3 times when Roger Federer blinked on the cusp of a title

#1 Wimbledon Final, 2019

Lost to Novak Djokovic 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-4, 12-13(3)

Federer (left) lost to Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

Making a record-equalling 12th final at a Grand Slam tournament, Federer faced Novak Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon title match.

In a cagey opening set which went to a tie-break, Federer produced consecutive groundstroke errors from 5-3 up as Djokovic took a one-set lead. Regrouping quickly, Federer broke his Serbian opponent twice in the second to restore parity but fell behind two sets to one when Djokovic took the third set on another tie-break.

Once again, Federer fought back, taking the fourth set 6-4 to send the match into a decider. Djokovic, who led 4-2 in the fifth, produced a poor service game as Federer got back on serve and at 7-7, a net-rushing Federer broke Djokovic for the second time in the set.

Serving for a record-extending 9th Wimbledon title, Federer sent down consecutive aces to arrive at 8-7, 40-15. Two championship points. On the cusp of becoming the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era, the Swiss maestro fired a forehand wide and saw a Djokovic forehand pass whizz past him. Two points later, the final was back on serve as a partisan crowd descended into stunned silence.

Federer had a break point on the Djokovic serve at 11-11, only for a crosscourt backhand sailing narrowly wide as the Wimbledon final entered unchartered territory. In the first-ever match at the grasscourt major to feature a fifth set tiebreak (at 12-all), Djokovic grabbed an early mini-break and never let go his advantage as he won the final three points of the match to become the first Wimbledon champion in 71 years to have saved multiple championship points.

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