New York, Sep 9 (IANS) Roger Federer, who Monday became only the second man after American Bill Tilden to win five U.S. championships for five consecutive years, played 10 different opponents over the last five years in winning 13 of his 17 Grand Slam finals.All the four finals the Swiss superstar lost were against Rafael Nadal, who this year beat him even at his favourite Wimbledon grass in an epic clash to end a run of five straight wins. The other three defeats came on the red clay of Roland Garros in Paris and here again Federer’s tormentor was Nadal. French Open is the only Grand Slam that still eludes Federer.

Federer and Nadal have come face to face in six Grand Slam finals. The Spaniard has enjoyed an upper hand winning four. In head to head clash, Nadal is way ahead of Federer winning 12 of the 18 times the duo have met which includes a dominating 9 out of 10 wins in clay courts.

The Nadal jinx is something that Federer will have to live with. The Swiss though has not lost to any other opponent in Grand Slam finals.

The other nine players who lost to Federer in Grand Slams were: Australian Mark Philippoussis, Russian Marat Safin, American Andy Roddick, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, American Andre Agassi, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, Serbian Novak Djokovic and Briton Andy Murray.

It all started in 2003 when Federer beat Philippoussis at the U.S. Open for his first Grand Slam title and the most recent player to fall by the wayside at Flushing Meadows was Murray.

The only player to take Federer to five sets is Nadal in the last two Wimbledon finals. Nadal is also the only player to beat Federer in straight sets, at French Open this year, conceding only four games, blanking the third — his worst Grand Slam rout.

Philippoussis, Safina, Hewitt, Roddick in 2005, Djokovic and Murray could not take a set off Federer. The Swiss was taken to four sets by Roddick at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2006 US Open, by Agassi (2005 U.S. Open), Nadal (2006 Wimbledon) and Bahgdatis (2006 Australian Open).

Federer’s Grand Slam finals: Won 13, lost 4

2003 Wimbledon: beat Mark Philippoussis, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3).
2004 Australian Open: beat Marat Safin, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2.
2004 Wimbledon: beat Andy Roddick, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
2004 U.S. Open: beat Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0.
2005 Wimbledon: beat Andy Roddick, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
2005 U.S. Open: beat Andre Agassi, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1.
2006 Australian Open: beat Marcos Baghdatis, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.
2006 French Open: lost to Rafael Nadal, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
2006 Wimbledon: beat Rafael Nadal, 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3.
2006 U.S. Open: beat Andy Roddick, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
2007 Australian Open: beat Fernando Gonzalez, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4.
2007 French Open: lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
2007 Wimbledon: beat Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2.
2007 U.S. Open: beat Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4.
2008 French Open: lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
2008 Wimbledon: lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.
2008 U.S. Open: beat Andy Murray, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.