Sixteen years after winning his first major title on the grass of Wimbledon, Roger Federer just about won another. The world No. 3 had two match points but ended up outmatched by world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who eventually prevailed in the four-hour, 55-minute five setter. It was an instant classic between two big rivals, and although Federer fell short, he played a near flawless game throughout the match and the entire tournament. Here is what we can take away from Federer’s incredible run to the finals:
You never really lose when you do it with class
Imagine coming within one point of the biggest title in tennis. It’s on your fingertips; you can almost feel the famous Wimbledon trophy in your hands, but it slips away from you, and you eventually can’t feel it anymore. He’s already won Wimbledon eight times, but coming so close to securing a ninth is heart-wrenching, right? Federer must have had his soul crushed, but he indicated nothing but class and modesty in his post-match interviews. He said his motivation is “trying to win Wimbledon, trying to have good runs here, playing in front of such an amazing crowd in this Centre Court against players like Novak and so forth. That’s what I play for.” Well, Federer, there’s no doubt you gave it your all and gave the crowd their money’s worth.
Injuries can’t stop you from returning to top form
Tennis players are no stranger to debilitating injuries, and Federer knows that more than any other. He suffered serious back injuries in 2013 and 2016 that forced his ranking to drop and major record streaks to break. In early February 2016, Federer endured a knee injury and had surgery for it but eventually announced that July that he would miss the rest of the 2016 season to recover. It was the first year since 2000 Federer didn’t win a title, and his confidence had to have dropped. However, his comeback was emphatic. He returned as world No. 16 and secured two major titles along with five other titles in the 2017 season. In 2018, he won his sixth Australian Open and became world No. 1 for the first time in 14 years. He earned his 100th title in February 2019 and played in his 31st major final Sunday. His confidence diminished three years ago, but now, it’s as high as it’s ever been.
Revenge is sweet
Not only was suffering the finals loss a lot to handle — just getting to the final was an intense task. He faced Rafael Nadal, his greatest nemesis, in the semifinal, 11 years after the two battled against each other in what is considered “the greatest match ever played” aka the 2008 Wimbledon final. Nadal won in 2008 in a grueling, seven-hour five setter to obtain his first Wimbledon title over Federer, who had won Wimbledon five consecutive years prior. In this year’s semifinal, the two met again at Wimbledon for the first time since that historic match. This time, Federer reigned supreme. Federer came back from being down in the first set tiebreaker, lost a shaky second set and never looked back as he cruised to a four set victory. The emotions were evident as Federer finally converted on his fifth match point opportunity. Of course, though, the ever-so-classy Federer expressed nothing but humility in his post-match interview, giving Nadal credit for always testing him and keeping him on his toes. This victory also earned Federer his 100th win at Wimbledon, and the way he did it, along with the brilliance he demonstrated in the final, makes it blatant he will keep tallying up the wins.
Bre Callahan 