VIDEO: Federer wins insane back-and-forth point with obscene running backhand
The last point Roger Federer won in the 2016 Australian Open was also the most memorable - of the match, and possibly of the whole tournament.
After wringing every last ounce of will out of himself just to make a match of his semifinal against a terrifyingly locked-in Novak Djokovic, Federer found himself at a critical juncture in the fourth set: serving at 3-4, 15-30, just six points from elimination.
The point that followed defies explanation.
Federer had it won, then Djokovic had it won, then neither had it, then both did. Djokovic's return itself (on a serve that would be an ace nine times out of 10) is one of the most athletic displays you'll ever see on a tennis court. Everything that happened thereafter just kept upping the ante, until Federer put an end to the madness with a running backhand pass that found the sideline somehow.
Witness:
NO WAY pic.twitter.com/dOScmzrPHd
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) January 28, 2016
Alas, Djokovic went on to win the next six points anyway, punching his ticket to a sixth Aussie Open final. It felt like a microcosm of how Djokovic and Federer's rivalry has gone lately: Roger wins the battle, Novak wins the war.
Still, for a guy who came into the match touting the "fun tennis" he's been playing at age 34, perhaps it was a fitting note to end on.