French Open: Roger Federer’s Nightmarish Choke Against Novak Djokovic Flashes Back After Naomi Osaka’s Heartbreak vs Iga Swiatek

Naomi Osaka vs Iga Swiatek in the second round of the French Open was a match worthy of the finals. Osaka was within touching distance of causing one of the biggest upsets in this tournament by defeating the ‘Queen of Clay‘. But she choked when it mattered the most! The world number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek survived a match point before sealing the deal against Osaka by a 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5. And it’s sadly reminiscent of  Roger Federer’s vs Novak Djokovic at the 2019 Wimbledon.

Roger Federer practically gifted Novak Djokovic his fifth crown at Wimbledon that year. The Serbian won the 4 hours and 55 minutes long match by a 7-6(5),1-6,7-6(4),4-6,13-12(3) margin. But more than his performance, it was Roger Federer that took away all the limelight from that epic encounter. Federer did almost everything better than Djokovic except converting the two match points, leading to his brital defeat.

Those two misses, later on, went on to haunt the Swiss Maestro for many years and probably will still haunt him for the rest of his life. If snatching the defeat from the jaws of a victory had a better example. He was just one shot away from becoming the oldest man to win a major in the professional era. But Tennis Gods had other plans!

“I will try to forget (this final). I don’t know what I feel right now, I just feel like it’s such an incredible opportunity missed, I can’t believe it,” this is what exactly Roger Federer said after that match.

It was labeled as one of the biggest chokes in the history of the racquet sport! A similar thing happened in the match between Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek. Osaka had the match point but she failed to convert that against the world number one. She was inches from pulling off one of the biggest victories in her career when she led Swiatek 5-3 in the third set. But she missed three comfortable putaways from way inside the court in that decisive service game.

Osaka wasted the first with a forehand into the net. She missed the next with a backhand into the net. And the third with a backhand that flew long into the stands. Fans were stunned to see her give away the match so easily and here’s what they had to say on that.

Fans drawing a Roger Federer comparison with Naomi Osaka’s massive choke against Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek has looked absolutely in red-hot form this year. She has already clinched four titles this season and her win-loss record is also quite astonishing (38-4). But suddenly, out of nowhere, the world number 134 gave her the taste of her own medicine in this blockbuster encounter. She made her run throughout the courts to earn her points. Naomi Osaka looked a completely different player yesterday, making the fans revisit her prime days. However, she still ended up on the losing side. Seeing the Japanese on the losing side one of the fans said, “I’m so mad…. Osaka was the better player, she deserved to win.“

After the match, Naomi Osaka revealed she wept for giving away the match so easily to her opponent. She won more points, had 17 more winners, and more service breaks- five to three, yet she failed. Does it remind you of Federer’s match against Djokovic? Well, one of the fans brought up a comparison between the ‘Big Three‘. He stated, “It’s still insane to me that Fed lost TWENTY-ONE matches from match point up. Pretty sure Nadal and Novak lost like 10 combined so it’s a super high number.“

Naomi Osaka hit eight aces and committed four double faults in the entire match. Her first serve win percentage was 73% while it was just around 46% on her second serve. She won 66 service points and 12 service games in that match. Seeing her being compared to Roger Federer’s epic choke in Wimbledon, one said, “How many while on opponent’s serve? I’m not really sure if it’s choking, or Fed’s playstyle that is less good at breaking and rallies.“

The Japanese converted five of her nine breakpoints in that match. But Iga Swiatek could only manage to convert three out of her fifteen breakpoints. After seeing these stats, another fan said, “Both were channeling Fed today lol. Iga’s BP conversion was atrocious.“

‘Victory belongs to the most tenacious‘ flashed on the TV screens multiple times during the match. No doubt, both of them showcased a high level of tenacity in the match. However, sometimes grabbing the half chances with both hands and converting them into winners can also bring a player in a favorable position during a match. “Osaka MASSIVELY choked. She just kept missing shots in those last games,” said the other. Share what are your thoughts on the outcome of this match between the former world number one and the current number one. Do you think Naomi Osaka deserved a victory, especially after seeing the way he approached the game right from the word go?