Novak Djokovic candidly confessed that Roger Federer was “the far better player in every aspect” during the 2019 Wimbledon final. In the final at The Championships in 2019, Djokovic and Federer delivered an absolute thriller, which the Serb won after saving two match points 7-6 (5) 1-6 7-6 (4) 4-6 13-12 (3).
Leading 8-7 in the fifth set and serving for the match, Federer had two consecutive championship points. Stunningly, Djokovic saved both championship points – got the break back – and managed to force a tie-break. In the fifth-set tie-break that was played at 12-12, Djokovic dominated as he dropped just three points.
“That happened in 2019 when I played finals of Wimbledon that, that marathon match, epic match with Roger. The sets that I won were all won in tie-breaks, seven-six, seven-six, 13-12. And overall, if you see the stats, he was the far better player in every aspect.
But I won the match. And so that actually tells you that you can still win if you pick and choose in which moments of the match you’re peaking, and you’re playing your best when it matters,” Djokovic said on 60 Minutes on CBS News.
Novak Djokovic’s huge confession about 2019 Wimbledon final versus Roger Federer© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Djokovic beat Federer in the Swiss’ last Wimbledon final
Federer, who is a record eight-time Wimbledon champion, played his last Wimbledon final in 2019. In 2020, Wimbledon was canceled due to the pandemic and Federer returned to The Championships in 2021.
That year, Federer made the Wimbledon quarterfinal before losing to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. In 2022, Federer failed to recover in time for Wimbledon and he ended up retiring two months later at the Laver Cup. For Federer, it was certainly heartbreaking to lose his last Wimbledon final in such a way.
But the Swiss remains the all-time Wimbledon title holder with his eight trophies. This year, Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final and fell just short of winning his eighth title and matching Federer’s all-time record at The Championships.
