Roger Federer had everything in his hands against
Novak Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final, standing as the better player and earning two match points on his serve.
Still, it wasn't to be for the Swiss, squandering those and suffering a terrible 7-6-, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12 loss after four hours and 57 minutes! The Swiss took 14 points more than the defending champion, scored four more breaks and had 40 winners more than Novak, not to mention those two match points and two break chances at 11-11 in the decider! Nothing was enough to carry him home, as Djokovic stole the crown in the most extended Wimbledon final in history.
The Serb defended those two match points on the return at 7-8 in the fifth set and produced excellent tennis in all three tie breaks to seal the deal and claim the 16th Major crown. Speaking about this loss, Federer said that people still ask him how he couldn't make that one last push, still thinking about something that came a long time ago. Roger doesn't think about his losses for too long, analyzing them for half an hour and leaving them behind to welcome the future challenges.
"Fans talked to me about that defeat for weeks on the internet. And it still happens to me. I think, 'What are they still thinking about?' But I understand. The most important thing is not to give them too much emotional importance. Don't judge yourself at all costs. Analyze and understand. You can do this alone or by talking with others to get them out of the disappointment.
Some people think for days and nights about the mistakes they made. I chose to analyze very quickly; it helps me to move on. When I was young, I wasn't even angry when I lost, but extremely sad. I couldn't think straight. Now I only need half an hour to recover from a defeat, maybe an hour if it's the Wimbledon final," Roger Federer said.