For the 1st time in his illustrious career, Roger Federer lost to a player ranked outside the Top 50 at the US Open. The 5-time Champion of the US Open and the winner of 20 Grand Slams, Federer lost in the 4th round to Australia’s John Millman. The 29-year-old from Brisbane beat Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6 to book a quarterfinal berth against former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Millman post his win confessed that he felt “guilty’ after beating his childhood hero – Federer. This is just his 2nd loss before Quarterfinals in the 14 attempts at the US Open.
By far the greatest player in the Open Era, Federer looked tired and worried in the hot & sultry evening in New York. It was super hot and super humid. The humidity was reported to be over 80% and the temperature soared above 40 degrees. Federer just couldn’t get going. post the loss complained about the lack of wind circulation inside the stadium. It’s probably safe to say that it was a combination of heat, humidity and a desperate John Millman that knocked the legend out of the US Open.
Written by: Yash Chawla. Yash is former Anchor of NDTV with over 9 years of experience as a sports journalist.
