No matter what Hubert Hurkacz goes on to achieve in his career, for many people his name will for ever be the answer to a quiz question: who beat Roger Federer in his last professional match? Three years ago, Hurkacz’s 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0 victory over Federer in the quarter-final at Wimbledon was the end of the road for the Swiss, whose ailing right knee had not recovered well enough from multiple surgeries and would not allow him to continue playing at the top level.
During that match, Federer said later, he knew his knee “was gone” and that “it was over”. Just over a year later, he retired after an emotional farewell at the Laver Cup in London.
