At the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, Roger Federer reached his record 12th men’s singles final at the tournament. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinal before losing the final to Novak Djokovic in a five-set classic.
Federer’s Wimbledon final appearances came across 17 years, from 2003 through 2019. He won the title eight times, including five consecutive championships from 2003 to 2007 and another three from 2009 to 2012. His 12 finals were the most ever reached by a men’s singles player at Wimbledon at that time.
The 2019 semifinal against Nadal was a major chapter in their rivalry. Federer won 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, avenging his defeat to Nadal in the French Open semifinal earlier that season. The final against Djokovic lasted 4 hours and 57 minutes and became the first Wimbledon men’s singles final decided by a final-set tiebreak at 12–12.
The number 13 is an easy distraction because Federer had reached 13 finals at the US Open? He actually reached seven US Open finals, while his Wimbledon total was 12.