The day of the fo prevented Federer being hexacampeón of the US Open

September 14, 2009. Roger Federer28 years old, he faced the Arthur Ashe for the final of the US Open Before a very young Juan Martín del Potro Only 20. On the one hand was the Swiss, who came from being a champion in the five past editions (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and that was number one in the world, while on the other was the youth sensation of the circuit that at that time reached the final with six ATP titles in his record and being the number six of the planet.

But who was going to imagine, just a few days ago, that the (almost) unbeatable Federer was going to lose that trophy that seemed to go to its showcases again? To contextualize the Roger at that time, beyond his history in New York and his reign as number one in the world, The Swiss arrived at the last Grand Slam tournament of the season with four titles won (Madrid, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Cincinnati) and having also made the end of Australia’s open. In addition, the only tennis players who had been able to defeat him in those nine months of the season had been Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

We must also add that the five consecutive crowns in the Big Apple were an unprecedented fact in the open era. Those who had managed to fly similar titles had been John Mcenroe (1979, 1980 and 1981) and Ivan Lendl (1985, 1986 and 1987). No one had ever been able to overcome them. Until the arrival of His Majesty. To see a gesta similar to what Federer had been doing, you have to go to the 1920s, with Bill Tilden winning six tournaments in a row: 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924 and 1925. That is, to have won Del Potro, the Swiss had matched an impossible mark that has been almost 100 years.

The meeting between the Argentine and the former world number one lasted 4 hours and six minutes with victory for the South American 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4) and 6-2. And from that moment on, the story was another. Federer ran out of his hexacampeonato in New York (in fact, he could never win the US Open after that fall) and Del Potro was erected as the last non -European champion of a Major.

The years go by and the deed of Juan Martín del Potro is still not repeated and will be unmatched. For the context, by the rival, for the record Federer had for breaking and because in front he did not have any tennis player, he had a living legend.