Roger Federer, the world no. 3, faced a nail-biting defeat in the hands of world no. 78 Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter finals of the US Open 2019. Federer started the match on a positive note after winning the 1st set. However, Dimitrov did not abandon his desire to beat the former title holder. The Bulgarian came back strong in the second set. The Swiss came back in the third set but his lead was short-lived. Dimitrov secured two consecutive sets to end Federer's campaign, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 2-6.

This is the first time in Dimitrov's career that he beat the 20 times Grand Slam champion. As a result of this match, fans' anticipation of witnessing a classic Nadal-Federer final on Sunday has been shattered. It was evident on the court that Federer wasn't truly in the best form. He barely showed signs of excellence and determination that he had become known for.

Federer and Dimitrov
Federer and Dimitrov reuters

Given his age, it has become tougher for Federer to survive so much time on the court. In this match, he opted for some medical assistance just after the marathon fourth set. His back pain bothered him and this appears to have compromised his US Open dreams.

As the game ended in a surprising finish, Dimitrov became the second-lowest ranked semi-finalist at any major tennis tournament. It was in 2008 that a 94th ranked player, Rainer Schuettler from Germany, had qualified for the Wimbledon semis.

Post-match, Federer spoke to the press and mentioned the pain he had been going through during the entire course of the match. According to the Guardian, he claimed that he was able to play despite the lower-back and neck issues. Unfortunately for him, the match did not go in his favour despite braving through the pain.

On the other hand, Dimitrov said that he aimed to keep Federer engaged at the court for as long as possible. He admitted that the third-seeded Swiss wasn't at his best and continuously committed errors, which he took full advantage of.

Roger Federer US Open