Federer's problem with match balls

Roger Federer suffered a heavy defeat to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second match after his return to the courts at the Doha Tournament. The Swiss tennis player missed his match against the Georgian after failing to take advantage of a match ball with 5-4 in favor in the third and final set.

Match balls have become a problem for Roger Federer in the last dates. It should be remembered that before your injury, In the 2019 Wimbledon final, Federer also failed to make the most of two other match points against Novak Djokovic, which would end up taking the title in the fifth set and depriving him of his 21st Grand Slam.

However, this situation is not new for Federer since, Since 2000 Federer has lost a total of 25 matches in which he has had a ball to close the match, according to the Tennis Net portal. Of these 25 defeats, eight took place between 2006 and 2006, while the rest have occurred since 2010.

Federer has lost three matches to Novak Djokovic after having at least one match point for and one to Nadal in the 2006 Rome final. However, the most 'painful' defeat for Federer in this regard was the one he suffered against Gael Monfils at the 1,000th Masters in Paris, when he fell after missing five match points. Federer hopes to once again improve his effectiveness in closing matches to consolidate his return to the elite.