miss moments at the US Open that have kept Federer and Nadal apart: • 2017
Nadal breezed past Andrey Rublev in straight sets to reach the semifinals, leaving Federer to see off Juan Martin del Potro later in the day to finally set up a New York clash with his Spanish rival. But nobody told Del Potro, who downed Federer in four sets. • 2013
Federer was within one match of playing Nadal in a quarterfinal but lost to Spaniard Tommy Robredo in a fourthround matchup. Robredo was 0-10 against Federer until his four-set victory, which was the Swiss superstar’s first loss in a hardcourt Slam before the quarterfinals since 2003. Robredo lost to eventual champion Nadal in the next round. • 2011
Federer held two match points against Novak Djokovic in a semifinal for the second year in a row but again lost to the Serbian, who then defeated Nadal in the final. It was Federer’s second career loss from two sets ahead his first year without a Slam title since 2002. • 2010
Federer held two match points against Djokovic in the final set but lost to the Serbian, who then lost to Nadal in the final. Djokovic overtook Federer for world No 2 with the win. • 2009
Nadal lost to Juan Martin del Potro in a semifinal before the Argentine defeated Federer to claim his only Grand Slam title, rallying from a set and a break down. It was Federer’s first US Open loss since 2003 and Del Potro’s first win over the Swiss after six prior losses. • 2008
Nadal lost to Andy Murray in a semifinal and the British star lost to Federer in the final. Federer won his fifth consecutive US Open crown and 13th career Slam, one shy of the thenrecord total of Pete Sampras. It was Murray’s first Slam final.