Roger Federer's 5 worst Grand Slam defeats
Roger Federer crashed and burned at the 2018 US Open after a rather dismal showing against unheralded Australian John Millman. Federer looked out of sorts right from the outset and could never find any rhythm, something which Millman took full advantage of.
The four-set loss represented Federer's first defeat at the US Open to a player ranked outside the top 50.
Federer is unarguably the greatest player to have ever held a tennis racquet, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is a mere mortal after all. Despite a career littered with Grand Slam titles - 20 to be precise - he has been on the receiving end of quite a losses which have been hard to digest.
On that note, here are 5 of Federer's worst ever defeats at Grand Slams:
#5 John Millman (3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (6-3)): 2018 US Open
Federer entered his R16 encounter with Millman in top form, having rather comfortably extinguished the challenge of mercurial Australian, Nick Kyrgios. With one eye on a possible quarterfinal clash against Novak Djokovic, who had beaten him just a week earlier in Cincinnati, the Swiss was keen on wrapping things up against Millman in quick time and heading off to the showers.
However, in rather sweltering conditions and intense humidity, Federer stumbled when he was least expected to. Having claimed the first set 6-3, it seemed like business as usual for the 37-year-old. Staving off a resurgent challenge from the 29-year-old Australian in the second game of the second set - which consisted of 24 points - Federer soon broke and was serving for the set at 5-3, 40-15.
That's when the wheels started to fall off the Fed Express. After netting a routine volley, the Swiss allowed Millman back into the match, and the Aussie eventually went on to take the set, winning four games on the bounce.
The Swiss could not buy a first serve for most of the match and his ever-reliable forehand let him down far too often. 2 hrs later - and two tiebreaks on - he bid adieu to the fans at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, much to their dismay.
Federer ended the match with a whopping 76 errors and 10 double faults, only the fourth time he hit double-digit double faults in Grand Slam competition.