Roger Federer lost the 2019 Wimbledon Championships final to Novak Djokovic, but according to his own words, his life wouldn’t be any different if he had won.
The 2019 Wimbledon final was epic in many ways, mostly because it was a final between two legends of the courts at SW19. It was a great match that featured an iconic comeback from the Serbian, who faced two match points.
After the first four sets, the players were tied at 2-2, with the score from Djokovic’s point of view showing 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-8, and 15-40, with Federer having a chance to win a 21st Grand Slam trophy.
However, the Serbian player saved those match points and went on to win the match, which remains one of the most painful losses of Federer’s career. Plenty claim that tennis history would be different if the Swiss Maestro had won that match, but he’s over it by now.
Speaking with Gazzetta Dello Sport, the 42-year-old admitted that winning that match likely wouldn’t change his life. Of course, his legacy would be better, but ultimately, losing it wasn’t a huge tragedy for him.
“I lost that match, but I think that if I had won, my life wouldn’t have changed anything. As a child, I dreamed of one day playing at Wimbledon Central and winning the tournament. I didn’t expect to win it eight times and have so much success around the world.”
“In the end, we talk about an extra prize. Obviously, if I could play those match points again, I would do it differently, but the balance of my career is positive. I feel deep happiness and gratitude for tennis.”
Federer doesn’t have much to regret about his career because it ended up being far better than he had ever hoped. That’s the case for many tennis players, and it helps with being content with what he achieved.