Beaten Federer still hungry for slam success
Roger Federer will continue his pursuit of more grand slam glory after accepting his latest Wimbledon final loss in the same stylish fashion with which he’s graced London’s hallowed courts for the past 16 years.
Federer paid tribute to Novak Djokovic’s class and resistance after the world No.1 ground out a spirited 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (10-12) 6-4 6-3 over the seven-times champion on Sunday.
In a phenomenal display of counter-punching, Djokovic withstood 58 winners from the great Swiss and made just 16 unforced errors in four sets and almost three hours to reign supreme for a third time at the All England Club.
The defeat denied 33-year-old Federer another page in the record books as the oldest grand slam champion in professional tennis and also extended his barren run in majors to three years.
But he departed with few regrets and feeling good about his game after difficult seasons in 2013 and 2014 when he battled injuries and performed below his best.
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“I lost against the world No.1 at the moment. That’s the kind of guy you probably can lose against,” Federer said.
“But I’m not going to accept it and say it’s normal. It’s not. I’ve beaten him a few times. I’m one of the few guys that’s gotten a chance.
“Same with Stan (Wawrinka at the French Open) and a few guys that have given Novak a run for the money.
“Clearly I was always going to believe hard today that I was going to come through as the winner, but still always being humble knowing how tough it was going to be.
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“I think I was able to show that on the court today, how close it really was.
“So I’m right there. My game is good. I got broken very few times this tournament. I played on my terms. Things are all right.”
The world No.2 remains a clear world No.2 and the free-rolling father of four says life is good.
“I still think I had a great tournament. You can have good tournaments without winning as well at the end,” Federer said.
“I still won six matches, lost one. The ratio still remains very good.
“But of course you sort of walk away empty-handed. For me a finalist trophy is not the same. Everybody knows that.
“Thankfully I’ve won here in the past, so it does not feel like I’m chasing anything.”
In the twilight of his brilliant career, Federer hasn’t claimed a grand slam title since winning Wimbledon in 2012, but insisted once again that retiring to fulltime family life was not yet an option.
“I’m still very hungry and motivated to keep playing and a match like this is very helpful,” he said.
“It’s been an absolute privilege and honour to be back on Centre in a match like this.
“Of course I would like to have won but Novak played really well.”
