Rather than signal his demise as a grand slam heavyweight, Roger Federer feels a painful Wimbledon defeat to Novak Djokovic could prove a stepping stone to future major success.
Federer’s bid to win a record eighth Wimbledon men’s singles title was thwarted by Djokovic’s thrilling 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 victory on Sunday.
The 32-year-old would have become the oldest man to win Wimbledon in the Open era but instead his wait for a first grand slam title since his last Wimbledon triumph in 2012 goes on.
Federer is entering the twilight of his career but made it clear during the on-court presentation ceremony he would be back at Wimbledon next year.
He later said his performance at the All England Club, where he was free of illness or injury, had given him confidence his days of challenging for grand slam titles weren’t over just yet.
Asked if he felt like it could be his last final at Wimbledon, the 17-times grand slam champion said: “You could have asked me exactly that question (after first Wimbledon title) in 2003.
“You don’t know. Totally the unknown.
“That’s the disappointment of an Olympic result, of a World Cup result, Wimbledon result, whatever it is. You’ve just got to wait and see.
“But I’m very happy to see that, with feeling normal, I can produce a performance like I did the last two weeks.
“That clearly makes me believe that this was just a stepping stone to many more great things in the future.”
Meanwhile, Federer believes this year’s tournament showed the game’s next generation still has a way to go threaten the big four’s stranglehold on the majors.
The Swiss legend welcomed the remarkable emergence of Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios at the event, but he pointed out 23-year-old semi-finalists Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov were hardly newcomers to the tour.
“You cannot compare them to Rafa, Novak, or Murray, who were incredibly good already at a young age,” Federer said.
“I don’t feel like a huge threat by them.
“… I do believe the top guys are the ones we know and who are still going to be deciding outcomes of the bigger tournaments, like the Masters 1000s and the grand slams and the World Tour Finals.”
Federer was quick to bury his disappointment when he was reunited with his wife and twin daughters immediately after Sunday’s loss.
He managed to have a brief conversation with Prince William and Kate, who watched on from the Royal Box, despite being “in something of a state”.
“No matter the outcome, it’s always nice being in a Wimbledon final,” said Federer, father to two sets of twins.
“Seeing the girls and my wife touched me the most.
“The disappointment went away pretty quickly.”
