And then it all came apart for the eight-time champion against an opponent who’d never beaten him before nor made it this far at the All England Club.
In a stunning turnaround in an unfamiliar setting — Court No. 1 instead of Centre Court — the No. 1-seeded Federer blew a match point and, eventually, all of a big lead in a 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 loss to No. 8 Kevin Anderson on Wednesday.
Federer was 4-0 against Anderson entering the day, winning every set they’d ever played against each other. But there was more.