Man that year Nole was so scary i feared for Rafa every time he met him. Federer did the unthinkable here, so beautiful to watch. He showed off everything and everything he could, threw at Djokovic his best shots and was better at crucial moments. Federer at this point was still confident that he could take out Nole, which changed very quickly not long after. To me one of the best victories of Fed over Nole
@TvRF All these videos are going to have revisionist history comments going forward. All of them. "Wow, Roger really summoned up his best tennis in order to defeat Novak here. Surprised he managed it!" LOL, just wait. I mean, he WAS superb here, but why would it be a surprise for Fed to win a slam match against Djoker in this period? *eyeroll*
Frankly i think this might be the most overrated match of Fed's career. A great victory, no doubt about that. But especially Fed Fans who act like this was THE match of RF's career are exaggerating imo. In contrast at the WTFs Federer completely dismantled Djokovic in the Semis right before his winning streak; a match which is barely talked about. Was not a slam, but still.
@@mantaishere Because Novak at this period was unstoppable? I remember the commentators before this match literally were scratching their heads trying to think of what Roger could even do. Nobody expected him to win.
@@merenguebluebianconero Yes, he did win the FO in 2009 but his tennis was at another level on clay in 2011. his performance at madrid in both 2009 and 2010 (won one less point than nadal) was not as good as 2011 or a true indicator of his actual level at the French
2011 Everyone - Federer is over.. 2011 ROLAND GARROS - Federer shocked entire tennis world 2012 Wimbledon Champion 2017 AO Champion (35yrs old) 2017 Wimbledon champion (35yrs old - WITHOUT LOSING A SET) 2018 AO Champion (36 yrs) 2019 Wimbledon Finalist(38yrs) eliminating French open champion in Semi final 2019 Nitto ATP Final (38yrs) destroyed Nole Man is a legend .. Miss you Roger Federer .. 😇
@@Tennis_Expert yes Djokovic is the goat but not by much. Federer is right behind. He had match point on djokovic twice but could not close. Federer had Safin and Nalbandian but they were not dedicated to the game.
The fact that the most remarkable thing about Federer's 2011 season was winning this match says a lot about Novak's level at that time. Legendary match btw
@alexanderkennedy2969 my bad,Federers backhand is everything What I admire from Djokovic is his defense,and that's why he isn't loved maybe. That's why his serve isn't the fastest or his overheads aren't that good Imo best game to watch was Nadal if anything
@alexanderkennedy2969 You ignore the fact that Federer had glandular fever in 2008 and it was a herculean effort to come back and win another 8 majors afterwards. Top 10 players Ancic and Soderling had glandular fever and they barely could make it back on the tour and both retired early. That puts it into perspective how great Federer was.
Unfortunately, the law of averages hit at the worst possible moment for him. He could've beaten Rafa in RG final and who knows how many more times he would've done that after gaining that confidence.
@@Trafala32 Nole could have defeated Rafa that year. Even Roger wasn’t easy, particularly at the beginning of the match until the momentum was lost due to Rafa’s time-out. Add to that the worst match-up on FO for Roger is Rafa. Besides, Rafa said 2011 was his most difficult time in FO being healthy. There was a great chance Rafa would have lost against Novak.
Such an incredible match between two icons in the golden era … We will never witness anything like it. Thank you Roger. Thank you Novak. And thank you Rafa. Thanks for the memories.
One of Roger's best matches of his career, He was always the only one who could stop and face Prime Djokovic, he demonstrated it in 2011, in WB 2012 eliminating him when he was defending champion, Although he could not in later years due to his age, he was always the only one who reached the finals with Novak, he has taken away titles such as Dubai, Cincinatti, WB 2012, among many others, If it weren't for him, Novak's prime would have had many more titles and would have been more ruthless. Vintage Federer and then the resurgence of his prime that lasted from the beginning of 2017 to the middle of 2018, anyone who knows tennis can realize that without Novak present Roger would have won at least 6 or 7 more Grand Slams in the 2010s, and without Roger, Novak would have hit 100 titles long before 2020, both great players, To my taste Roger will always be the greatest and most influential tennis player in history and one of the greatest athletes of all time, the tennis player who changed the game, The one who changed the way of playing, who got tired of inventing new shots, the example of hundreds of tennis players, the rival to beat, perfection, simply Roger Federer❤
@@mikefisher474 Age is not an excuse, it is a factor to take into account, Novak is not to blame for being the youngest, but it does not mean that this information cannot be taken into account
@@mikefisher474 It's REALLY easy to see how much better defensively Federer is here compared to later on. Novak not dealing with any peak Big 3 level player at his age. ;-)
@@mantaishere Yes, but Roger also benefited from a transitional period from 2004 to 2008, when neither Nadal nor Djokovic had really reached their peak (except for Rafa, of course, on clay)
@@ahmedisa3723 LOL, stop parroting things, guy. It cannot be a transitional period when Federer himself dominated it. Need a more creative 'weak era' argument than that.
if djokovic had faced nadal, the match should have started at 11 am o clock. if nadal had lost the final, then Nadal wouldn't be able to say that the top-spin was bad due to weather.
@@NamTran-xc2ip Fed also played at one of the highest levels and arguably should have beaten Nadal the next match too. Up 5-2 and set point in the first set and 3 very close sets. Check yourself.
I remember watching this match on my birthday in 2011. The quality of tennis in 1st was the highest I have ever seen. No enforced errors. Two heavyweights going against eachother with their best games. Both going for winners. Atleast 99% of the points would have been won through winners in the first set. i would recommend all tennis fans to watch the complete first set. Tennis has never been better thn this.
The way Djokovic embraces his opponent after the match, you cannot get to know whether he won or lost the match. One of the many reasons to respect him
Roger’s impeccable backhand hitting won this match for him. His backhand down the line was so jaw dropping because that whole year he was not consistent with his backhand shots. But in this match he used it as a surprise weapon. He and wawrinka are so good with one handed backhands
Federer has the most beautiful and also the inconsistent backhands among the top players man. His backhand has let him down so many times and still somehow he managed to win this many grandslams with his flawed backhand is why I consider him better than Rafa and nole. If Federer had a double handed backhand whew it would have been game over . But it is what it is .
@@sunnyshabaz4615 I honestly feel like his entire game only works because of the 1H. The way he conceptualizes the court and his reach is linked to his backhand, and that plays into court tactics and how he sees the game. I'm not saying he couldn't have developed one, but it probably would've felt unnatural to him. Like trying to write with your left hand if you're a right. If you really forced yourself, you could, but if something else felt more natural, why not push into that instead? Plus, watching prime federer's BH (i.e. 05) shows how well he could use it when his movement was at its peak. He could just position better for every shot, leading to better groundstrokes
The one-handed backhand is the most difficult and beautiful stroke in tennis. It could be considered Roger's biggest weakness but at the same time it shows his greatness to be the only tennis player in history with 21 GS with that stroke. It is simply remarkable and outstanding.
One of the best matches ever played considering how godlike Novak was that entire year. Roger had to produce one of the highest levels of tennis anyone has ever seen from start to finish. That finger wag at the end is still so satisfying, the icing on the cake. I miss watching Roger play on the court.
@@rauldon4596Roger had to fire one more ace and that was that ... But like most time in the past he let his nerves get the better of him and knowing Novak he knew it was his moment to win the mental battle ....it is what it is but to be so clinical for 90% of the match at 38 is still great
In hindsight, even more than before, this was an unforgettable win for Federer. A win against the one who will be later recognized as the most successful and mentally strongest tennis player ever, in his athletical best year, bringing to an end his consecutive 43 match winning streak.
I remember watching this game live. It was a thriller, the 1st set lasted 1h10m alone 😅 Tennis played to perfection on both sides, thanks god this masterpiece could end just before sunset. It created a precedent as the organizers scheduled the semis at 1pm the following year (2pm in 2011)
What a phenomenal performance by Federer to beat a red hot Djokovic on a 40+ match winning streak. This will always be remembered as the match that won Nadal Roland Garros. Nadal even later admitted that he was not confident in beating Djokovic in the 2011 RG final and that Novaks level was unreachable that year.
Nadal admitted Nole was a problem in 2011 for him. He didn't specifically say that he would be a problem for him in Roland Garros. He won 2012,2013,2014 against Djokovic.
No need to compare, honestly. Federer was more elegant, Alcaraz is more dynamic, but they are both artists each in his own way. Federer has legendary status, Alcaraz is still very young and yet to hit his prime. Also, Alcaraz himself stated that he wants to play like Roger. They are both favourites of mine.
@@lov6858I would recommend you a Video from the Channel named goatkovic which has the title ,, federer is greater than nadal " that will change your 😂
damn... i didn't watch Roger play for quite some time, but i realize now the difference between him and everyone else. Novak is so good, and Rafa as well, but Roger's talent is out of this world... he makes things look so easy when they are not, i feel like 99% of the players would miss that dropshot he played right in the last set's tiebreak (first point). unbelievable really, tho, as i wrote earlier, they are all so good
Best classic match that has been finally posted after a very long time waiting for .. and it's the best match that Roger has ever played on clay courts in his career . He had a scary level at RG that year even than 2009 when he won it , i remembered his final against Rafa and despite the loss, he lost against him with a better performance than 2006,2007 & 2008 final , he was leading 5-2 in the first set before things turned to the inverse side.
I don't know if it's the best match that Roger played on clay. He was spectacular a lot of times....and when he won in 2009. What is notable to me is Djokovic's expression at times, as he clearly thought he should be winning against Fed and how could this happen to him. But it was no happenstance.
Federer still had the firepower and legs to match Djokovic back then. It made a world of difference for his confidence. After 2012 you can see that his explosiveness slowly faded and he was getting more and more bossed around the baseline. 12:35 is an example of his defense to turn a rally around when he is under extreme pressure.
@alexanderkennedy2969 He turned 31 in 2012 mate. And I'm mainly talking about the period after 2012. His back injury started to flare up more and more in 2013, which was an awful season for him. In 2014 he started to play better again, but his explosiveness and speed were definitely not as good as in his prime.
2011 RG was maybe the best he ever played at RG - got to the SF easily in straight sets over everyone, beat prime 2011 djokovic, and has serious chances in the final, but lost of course
@@armadyl1212he was competitive, but he didn’t stand that much of a chance. One of his best performance on clay and he still couldn’t take rafa to a 5th
@@NamTran-xc2ip no one hander at French open can take Rafa to a 5th. It doesn’t matter how good you are, but it’s hard. Being a one hander on clay is possibly the best opponent for Rafa. Even other good clay players like wawrinka and thiem who have better backhands for clay never even came remotely close to taking him to a 5th. Federer came the closest out of all one handers. 2006 a TB away, 2007 a few bps away, 2011 if the first set was won
@@Divvy21 You might be right but they chose to use a one-handed backhand, its their playstyle. Theres no guarantee that if they use a 2 handed they would have won
@@NamTran-xc2ip yeah, no way am I saying they would have won. It’s nadal at rg and he’s only lost three times. I’m just saying that being a one hander on clay is an easier matchup for nadal no matter how good the backhand or player is. All those three have beaten Novak at Roland garros when he was in form, but the topspin forehand to one hand backhand on clay doesn’t help them against nadal. Like federer’s backhand was really good here, but it wasn’t as effective in the final because of who he was playing. I’m certain tsitsipas would have lost to nadal in 3 in rg 2021 if he played him instead of Djokovic.
Roger was past his peak at the time, but this was truly a peak performance! I have never seen him play tennis so well on clay. Peak Novak vs. Peak Roger - a top quality great match that will never happen.
That first serve was 2 cm off from the net otherwise it would've been an ace down the middle and Novak was going the other way. That's how Destiny works I guess 😭
I remember sitting on the edge of my seat during this entire match in 2011. Now days tennis is just not the same without the GOAT. People can talk about the Slam count all they want - Roger is the greatest player tennis has ever had. A gentleman, a great ambassador for the game, all-around good guy and he changed the sport while he was making winning look easy.
@@grimson He didnt change the sport ? the guy was winning like 95% of his matches in his peak ,broke all the records he was chasing and eventually set new standards of modern tennis and you tell me he didnt change the sport lol
This was the performance from someone who has surpassed most of the men’s records at the time and already under the name of goat. Where did he source the motivation from? There is no doubt that his performance dropped after he passed Sampras in Wimbledon 2009.
Lost to Djoker at the AO as defending champ, lost to him in Dubai, lost to him at Indian Wells, was probably being written off in the punditry circle... wanted to beat him, innit.
Wow, beating Djokovic in his absolute prime when Federer was getting past his prime shows just what a great competitor Federer was. Just wonderful to watch Fed play at his best.
@@NamTran-xc2ip At 19, he beat Pete Sampras at Wimbledon which was the only reason Novak's coach won a GS lmao 😂, this is why you Nole fans who started watching tennis in 2011 need to educate yourself in tennis history.
Pretty amazing that Federer held firm at the end of that fourth set, Djokovic was coming on from 4-all or so. That forehand into the net at 3-all in the tiebreak sunk him in hindsight, though. Put the match on Federer's racket, and RF served impeccably at the end.
Lol. Djokovic is 2nd in the all-time list of tie break wins in the men’s singles game, with 301, and 2nd on tie break win % with 65%. He also has the highest tie break win % of all time in deciding sets with 71.9%. By your logic, it’s just luck, nothing to do with mental fortitude or raising your game when it really matters…. or is it only luck when it’s Federer winning the tie breaks?
THE BEST MATCH I HAVE EVER SEEN!! In ANY sport!! The intensity and speed they were playing made it look like a VIDEO GAME!! Thank you do much for sharing this! Greetings from Costa Rica 🇨🇷
This was the first ever tennis match I watched and the one that made me a fan of Federer; I was 7 years old watching it with a friend and his family (who were rooting for Djokovic)
@@mantaishere Djokovic was on 41 winning streak. This 2011 season he has dominated Nadal on clay season. Prime Federer was considered as belonging to the past.
Nadal can thank Roger Federer for this one. I totally believe that if Djokovic had beaten Federer in this match, he would have beaten Nadal in the 2011 Roland Garros final. Federer played an absolute blinder in this match, in order to beat the man who in 2011 was so much above everyone else that he would even dominate Rafael Nadal in 6 finals. Styles make matches, and Federers style (on this day at least) was more than a match for Novaks, whereas Rafa in 2011 seemed to have a far tougher time against him, even on clay. On the other hand, Rafas style of tennis seemed to bamboozle Roger more often than not - especially on clay. And it proved to be the case in the final, although this was Rogers best performance in my opinion, against Rafa in a Roland Garros final.
Federer had a better head to head with Djoker until 2013ish when Djoker started beating him more often than not. Djoker always had a danger playing Federer especially until 2013ish.
Wat een ongelooflijk mooie wedstrijd was dit. Deze was ik vergeten, een vd vele toppartijen van de big 3 onderling. Bizar niveau, Djokovic was toen net 24 en zichtbaar is dan al hoe bizar goed hij is. Alles heeft ie terug. Federer moet werkelijk alles uit de kast halen, maar natuurlijk zie je ook hoe goed Federer is. Als je erover nadenkt, die lui spelen dit soort partijen om de zoveel weken. Bizarre aanslag op de gewrichten. Dit niveau gaan we nooit meer zien. Het tennis van de big 3 was echt mannentennis ,van een absurd hoog niveau en intensiteit.
I guarantee 100% & confidence 🇨🇭GOATderer (Federer) the magician will lift up the Trophy 🏆 2023 🇫🇷 French open champion for the record 12th time in history & 24th major champion is still coming soon in advance 💪!!! Mark my word and Vamos Roger!!! Perfection and Cheers to the Swiss Maestro!!! 🇨🇭🏆🐐🎾
Rogers backhand was quite good that day . Only if Roger had a backhand like 2k17 during his prime . Can’t imagine how else he would ve peaked . Nevertheless he was and still is one of the most graceful players ever
Roger is like streak breaker he broke nadal's streak on clay and here of novak Djokovic who was undefeated in 2011. Most of the people will not appreciate roger here but this the best nole we have ever got with most powerful backhand and forehand you can't compete until you are a beast.but roger played the game beautifully
Federer looks like he is dancing around the court. This is pure gold. ❤
@alexanderkennedy2969 He wouldn't have won this match had he not "wasted everything," so what did you want him to do?
So effortless !
@alexanderkennedy2969pathetic? You're real tennis fan😂😂😂
@alexanderkennedy2969 its Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay courter in the history of tennis.
What the hell do you expect???!
@alexanderkennedy2969that is hardly accurate. The final set was disappointing but Federer played some great tennis.
Man that year Nole was so scary i feared for Rafa every time he met him. Federer did the unthinkable here, so beautiful to watch. He showed off everything and everything he could, threw at Djokovic his best shots and was better at crucial moments. Federer at this point was still confident that he could take out Nole, which changed very quickly not long after. To me one of the best victories of Fed over Nole
@TvRF All these videos are going to have revisionist history comments going forward. All of them. "Wow, Roger really summoned up his best tennis in order to defeat Novak here. Surprised he managed it!" LOL, just wait. I mean, he WAS superb here, but why would it be a surprise for Fed to win a slam match against Djoker in this period? *eyeroll*
Frankly i think this might be the most overrated match of Fed's career. A great victory, no doubt about that. But especially Fed Fans who act like this was THE match of RF's career are exaggerating imo.
In contrast at the WTFs Federer completely dismantled Djokovic in the Semis right before his winning streak; a match which is barely talked about. Was not a slam, but still.
Ahh, the tournament where djokovic should have met nadal in the final where it it is sun the whole match.
@@mantaishere Right. Fed was not even 30 then.
@@mantaishere Because Novak at this period was unstoppable? I remember the commentators before this match literally were scratching their heads trying to think of what Roger could even do. Nobody expected him to win.
One of the greatest nights in the history of tennis... Roger Federer, we miss you so much!
Us Rafa fans probably love this match even more than Roger fans lmao
Although part of me does really wish we got to see Nadal play Djokovic at RG2011
Ahh, the tournament where djokovic should have met nadal in the final where it it is sun the whole match.
Long live the retirement of Roger! 😂
The best that Roger ever played at the French open, except maybe 2006 as well
Great night for Nadal fans… got spanked all year long by Novak in 2011, and Federer was an easy matchup on clay.
There will never be matches like this again
No we will never have another Federer or Djokovic but we will have new greats like Carlos and Jannik
@@amsd1231 LMAO
@@amsd1231 seems they are not at the big3 level to me
Probably the best Federer's clay performance of his career.
RG 2009 final vs soderling, 3-0 in sets
@@merenguebluebianconeronope, 2011 was his highest level on clay. period
@@z1az285 yes but he Wins RG in 2009,but 2011 is her best peak of clay
@@merenguebluebianconero Yes, he did win the FO in 2009 but his tennis was at another level on clay in 2011. his performance at madrid in both 2009 and 2010 (won one less point than nadal) was not as good as 2011 or a true indicator of his actual level at the French
yep. needed one more match though. i always thought one day he could beat rafa at the french. it never happened. novak was the one that did that.
2011 Everyone - Federer is over..
2011 ROLAND GARROS - Federer shocked entire tennis world
2012 Wimbledon Champion
2017 AO Champion (35yrs old)
2017 Wimbledon champion (35yrs old - WITHOUT LOSING A SET)
2018 AO Champion (36 yrs)
2019 Wimbledon Finalist(38yrs) eliminating French open champion in Semi final
2019 Nitto ATP Final (38yrs) destroyed Nole
Man is a legend .. Miss you Roger Federer ..
😇
French open champion?!?!?! Rafael Nadal man...
@@aitorcastillo302 Eliminating RG champion in Semi.. that's what I told ♥️ everyone knows RG champ 🏆 clay god 💥
@@Tennis_Expert
Medvedev 5-3 vs Djokovic 🤣
Medvedev owns Djokovic 💥
@@KollywoodReview Only on hard court. Has medvdev played djokovic in clay or grass. And by the way kyrigos is also 2-1 against djokovic
@@Tennis_Expert yes Djokovic is the goat but not by much. Federer is right behind. He had match point on djokovic twice but could not close. Federer had Safin and Nalbandian but they were not dedicated to the game.
The fact that the most remarkable thing about Federer's 2011 season was winning this match says a lot about Novak's level at that time. Legendary match btw
@alexanderkennedy2969 my bad,Federers backhand is everything
What I admire from Djokovic is his defense,and that's why he isn't loved maybe. That's why his serve isn't the fastest or his overheads aren't that good
Imo best game to watch was Nadal if anything
@alexanderkennedy2969dude he won 20 slams with a one handed backhand in modern era. He didn’t lack shit
Chao you forgot Roger won the tour finals…
@alexanderkennedy2969look at Federer face everytime he won a point do you think he lacked competitive spirit?
@alexanderkennedy2969 You ignore the fact that Federer had glandular fever in 2008 and it was a herculean effort to come back and win another 8 majors afterwards. Top 10 players Ancic and Soderling had glandular fever and they barely could make it back on the tour and both retired early. That puts it into perspective how great Federer was.
Before this match, Djokovic was winning 43 matches in a row 🤯🤯
Unfortunately, the law of averages hit at the worst possible moment for him. He could've beaten Rafa in RG final and who knows how many more times he would've done that after gaining that confidence.
@@Abhi-wh3ikif if if doesn't exist
Not on Rolland Garros
@@Trafala32 Nole could have defeated Rafa that year. Even Roger wasn’t easy, particularly at the beginning of the match until the momentum was lost due to Rafa’s time-out. Add to that the worst match-up on FO for Roger is Rafa. Besides, Rafa said 2011 was his most difficult time in FO being healthy. There was a great chance Rafa would have lost against Novak.
@@tattwa1 ok
Such an incredible match between two icons in the golden era … We will never witness anything like it. Thank you Roger. Thank you Novak. And thank you Rafa. Thanks for the memories.
When Federer is / was on this form he was unstoppable.
One of the greatest match of all time! No words for the livel of tennis in this match! Amazing!
One of Roger's best matches of his career, He was always the only one who could stop and face Prime Djokovic, he demonstrated it in 2011, in WB 2012 eliminating him when he was defending champion, Although he could not in later years due to his age, he was always the only one who reached the finals with Novak, he has taken away titles such as Dubai, Cincinatti, WB 2012, among many others, If it weren't for him, Novak's prime would have had many more titles and would have been more ruthless. Vintage Federer and then the resurgence of his prime that lasted from the beginning of 2017 to the middle of 2018, anyone who knows tennis can realize that without Novak present Roger would have won at least 6 or 7 more Grand Slams in the 2010s, and without Roger, Novak would have hit 100 titles long before 2020, both great players, To my taste Roger will always be the greatest and most influential tennis player in history and one of the greatest athletes of all time, the tennis player who changed the game, The one who changed the way of playing, who got tired of inventing new shots, the example of hundreds of tennis players, the rival to beat, perfection, simply Roger Federer❤
Always the age excuse. Doesn't seem to have hurt Novak :)
@@mikefisher474 Age is not an excuse, it is a factor to take into account, Novak is not to blame for being the youngest, but it does not mean that this information cannot be taken into account
@@mikefisher474 It's REALLY easy to see how much better defensively Federer is here compared to later on.
Novak not dealing with any peak Big 3 level player at his age. ;-)
@@mantaishere Yes, but Roger also benefited from a transitional period from 2004 to 2008, when neither Nadal nor Djokovic had really reached their peak (except for Rafa, of course, on clay)
@@ahmedisa3723 LOL, stop parroting things, guy. It cannot be a transitional period when Federer himself dominated it. Need a more creative 'weak era' argument than that.
Even as a Novak fan, I have to admin, one of the greatest matches of all time, without any doubt! 🤷🏼♂️💪🏽😍🫶🏽
Ahh, the tournament where djokovic should have met nadal in the final where it it is sun the whole match.
Good match but if its on clay having no nadal, it cant be the highest level
@@NamTran-xc2ip he said “one of” not the best. Check your reading skills
if djokovic had faced nadal, the match should have started at 11 am o clock. if nadal had lost the final, then Nadal wouldn't be able to say that the top-spin was bad due to weather.
@@NamTran-xc2ip Fed also played at one of the highest levels and arguably should have beaten Nadal the next match too. Up 5-2 and set point in the first set and 3 very close sets.
Check yourself.
My favourite match of all time - Federer's most glorious moment on clay - infinitely rewatchable ❤
I think this is his highest level at the French open, ever. He was exceptional in the Rome 2006 final too but this is a level above
@@z1az285 in rome 2006 he was a beast, not sure if here is better than it
@@MgoUmk I think his level was higher here. His backhand was on fire
@@z1az285 exactly, hopefully fed clowns will stop calling him grandpa at 28
@@NamTran-xc2ip Novax the stat padder ......weak era stat padder ( 2018-23)
I remember watching this match on my birthday in 2011. The quality of tennis in 1st was the highest I have ever seen. No enforced errors. Two heavyweights going against eachother with their best games. Both going for winners. Atleast 99% of the points would have been won through winners in the first set. i would recommend all tennis fans to watch the complete first set. Tennis has never been better thn this.
You can’t possibly watch Federer play and not be amazed every time, we miss you RF❤
God bless Roland Garros for finally not spoiling what happens next in the bottom left corner of these highlights.
spoiling? are you born 2014 or something?
Every real Fan of tennis can remember who won this match.
@@scottwarren4998 use your brain
It took you guys 12 years to only upload extended highlights of this gem of a match.....
and they took down the old highlights of this match, which had more than 2.5 million views..... left a thumbs down on this video
For me, this was the best match in the history of Roland Garros.
One of Roger's most epic matches, to be sure.
The tennis quality produced in this match will probably never be matched… What a legendary duel. Beautiful tennis.
The way Djokovic embraces his opponent after the match, you cannot get to know whether he won or lost the match. One of the many reasons to respect him
Roger’s impeccable backhand hitting won this match for him. His backhand down the line was so jaw dropping because that whole year he was not consistent with his backhand shots. But in this match he used it as a surprise weapon. He and wawrinka are so good with one handed backhands
Federer has the most beautiful and also the inconsistent backhands among the top players man. His backhand has let him down so many times and still somehow he managed to win this many grandslams with his flawed backhand is why I consider him better than Rafa and nole. If Federer had a double handed backhand whew it would have been game over . But it is what it is .
@@sunnyshabaz4615 I honestly feel like his entire game only works because of the 1H. The way he conceptualizes the court and his reach is linked to his backhand, and that plays into court tactics and how he sees the game. I'm not saying he couldn't have developed one, but it probably would've felt unnatural to him. Like trying to write with your left hand if you're a right. If you really forced yourself, you could, but if something else felt more natural, why not push into that instead?
Plus, watching prime federer's BH (i.e. 05) shows how well he could use it when his movement was at its peak. He could just position better for every shot, leading to better groundstrokes
@@sunnyshabaz4615
Systematic double handed backhands was the end of elegance in tennis, after just a question of accounting.
The one-handed backhand is the most difficult and beautiful stroke in tennis. It could be considered Roger's biggest weakness but at the same time it shows his greatness to be the only tennis player in history with 21 GS with that stroke. It is simply remarkable and outstanding.
Yeh he made Novak pay,
But cant use this tactic on Nadal @ that time
That one-handed backhand with that angle at 3:16, what style, what skill. Federer was built different
alien
One of the best matches ever played considering how godlike Novak was that entire year. Roger had to produce one of the highest levels of tennis anyone has ever seen from start to finish.
That finger wag at the end is still so satisfying, the icing on the cake. I miss watching Roger play on the court.
Well said.
that finger wag should have also occurred after the Wimbledon 2019 Final 😟
@@rauldon4596Roger had to fire one more ace and that was that ... But like most time in the past he let his nerves get the better of him and knowing Novak he knew it was his moment to win the mental battle ....it is what it is but to be so clinical for 90% of the match at 38 is still great
I'm a Djokovic fan but this match was great and Federer made one of the coolest victory celebrations I've seen
Maaaannn… the quality shots in this game is just unbelievable!!!
In hindsight, even more than before, this was an unforgettable win for Federer. A win against the one who will be later recognized as the most successful and mentally strongest tennis player ever, in his athletical best year, bringing to an end his consecutive 43 match winning streak.
Mentally strongest is Rafa
@@nonody8125 physically strongest is rafa
@@nonody8125 Nope. He's 2nd to Djokovic in that regard.
@@codsquadum5675 The strongest guy got injured too frequently.
I remember watching this game live. It was a thriller, the 1st set lasted 1h10m alone 😅
Tennis played to perfection on both sides, thanks god this masterpiece could end just before sunset.
It created a precedent as the organizers scheduled the semis at 1pm the following year (2pm in 2011)
What a phenomenal performance by Federer to beat a red hot Djokovic on a 40+ match winning streak. This will always be remembered as the match that won Nadal Roland Garros. Nadal even later admitted that he was not confident in beating Djokovic in the 2011 RG final and that Novaks level was unreachable that year.
The worst is that Federer should have won the final. He lost due to his complex against Nadal.
Federer reach a maximum level no one could reach ever
He actually ruined what would have been a better spectacle between Djok and Nadal
I think he would have beat Djokovic in 2011. Djokovic should have beat Nadal in 2012 and 2013 at the french.
Nadal admitted Nole was a problem in 2011 for him. He didn't specifically say that he would be a problem for him in Roland Garros. He won 2012,2013,2014 against Djokovic.
Miss watching Federer so much. No one like him anymore.
no one like Federer
Dimitrov plays the exact same, stylistically.
Never gonna be anything like him ever again. Even if Alcaraz wins 30 slams, Federer will always be synonymous with tennis.
No need to compare, honestly. Federer was more elegant, Alcaraz is more dynamic, but they are both artists each in his own way. Federer has legendary status, Alcaraz is still very young and yet to hit his prime. Also, Alcaraz himself stated that he wants to play like Roger. They are both favourites of mine.
It took a Roger Federer to end his 41 match streak
your next graph should be longest win streaks stopped by federer
@@lov6858someone is mad 😂
@@lov6858I would recommend you a Video from the Channel named goatkovic which has the title ,, federer is greater than nadal " that will change your 😂
43 match win streak actually
Eventually he will lose, if not to federer then someone else
FINALLY!! Guys, RG made a highlight of this absolute CLASSIC!! 🔥🔥
Come on! All of Nadal's RG Finals are classics to watch.
damn... i didn't watch Roger play for quite some time, but i realize now the difference between him and everyone else. Novak is so good, and Rafa as well, but Roger's talent is out of this world...
he makes things look so easy when they are not, i feel like 99% of the players would miss that dropshot he played right in the last set's tiebreak (first point). unbelievable really, tho, as i wrote earlier, they are all so good
After more than a decade RG finally uploads this match.
The day Roger shocked the entire world!
This gonna be classic match for ages to come... literally GOAT debate ended here ❤️
One match, out of 50 matches they played, decided the goat debate....seems fair and reasonable.
Kosovo je Srbija❤️
Logic of fedfans 😂😂
Total clown. Djokovic has 4 more slams and leads the H2H
@@jesperhuybrechts slams won against frauds like ruud and medvedev
This is what you need to beat Nole. This is Federer's best performance all time!
his best performance of all time came against nadal in 2017
Best classic match that has been finally posted after a very long time waiting for .. and it's the best match that Roger has ever played on clay courts in his career . He had a scary level at RG that year even than 2009 when he won it , i remembered his final against Rafa and despite the loss, he lost against him with a better performance than 2006,2007 & 2008 final , he was leading 5-2 in the first set before things turned to the inverse side.
I don't know if it's the best match that Roger played on clay. He was spectacular a lot of times....and when he won in 2009. What is notable to me is Djokovic's expression at times, as he clearly thought he should be winning against Fed and how could this happen to him. But it was no happenstance.
This is as close as it gets to a gladiatorial, Colosseum-like atmosphere in tennis. Beautiful.
That IS tennis near the gods. Almost no mistakes, insane ball speed. Stunning to see. Nice memorie!!
A surprise to be sure but a welcome one ! Looking forward for more classics
A surprise? Did Djokovic lose to a nobody? No. He lost to one of the goats. No surprise here, despite the serbs' 40 match win streak that year
@@samy29987 I think he meant it was surprise to see Roland Garros releasing a highlight for the match
@@dromeda323 yeah thanks
@@dromeda323 In that case then yeah, a delightful surprise ;)
Federer still had the firepower and legs to match Djokovic back then. It made a world of difference for his confidence. After 2012 you can see that his explosiveness slowly faded and he was getting more and more bossed around the baseline. 12:35 is an example of his defense to turn a rally around when he is under extreme pressure.
errr....how then u explain....wimbledon 2019 5 hours final he endured at 38 and clearly was THE BETTER PLAYER who should have won ?
@@flaviushonoriusemperorofro3903 fed fans with their woulda coulda shoulda and the other millions of excuses🤣🤣🤣
@alexanderkennedy2969 yeah...we saw the results. he kept losing to nole after 2016 as well....
@alexanderkennedy2969 He turned 31 in 2012 mate. And I'm mainly talking about the period after 2012. His back injury started to flare up more and more in 2013, which was an awful season for him. In 2014 he started to play better again, but his explosiveness and speed were definitely not as good as in his prime.
@alexanderkennedy2969 He had his 30th birthday shortly after RG 2011
Best claycourt performance by Federer
2011 RG was maybe the best he ever played at RG - got to the SF easily in straight sets over everyone, beat prime 2011 djokovic, and has serious chances in the final, but lost of course
@@armadyl1212he was competitive, but he didn’t stand that much of a chance. One of his best performance on clay and he still couldn’t take rafa to a 5th
@@NamTran-xc2ip no one hander at French open can take Rafa to a 5th. It doesn’t matter how good you are, but it’s hard. Being a one hander on clay is possibly the best opponent for Rafa. Even other good clay players like wawrinka and thiem who have better backhands for clay never even came remotely close to taking him to a 5th. Federer came the closest out of all one handers. 2006 a TB away, 2007 a few bps away, 2011 if the first set was won
@@Divvy21 You might be right but they chose to use a one-handed backhand, its their playstyle. Theres no guarantee that if they use a 2 handed they would have won
@@NamTran-xc2ip yeah, no way am I saying they would have won. It’s nadal at rg and he’s only lost three times. I’m just saying that being a one hander on clay is an easier matchup for nadal no matter how good the backhand or player is. All those three have beaten Novak at Roland garros when he was in form, but the topspin forehand to one hand backhand on clay doesn’t help them against nadal. Like federer’s backhand was really good here, but it wasn’t as effective in the final because of who he was playing. I’m certain tsitsipas would have lost to nadal in 3 in rg 2021 if he played him instead of Djokovic.
Federer: Artist
Nadal: Warrior
Djokovic: Assassin
Roger was past his peak at the time, but this was truly a peak performance!
I have never seen him play tennis so well on clay.
Peak Novak vs. Peak Roger - a top quality great match that will never happen.
Federer has 5 final appearances in RG Slam. Pretty good record to have.
Now upload the final as well...also like a bunch of matches from 2020 and 2021...so many good matches.
Roger in Nike: best tennis look of all time. Those polos looked so good on him. And of course the man himself!
Your classics series is amazing! Keep it up
No one can reach upto the respect and status level of Rogger Federer his greatness whether he has won 25 grand slams or less 😂😂😂
That finger wag at the end. Amazing stuff. One of his greatest wins
This is definitely the best ever clay court performance of Federer, and I'm a big Rafan.
I saw it live, it's still my favorite sports memory to this day. It had everything.
Wish you could find that last ace in the Wimbledon 2019 final :(
That first serve was 2 cm off from the net otherwise it would've been an ace down the middle and Novak was going the other way.
That's how Destiny works I guess 😭
It wasnt federer who choked. It was djokovic who played well
Kek
@@arslaanpasha3334 Novak won less than 49 percent of all points that match. Roger choked.
@@buffgarfield3231 exactly bro. Thats why roger is choker
I’m only here to stand by 100% 🇪🇸 GOATdal (Nadal) & 🇨🇭GOATderer (Federer) all the way & The best is yet to come!!! 🎾🙏🎾
I remember sitting on the edge of my seat during this entire match in 2011. Now days tennis is just not the same without the GOAT. People can talk about the Slam count all they want - Roger is the greatest player tennis has ever had. A gentleman, a great ambassador for the game, all-around good guy and he changed the sport while he was making winning look easy.
He didn't change the sport. He was awesome and very popular and now he's gone and the game is more baseline focused than ever.
@@grimson He didnt change the sport ? the guy was winning like 95% of his matches in his peak ,broke all the records he was chasing and eventually set new standards of modern tennis and you tell me he didnt change the sport lol
22>20 🤫🤫🤫
Djokovic is better clay court player than federer
@@arslaanpasha3334 Federer never beat Nadal en route his RG title. Djokovic did. Twice. 2/3 Rafa’s defeats at RG are from Djokovic 😮
one of the best performances given by Federer in the clay🤩🤩🤩
This was the performance from someone who has surpassed most of the men’s records at the time and already under the name of goat. Where did he source the motivation from? There is no doubt that his performance dropped after he passed Sampras in Wimbledon 2009.
He wanted a piece of Djokovic...you saw his finger wag at the end.
Lost to Djoker at the AO as defending champ, lost to him in Dubai, lost to him at Indian Wells, was probably being written off in the punditry circle... wanted to beat him, innit.
Best match of 2011, probably. What we can call a masterpiece here
Wow, beating Djokovic in his absolute prime when Federer was getting past his prime shows just what a great competitor Federer was. Just wonderful to watch Fed play at his best.
Fed only dude which prime lasted like 3 years 😂 Novak is in prime for 12 years now
@@gendale9992 Thats because of who his competition is lmao, Roger at 39 was world no3 in 2020....says a lot
@@viveknamikaze761 Nadal and Djokovic were already top 2 and 3 at 19 lol. What did Fed achieve at 19? says a lot about the competition
@@NamTran-xc2ip At 19, he beat Pete Sampras at Wimbledon which was the only reason Novak's coach won a GS lmao 😂, this is why you Nole fans who started watching tennis in 2011 need to educate yourself in tennis history.
@@viveknamikaze761 how many titles and what was his ranking at 19 🤣🤣
This really feels like tennis in its purest form. I doubt we'll ever see something quite as magical as Federer at his best
Pretty amazing that Federer held firm at the end of that fourth set, Djokovic was coming on from 4-all or so. That forehand into the net at 3-all in the tiebreak sunk him in hindsight, though. Put the match on Federer's racket, and RF served impeccably at the end.
Sometimes I forget how beautiful it was to see Federer play... No one in the game has those elegant shots, and no one ever will... RF❤
Legendary victory of Roger
And even more legendary victory of Novak in Wimbledon at 15-40 😊😊
Man… the quality of the shots of these guys, so clean…
Since 2010 Roger only beat Novak twice in slams. This masterclass was one of them.
Masterclass? Hardly. 2 sets were tiebreaks which in tennis means luck. Federer got lucky that day. Simple as that.
Lol.
Djokovic is 2nd in the all-time list of tie break wins in the men’s singles game, with 301, and 2nd on tie break win % with 65%. He also has the highest tie break win % of all time in deciding sets with 71.9%.
By your logic, it’s just luck, nothing to do with mental fortitude or raising your game when it really matters….
or is it only luck when it’s Federer winning the tie breaks?
@@Tennis_Expert So what you're saying is Novak got very lucky in Wimbledon 19 having won 3 tie breaks
@@Agent-hh2kk When the whole world is with you - it’s called luck. When it’s against you - it’s called clutch! 🤫
@@Tennis_Expert your name is the total opposite to what you are…
Jespere on vas vivre un vraie rg 2023 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ le tennis plus que un sport
THE BEST MATCH I HAVE EVER SEEN!! In ANY sport!! The intensity and speed they were playing made it look like a VIDEO GAME!! Thank you do much for sharing this! Greetings from Costa Rica 🇨🇷
AS A NADAL FANATIC, IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO WATCH FEDERER HERE ❤ SO GRACEFUL.
The most memorable match for me.
This was the first ever tennis match I watched and the one that made me a fan of Federer; I was 7 years old watching it with a friend and his family (who were rooting for Djokovic)
I would honestly rank this Federer’s greatest ever match, given the circumstances.
What circumstances and why?
@@mantaishere Djokovic was on 41 winning streak. This 2011 season he has dominated Nadal on clay season. Prime Federer was considered as belonging to the past.
Federer kept him off balance the entire match. Unbelievable. Without almost ever taking risky shots.
Nadal can thank Roger Federer for this one.
I totally believe that if Djokovic had beaten Federer in this match, he would have beaten Nadal in the 2011 Roland Garros final.
Federer played an absolute blinder in this match, in order to beat the man who in 2011 was so much above everyone else that he would even dominate Rafael Nadal in 6 finals.
Styles make matches, and Federers style (on this day at least) was more than a match for Novaks, whereas Rafa in 2011 seemed to have a far tougher time against him, even on clay.
On the other hand, Rafas style of tennis seemed to bamboozle Roger more often than not - especially on clay.
And it proved to be the case in the final, although this was Rogers best performance in my opinion, against Rafa in a Roland Garros final.
Federer had a better head to head with Djoker until 2013ish when Djoker started beating him more often than not. Djoker always had a danger playing Federer especially until 2013ish.
If that's the case, Roger should thank Robin soderling for beating a monster Nadal to clear Roger Federer s path
@@Unanimous-q1l Rafa 2009 had injury since Madrid, so he would lose against anyone in FO.
Federer plays like he's dancing or drawing an art in the court. This is the pure class which Djokovic nevers reach to.
Djokovic's 43 match unbeaten run started after the defeat against Federer and eventually Federer only ended that run.
Finally. Thank you RG. This one is my favorite
Fed's clutchest performance against Djokovic?
What a extremely high level quality semi-final👏👏👏
40-15(1st set Federer serving 4-5), this time Djokovic was the victim of this curse scoreline.
Great game and a brilliant video with all the slo-mo shots.
Great battle, federer took out prime djoko that time. Federer truly was one of the goats.
This was the best match roger played in french open period😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
This still gives me goosebumps. I just don't get the same feel anymore. Greatest era of men's tennis
Tennis world should have thanked Roger thousand times to put a stop to that monster's winning streak.
Wat een ongelooflijk mooie wedstrijd was dit. Deze was ik vergeten, een vd vele toppartijen van de big 3 onderling. Bizar niveau, Djokovic was toen net 24 en zichtbaar is dan al hoe bizar goed hij is. Alles heeft ie terug. Federer moet werkelijk alles uit de kast halen, maar natuurlijk zie je ook hoe goed Federer is. Als je erover nadenkt, die lui spelen dit soort partijen om de zoveel weken. Bizarre aanslag op de gewrichten. Dit niveau gaan we nooit meer zien. Het tennis van de big 3 was echt mannentennis ,van een absurd hoog niveau en intensiteit.
Federer my idol!
Simply the legend!
I'm glad these are actual highlights and not those where you just show a few games in their entirety.
This top and memorable match is fantastic. 🙄👀😎😯
Federer is the GOAT. He is the only one. Thank you for the magic.
I guarantee 100% & confidence 🇨🇭GOATderer (Federer) the magician will lift up the Trophy 🏆 2023 🇫🇷 French open champion for the record 12th time in history & 24th major champion is still coming soon in advance 💪!!! Mark my word and Vamos Roger!!! Perfection and Cheers to the Swiss Maestro!!! 🇨🇭🏆🐐🎾
One of my best memories of Rog… but then came 2011 us opens 😭😭😭😭😭
Rogers backhand was quite good that day . Only if Roger had a backhand like 2k17 during his prime . Can’t imagine how else he would ve peaked . Nevertheless he was and still is one of the most graceful players ever
16:30 was insane. Amazing anticipation and winner
🇪🇸 GOATdal (Nadal) & 🇨🇭GOATderer (Federer) golden era of tennis & legend forever!!! Cheers!!! 👑💪🐐🎾
😂😂😂
RF , the KING of tennis, period
Novak had a good game plan. He was hitting every time to Fed’s backhand and the limitations of single backhand were showing.
Sir Roger federer golden legend in universal love you so much miss you so much teniss history best player ❤❤❤
this federer would destroy everyone in the current atp
I remember watching this match on TV live. Roger was focused and on top of his game that day. What a great match.
Roger is like streak breaker he broke nadal's streak on clay and here of novak Djokovic who was undefeated in 2011. Most of the people will not appreciate roger here but this the best nole we have ever got with most powerful backhand and forehand you can't compete until you are a beast.but roger played the game beautifully